The Berlin Wall in our lives.

The Berlin wall went up in 1965 and was built to keep East Berliners away from Soviet controlled East Germany States. Although to begin with the wall did not really exist with the vast attempts to escape a wall eventually did go up in 1965. It had 300 watch towers and had 45,000 separate sections each 3.6 meters high and 1.5 meters wide and was over a hundred miles long. The collapse of this wall came in 1989. I do remember seeing the wall fall and people crying. It was probably one of the few times that I was choked with tears. That wall I had heard of many times just like the IRA bombings in Ireland. With all this information said I cannot but think of how many Berlin Walls we build my dad was one of these. About 5 years ago I decided to seek a counselor and move on from the Berlin Wall of hurt and anguish that I had to this man that had called me Little Lee. I did it to save my own life and then to save my children. I had built up such a wall and although on Fathers Day I would cry a tear or two, I still could not get over the pain I felt against this man and how abandoned i felt by him. Berlin Walls live all around us a divorce, a death a tragedy can allow us to build one. The watch towers are as numerous as those on the actual Berlin Wall. It took guts for that day to come and officials to make it possible for this great wall to fall. God is not into Berlin Walls yet through human nature we build them for self preservation. The day I let go of my hurt from my Dad was a Berlin Wall been crumbled. Like the balloons been let go on My Brothers Birthday I felt freedom. My wall lasted approximately 24 years. To this day I am thankful I choose to move on. Don't let your Berlin Wall hold you back nor let it hold you captive the day The Berlin Wall fell was one that will go down in history and the day yours goes down will be one you will never forget. You can do it. Don't let time hold you captive. Or as my daughter Emily says "Don't let the Berlin Wall crush you, but you crush the Berlin wall."

Please have a cup of tea with me today.

Great walls of China in our lives.

The great wall of China is 5,500 miles and was built over a period of three hundred years. It is disappearing due to erosion and the many people who visit it. I myself have never seen it maybe one day I will. But the great wall of China is like our lives each year miles are put onto it. Parts are eroded by hurtful things said to us, parts are left derelict by simply not keeping our lives in check whether it is by been bitter or not saying sorry those all erode our lives. It is amazing looking at pictures of this amazing wall ,we will never know all who were involved, never know their families yet there stands a wall that is known throughout the world. Our lives are similar no one will know the full impact that certain people have on our lives no one will know the many roads we have traveled to get to a place or the broken parts we had to cross walking closely to the edge trying not to fall in. The great wall of China is a magnificent fete of architecture and so are our lives. If you are walking along the edge like I so often do make sure you take someone with you and remember through the erosion and through the decayed wall you are amazing. Please have a cup of tea with me today.

The Bridge

Last night I went to an event called The Bridge at Hope community church. Dr.Greg Belcher preached on The in-laws, brave man to even look at this subject. Today I googled and found out that the longest bridge is in China The Qingdoa Haiwan is 26.4 miles and took four years to build at a cost of $8.5 million. Dr. Greg Belcher preached and shared how we can set boundaries with in-laws and gave us handouts,I couldn't help but realize that England and America are not so differant on this subject. It does not matter what country you are from the in- law issue is still the same just talked about in differant places at pubs in England and at a gatherings in the States still the same talk The inlaws against us.

I think Dr. Greg Belcher was brave to go down this road of discussion. But like the Bridge and it's length I know for myself the road has seen more than 26.4 miles. The cost of many tears beyond $8.5 million and I am not alone.

In hindsight the best thing anyone can do is look for the best in someone we can only change ourselves and often huge expectations are put out onto others who have no idea that these expectations even live.

There are many Bridges so to speak in our lives and as I sit here no inlaws in my life, so to speak, I do reflect at how I handled that Bridge in my life. I was not the best. But I surely have learnt a lot through it.

The Bridge I love the best is Tower Bridge in London. If we could all think of a Bridge that we just love and try one small step at a time to cross that Bridge instead of making it like the Bridge in China so long maybe the journey would be just a little easier and the cost more rewarding. Instead of this cold frosted little bridge in England that is in the photo. The sun can shine it is all in just taking one step at a time.

Please have a cup of tea with me today.

Grieving takes time to heal.

Grieving multiple loses I think is very hard. I was married eighteen years and dated about nine months. My brother died and so did his wife.My parents divorced after twenty seven years of marriage when I was fifteen. So in all that there has been many loses. I went to a singles ministry at Hope community church in Cary there was praise and worship and a message. Dr. Greg Belcher is a man who obviously has been lead to minister to singles of all ages. A man well educated yet has gone down a road least traveled and ministers now to singles, some hurting some just needing guidance. It is like taking a fish out of a pond and telling that fish to swim in the Atlantic ocean. It is different not impossible just different. http://www.gethope.net/adults/communities My advice is take little steps, know that a situation does not define you, it is what you become through that situation and who you will be at the end of it. I may never stand on the top of mount Everest but at least I will take one step to climb my own mountains. You can do this too just one step is a huge beginning. Please have a cup of tea with me today.

Skype

Skype is this video connection that hooks you up with family and friends so that you can video chat over the Internet. After not seeing my sister and her family for years we got to see them all on Skype. I will have to say my adorable niece was as wonderful and as lovely as four years ago her laugh infectious and her spirit just a joy to see and hear. She is an amazing young lady who I hope stays in my life and my children's lives for a long time.

My daughter Emily said "I wished there was skype for Heaven".

As amazing as skype is I think God holds the best to the end and so I am kind of glad that there is no skype for heaven.

For now I will Cherish the moments of seeing Dear Jude via the Internet and Cherish that God allowed us to glimpse into her life.

Where ever you live hold onto the wonderful memories make new ones where ever it is on skype, facebook or in a written letter.

Remember the best is yet to come.

Please have a cup of tea with me today.

Happy mothers Day to Me 2011

As a single mum one does not get much praise you balance everything kind of like a fork balancing everything on it and the kitchen sink as well. It is not an easy road. My girls make the sunshine even when I am terribly homesick with British things and smiles that brighten up the worst shower. So to all you Mum's out there go have a bubble bath, have a cup of tea laugh and read a book the fork with all it's balancing act will still be there tommorrow, but for one day just make it yours. Love you Mum Please have a cup of tea with me today.

Little Andrew.

I will have to say that there are few little boys that make me smile. On March 30th when we let go of fourty nine balloons for my brother a little boy Andrew smiled and laughed as we let them go into the sky. His smiling little face was to be cherished. As I reflect on us letting go of these balloons how sweet of God that a little boy was there, to smile and laugh. Perhaps in it all God made sure a little boy was there to see it all. I am so glad that his little smiling face is forever in the pictures of that day. Thank you God. In all those old photos perhaps God has reasons for the sneaky little smiles in the photo's. Laugh a little smile a little and even in the blues there is a little sunshine. Please have a cup of tea with me today.