Quiet Reflections

I didn't make it to that small historical church on Sunday evening. Stuff happens.  Since stepping away from my family church a few days ago, I've been struck by silence. There have been conversations with friends and relatives (who are also friends), otherwise silence.  God is with me. The birds are with me. Mum is with me. Through the so-called Queensland winter, (mind you, it was a bit fresh for a while there), Mum and I were anxiously monitoring our liquid amber tree. It was given to Mum by family members last Christmas. Because there are 3 mature liquid ambers just around the corner, we knew that the tree was supposed to be leafless throughout winter, but, due to a previous experience with a croton turning into 2 dead sticks (it was meant to spruce up the front of our old house ready for inspections), we were concerned. To our great pleasure and relief, one day, we noticed buds on our baby liquid amber and now it is flourishing. I am fascinated by the staggered transition...

  Yesterday, a song from the 70s or 80s sailed into my consciousness (as songs are wont to do). It said,        Bind us together Lord, bind us together with cords that cannot be broken.         Bind us together Lord, bind us together Lord, bind us together with love. Classic! (to quote Kelby from Beyond Paradise). In the reasonably early hours of the day, I had woken with a sense of clarity that I needed to step away from my local church, into which I was brought by my parents, aged 5 months, just prior to the previously mentioned elephant incident. I am almost completely overwhelmed by knowledge that my Dad's side of the family walked regularly to this church, from their home in Woodend, in the 1800s. I'll let that sink in... This morning I was showered by bird song, accompanied by a sense of the divine. The picture above is a sketch that I did while talking to my professional supervisor last term. It's based on an oil painting that Gra...

  My sister Anne drew this picture based on a church building in Ipswich, Queensland. People gathered inside on a regular basis for at least 176 years. I have a lot of memories and personal knowledge associated with this building. Here’s a list of what currently comes to mind: 1.       As a child, I used to sit in the 3 rd or 4 th pew on the left, between Grandma and Grandpa. Mum, Dad, Nanny, Anne, Paul were in front of us. I felt safe in my family unit. 2.       Inside, there is a memorial window that includes my Uncle Kevin, Dad’s brother, who died in WW2. 3.       When I was a baby, my family and I were up in the balcony. Allegedly, my sister dropped her yellow plastic elephant from the balcony during a service and it landed with a squeak. (Note the elephant in the above picture). 4.       There was a Sunday School meeting in there, when I was 7, that I found emotionally damagin...

  But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. Psalm 5:11 I shared this while cat-sitting for my sister and her son. The felines had gone 'full nocturnal', walking on me and having scuffles with themselves and things they could see through the window! I was a bit short on sleep. The picture that I've included flowed from the quote above. The flower represents life and the arc designates space meeting the earth like a protective blanket. (My pens were running out slightly!). I know not everyone feels like they are being protected; not everyone feels safe. I think my Grandfather would despair at the state of the world right now.  On the bright side, I did hear a wonderful story recently of a church outreach providing protection to a homeless man. They did this by listening and responding practically to his specific needs. That's actually how some people participa...

  Most people don’t know that reading about space, and particularly moons, lights me up. Google stories, however, are aware of this interest. They figured out that I was likely to read an article about earth’s imminent acquisition of a second moon, or mini-moon. It seems asteroid 2024 PTS is dropping in on Sunday to do one Dosido around the earth before ‘nicking off’ to continue its journey around the sun. My Mum finds space talk a bit ‘mind-blowing’ but horses for courses! (Always remember that Pluto has an image on it that looks like Snoopy). For me, space stuff helps to rest my head in the power, reason, logic or mind that is foundational to the universe. Big stuff, I know, but resting the mind is something I’ve been practising for about 3 years, through the Headspace App. Much of the process is being aware of what is and acknowledging it. For me, space, moons, planets are. Similarly, God is. I can rest my mind here. When it comes to church – or gatherings that acknowledge G...

  My sister just texted me to say, “there’s a situation.”  This was accompanied by a photo of crops and trees – general scenic ambience – taken from a train just north of Mackay in Queensland. Traditionally, when there’s a situation, it means that one of us is impressed by the prevailing landscape. This was no different and I felt the “situation” raining down on me like sprinkles of sunlight. My connection with God, the divine, is similar to this, although it also comes from within.  Conversely, I’ve had many experiences of leaving church services with something like an emotional headache, or sensory overload, or something.  I am hoping to bridge the gap between these experiences by relating to church - or fellowship - in a different way. You are welcome to come on the journey!