The Blessing of Work

Work. The word itself just sounds like a bore. As soon as I write the word my imagination conjures up images of hard labour and days lost behind a desk. I wonder what you're thinking as you read the word. It's something that most people do, in some form or another, and that most people take for granted. Despite how you feel about work, it's an extremely valuable thing. It gives your days purpose and you get to contribute to society. It also provides money that can help provide for your needs and the needs of your loved ones.

After 6 months of not having work, I'm feeling a bit lost. My days often don't have a purpose or goal and time just slips away. You might think that this is the best type of holiday ever, but, after 6 months, it's just too much. I've developed bad sleeping patterns and the lifestyle of a hermit. I feel unproductive and, at times, a drain on society.

That said, I have now got a job which starts in the new year!! It's not what I was originally thinking of doing, and it's night shift, which is not ideal, but my perspective of work has changed. I'm thankful that I will now be able to spend at least some of my time (it's a part-time job) in a productive manner and that there will be some purpose to some of my nights. I'll be able to provide at least something towards my needs and the needs of those I love. I feel like I'm a participating member of society again.

So when you head off to work again after your holidays, have a think about what your work means to you. Think about what you can be thankful for with your work and your job. And have a think about what having work would mean to those who haven't got any.

Limbo

I'm living in Limbo. It's been just over 5 months since I got back to Australia, and it feels like I'm just sitting here waiting for my life to begin. Before I left the Netherlands, I was eagerlly awaiting a new start. I was thinking about all the possibilities that life held for me. A new place to live, a new job, a change. But it seems that this new start has been put on hold. I feel like someone has pushed the pause button on my life, and I have no idea when they're going to push play again.

 

I know this sounds quite dramatic, but it's the truth. I'm currently living with my parents and looking for work. That's about it. While it was nice to have some down time, 5 months is a bit of overkill. I'm not currently living my 'old life' in NL, but I also haven't started my 'new life' in Aust. It's starting to get frustrating.

Our own little world

So lately I think I've been a bit lost in my 'own little world'. What I mean is the things that we surround ourselves with on a daily basis. The things that we fill our lives with. Mine has been catching up with friends and watching a lot of TV and movies. Oh and of course looking for work. We surround ourselves with so many things that sometimes we don't look beyond. We don't look at the big picture. I need to admit that I haven't been looking at God's big picture lately. I don't feel like I've been filling my life with Him and His plans. It's hard to look at His picture when we're so wrapped up in our own, when we're focused on us.

So how do we get out of this little world that we've created for ourselves? We focus on God. We look at Him and to Him and focus our hearts and minds on Him again. It's not an easy thing to do, but there is so much about Him to focus on that we could spend our whole lives learning about Him and never fully knowing. I think it's time I got back into it. How about you?

When I have all the time in the world.

I often say things like 'if I had the time I would...' Do you say that? I think about the things that I would do if I had more time and think about how great it would be to do those things. Some of those things include:

- trying that new recipe

- reading that/those book/s

- seeing people

- organising things better

and the list goes on...

When it comes down to it though, I don't do those things. Like right now I have all the time in the world. I'm not working (although I am looking for a job) and I have no fixed commitments. So now I have the time to do all those things that I've been wanting to do 'if I ever had the time'. So now would be the time to tell you all about the amazing things that I've been doing. Unfortunately I don't seem to work like that. Since I have all the time in the world, I tend to do nothing. I watch TV, read articles (and Facebook) and just potter around the house doing not much at all. It's such a waste. So I've decided to try and do some things that are on my list of 'if only I had the time'. I'll get back to you in a couple of days and let you all know how it goes.

Radio Silence

So I haven't written for a few weeks, which I guess is not all that strange, but I thought I owed you all an explanation. On the 29th of July my Poppa died. Although this was a very sad event, I'm glad that he is now not suffering or in pain. We had the funeral on the 3rd of August and it was a really great way of saying goodbye to a wonderful man. We had a house full of guests as a lot of my family lives interstate and although it was a bit crazy, it was really nice having lots of people around to help take your mind off things.

Since then, I've been helping my parents clean out Poppa's room, which is a task and a half. It's been confirmed that my Poppa is where I get my hoarding trait from! It's fun looking at all the photos though, especially the older ones and ones with my parents in them. There's some great photos with amazing fashion.

I've also spent a long weekend down in Goolwa with my Mum, just relaxing. It's been great to get away from the house and to also just forget about the long list of things that I need to do. The weather was divine, so sunny, and it was great to sit outside reading and playing board games.

So now I'm back in Adelaide and ready to get some things done.

How do you pray for a dying loved one?

Visiting a dying loved one is a hard thing. Wednesday was especially hard for me to visit my Poppa. Over the 80mins that I was with him, he was up and down like a yo-yo. Firstly he was hardly talking and didn't really recognise that I was there. It was heartbreaking and very hard for me to bear. After a little while he rallied a bit and during his lunch was even joking with me! He was being a bit cheeky, which is the way that I want to remember him, because that's a big part of his character.

I'm not sure what is hardest- loosing my Poppa due to death, or losing him to old age and him living, but being a vegetable. That last one is the way that things are going at the moment, and it's hard. It's hard seeing such an independent and strong man simply lying in a bed waiting for death. How do I pray for him? Do I pray for him to get better and to prolong his life, or do I pray for death to come swiftly? I believe that God has the power to do both of these things, but when Poppa's like he is at the moment it's hard to believe that he will be getting any better. Maybe it would be better if he was able to be in heaven with God?

And then there's the toll that it's taking on the family. It's especially hard for my Mum, who just wants her Dad back. It's also draining, as we're spending time with him twice each day (between the three of us). If things go on the way that they are for a few months, we'll all be exhausted at the end of it. But is that what I should be thinking about? The toll that it takes on the family? Shouldn't I just be praying for him to hold on as long as he can, so we can spend more time with him and not worry about the stress? But then that in itself is selfish, because wanting him to be alive just for the sake of being alive may not be the best thing for my Poppa.

The best thing that I can do is to leave it in God's hands. It's a hard thing to do, but who better to give the situation to? I pray that my Poppa can not suffer and be in pain and that God will take him when the time is right. Please can you pray this with me?

Sweden

The last stop on my Scandinavian tour was Sweden- well Stockholm to be precise. Although I travelled through Sweden on my way to Norway on the 5th June, I didn't get to Stockholm until the 10th and I stayed until the 12th. Here's my impressions, some photos and even a video!

Stockholm:
A light drizzle of rain here and there didn't stop me from heading out and about to see Stockholm. There were so many big old buildings that were so beautiful. I don't even know what half of them are! I caught the changing of the guards (as I did in other capitals), but here it was crazy busy. So many tourists and so many big tour buses all over the place. Since being back in Adelaide, I've realised that that's probably because the youngest Swedish princess was married on the 8th, so people probably stayed around after that for a couple of days to see the sights. There was also crazy young people in flat-bed trucks with music, yelling and dancing driving around all over the city. I wasn't sure what that was about, but a google search told me that it's a tradition for high school graduates on their graduation day!