20 Questions for a New Year's Reflection

So here we are at the end of the year. I have again completed the questions as I did last year - it is good to look back over the year and to be grateful for all it has held. I am most grateful that I still don't have to do dialysis. 

You can look back to my answers in 2011 on 30th December 2011. 

20 Questions for a New Year’s Reflection

1. What was the single best thing that happened this past year?

Standing in Borrowdale looking out at my view. I thought that would never happen again because of dialysis,  standing in the Olympic stadium at the paralympics with Paul and Josh watching Jonny Peacock and Oscar and being at Dorney Lake to see the first gold medal of the games and at the road race on butterfly bend with Chloe and Ed at my first Olympic event.

2. What was the single most challenging thing that happened?

My arm – at the beginning of the year my arm was hugely swollen from the blockage in my fistula. I was very glad to get that sorted.

3. What was an unexpected joy this past year?

I have continued to look and find joy everywhere. My year has been so full of lovely things. The most unexpected joy was Paul being told that his job was safe after all.

4. What was an unexpected obstacle?

Paul being told he would be made redundant in 30 days. This was a great shock to me and I selfishly could only think that it was the end of my lovely going out life!

5. Pick three words to describe 2011.

Thankful, busy, happy

8. What were the best books you read this year?

A praying life and Thrive The Bah! Guide to Wellness after cancer. I also discovered James Patterson!

9. With whom were your most valuable relationships?

My family, my bible study ladies, my friends

10. What was your biggest personal change from January to December of this past year?

To take every opportunity and say yes when possible

11. In what way(s) did you grow emotionally?

I am learning to treasure all things in my heart

12. In what way(s) did you grow spiritually?

I am learning to pray more

13. In what way(s) did you grow physically?

I have a round tummy and Paul no longer calls me a refugee!

14. In what way(s) did you grow in your relationships with others?

I am learning the importance of staying in touch with people if only through texts or notes or emails etc… because when we know about peoples lives then we can care more deeply.

15. What was the most enjoyable part of your work (both professionally and at home)?

Tutoring has given me so much pleasure – having small people in my house and seeing them grow in their learning

16. What was the most challenging part of your work (both professionally and at home)?

I still miss going to work particularly the people

17. What was your single biggest time waster in your life this past year?

I continue to try not to waste my time – it is too precious and I don’t know how much of it I have

18. What was the best way you used your time this past year?

In my relationships with family and friends making forever moments

19. What was biggest thing you learned this past year?
Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight and understanding. In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6 (Amplified Bible)

20. Create a phrase or statement that describes 2012 for you.

A year full of wonderful opportunities taken making forever memories.

Christmas Week

Christmas cake - made by Chloe and Anne and tasted lovely. 

 I have decided to give you a flavour of our week (which has been lovely) through my, not very good, photos. I have used my phone which is adequate but not wonderful. 

Christmas Eve table - with Rudolph cake pops. 

Chloe and Ed Christmas morning (Ed with his new catapult) 

Ben snuggled Christmas morning 

Christmas Day - Paul in his waistcoat 

Very yummy Christmas dinner made by Joy 

Christmas cakes 

Adam and Ben opening presents 

Joys twinkly fireplace 

Boxing day lunch 

Waiting for more presents! 

More waiting!!!!

Paul delighted with his gnome 

Anna and Ben in London 

Josh and Debs in London 

Chloe and Ed in London. 

All our plans went well apart from a bit of illness, thankfully not me! Makes a change. The food was all lovely and spending family time together was very precious. I think we made more forever memories for my children to store in their hearts. 

I don't have any photos of our hectic Thursday which started at 9am for breakfast and finished at about 9pm when I went to bed! Hopefully Joy will send me some photos she took with her new camera. 


It was lovely to listen in to so many conversations of family members catching up on news. We are so lucky to be able to meet all together even if for some it was only a short time. 

Our week finished with the ballet in London yesterday with Anna  Ben, Chloe, Ed, Paul, Debs, Josh and myself. It was so lovely to be altogether.

As ever I am so grateful to be part of my wonderful family and well enough to do lovely things. 

Reason for the season

 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3 v16 

So here we are Christmas has arrived. How thankful I am to be here and to be at the centre of all happenings rather than sitting on the sofa guiding procedures! I am tired and we have 4 days of activity but I am looking forward to spending it with my family and hoping to have enough energy to be part of everything. 

In the night I found I couldn't sleep and my mind reflected on my journey. I have come so far but every day remains a blessing. I continue to make each day count not knowing how many I have - I hope I can always live like that. 

May I wish you and yours a happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year. Thank you so much for being part of my journey. I hope and pray that you manage to take a few moments out of the business to reflect on the reason for the season - a babe born in a stable who is saviour of the world, who loves you enough to die for you and longs for you to spend eternity with Him. 

Happy Christmas 

Chaotic Mess - Chloe's home

Kitchen mess 

 Well my plans for a tidy house were good ones I did well - but then Chloe and Ed arrived! We had stocking making, sack sewing,  cake decorating, cooking sticky sausages, making gingerbread all happening at the same time! It was a wonderful chaotic mess - and I loved it! 

We just managed to tidy up for our Strictly party. 

Lounge mess with Ed sewing 

Today is a bit of a resting day before the week really begins. 

Papageno with antlers - he wasn't impressed 

Twinkly lights and rosettes ready for Strictly. 

.....and breathe

Today is a day to just breathe - before the adventure begins. I will finish my tidying and what doesn't get done - oh well! I am excited that soon my chicks will be in their nest alongside our adopted chicks. I am SO SO So grateful not to be doing dialysis. So thankful that my blood pressure is controlled at last - only taken 2 1/2 years. So thankful that as far as we know I am cancer free. So thankful that my kidneys are working at 18% . So grateful that although I have many aches they are not really pains and I don't need methotrexate at the moment. So thankful that I am loved. 

Christmas Plans

Packed day today - doing bits and pieces along with visiting my lovely school. It feels so strange to be in school but not part of the chaos that is the last week of term. It was lovely to see everyone. 

Tomorrow I am going to be pampered and hopefully will have beautiful nails in time for Christmas. Then hopefully I am going to Senior Prize Giving at Ben's school. He has been awarded a prize for singing. I say hopefully because he has been quite poorly this week but hopefully will be better enough to go tomorrow. 

Friday will be full of last minute stuff and tidying ready for the week ahead. 

Saturday - Chloe and Ed  home, last shopping, cooking, icing cake and Strictly Final. My Strictly Sparkle Dress will get its first outing. 

Sunday - Church, roast dinner with Chloe, Ed, Paul and Ben, followed by Live Nativity in Wokingham performed by our sister church. 

Christmas Eve - meal at ours with Joy, Matt, Adam, Talia, Chloe, Ed, Ben, Paul and I. 

Christmas Day - Church then lunch at Joy and Matts (the first time I am not cooking Christmas day lunch for over 20 years) Lovely to enjoy my birthday without having to cook. 

Boxing Day - Josh and Debs arrive and we are having a day as family. I love Boxing Day lunch best 

Thursday - whole family day at ours about 19 of us! 

Friday - rest day! 

Saturday - London - Royal Opera House with Josh, Debs, Chloe, Ed , Ben, Anna and Paul. We are seeing a mixed programme including Firebird. Followed by Tapas. A lovely way to end the wonderful week. 

I have spent ages trying to decide what to eat. Normally I do Christmas day and I do the same thing each year. The other days take more thinking! 

Christmas Eve we are having a buffet with cold salmon and ham with spiced peaches (good old Nigella) salads and potato skins, followed by pavlova or cherry cheesecake. 

Boxing day we will have cold ham, cold turkey, cheese, jacket pots, cous-cous, coleslaw, salad and of course pickles and my newly tried cranberry relish, white chocolate cheesecake or Christmas pudding with brandy butter 

Thursday we will have vegetable lasagne,  coq au vin or sausages, new potatoes or garlic bread, salad, pomegranate cous-cous, winter slaw, lemon freeze(a family recipe essential for Christmas) 

Hopefully this will all work out well. We of course have the Christmas cake to fill any gaps - it is big enough to feed an army! 

I will pop in here when I can but in the meantime let me wish you all 
A very  happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year or 

Ngikufisela uKhisimusi oMuhle noNyaka oMusha oNempumelelo in Zulu

สุขสันต์วันคริสต์มาส และสวัสดีปีใหม่ in Thai

God jul og godt nytt år in Norwegian

QISmaS DatIvjaj 'ej DIS chu' DatIvjaj (sg)
QISmaS botIvjaj 'ej DIS chu' botIvjaj (pl)       in Klingon 

Buon Natale e felice anno nuovo in Italian

Maligayang pasko at manigong bagong taon! in Filipino 

Death is nothing at all

Death is nothing at all

I have only slipped away into the next room

I am I and you are you

Whatever we were to each other

That we are still

Call me by my own familiar name

Speak to me in the easy way you always used

Put no difference into your tone

Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow

Laugh as we always laughed

At the little jokes we always enjoyed together

Play, smile, think of me, pray for me

Let my name be ever the household word that it always was

Let it be spoken without effort

Without the ghost of a shadow in it

Life means all that it ever was

There is absolute unbroken continuity

What is death but a negligible accident?

Why should I be out of mind

Because I am out of sight?

I am waiting for you for an interval

Somewhere very near

Just around the corner

All is well.

Nothing is past; nothing is lost

One brief moment and all will be as it was before

How we shall laugh at the trouble of parting when we meet again!

Canon Henry Scott-Holland, Canon of St Paul's Cathedral (1847 - 1918)

Death has been much on my mind and I am sure on many of your minds too as we hear of the shooting in Connecticut. I have been praying often for the families whose arms ache to hold their loved ones, whose homes are empty because  their child isn't there. Yesterday a young man told me about the funeral he had attended last week, for his uncle. He spoke of his own sadness for his dad (it was his brother) and how he hadn't wanted to speak about his uncle in case it made his dad sad. He then told me many things he remembered about him, especially things which had made him laugh. He smiled as he told me, his eyes bright with tears. In his description I almost could imagine this man, loved by his family and friends. We chatted about how good it is to talk about the person. This poem reminds me how I felt after my parents died (9 months apart) that they were just a breath away, just around the corner as the poem describes. I felt that heaven was just through a curtain and they would be there. Death is always sad, even more so when it is your child but how wonderful is it to believe that we shall see them again in heaven.  

‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” Rev 21v4