MY GIFT...MY DAUGHTER

My precious 20 year old daughter, who is probably responsible for 80% of my grey
hairs, walked in today with a trophy..."PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR" from the Hotel school through which she's studying. Its pretty much a trophy in recognition of the person who she is and who she has been all her life...the independant, spirited soul that is ........and has always been, my beautiful gift from God.

As a baby of six months old, she insisted on feeding herself, as a little girl of 4, she flatly refused to wear corduroys, as a teenager of 13, was the noise and life our home...often getting into lots of mishchief and into the resulting trouble, as an older teen, said her say nomatter the anger it caused, and now as a young woman, with all my heart, I celebrate the person that is my daughter...and every grey hair on my head!! How I love her and nomatter where her life journey leads her, I know she has been created perfectly...just as she is.

The Tibetan monks have arrived in South Africa
on a mission of compassion and peace. Their Mandala
will be compleated today but these photos were taken
during the week.
What an awesome experience. They exude their
message in the aura of tranquility one experience
on entering the building. Absorbed in their task,
there was still time for a kind and welcoming smile.
Watching how they painstakingly, bit by teeny bit,
get the sand into place in exact amounts, forming perfect
shapes.

They epitomise humility and likewise, I experienced
this. May the Lord, Prince of peace, love and compassion,
see their hearts and bless this mission of theirs.

.

Mothers day is not a day I bother about too much as I feel that our blessings are tangible daily in just being able to share the lives of our children and our mothers. This year, however was just somehow more special for me. My beautifull daughters made their gran and I a lovely breakfast, a little gift was placed in our plates and flowers picked from our garden carefully placed next to it...I was so touched and felt so blessed. We all prayed together that morning.

PRECIOUS MOMENTS IN TIME

My 15 year old son had his pin removed two days ago. This morning he had his shoulder rubbed by his grandad and I thought with gratitude and love, that it is times like these where we are called to value and remember the important things in life, how a small gesture of love and caring can imprint on our lives forever.

I've started this but right now do not know where its going....just going to let my imagination to its thing

The period and storey is a bit in keeping with the drama of our current day SA...ghosts of our past, conflict between new and old, mistrust and ignorance...the vast differences between cultures, needing to co-exist by virtue of its history....and in spite of it!

CREATURES, SMALL AND SMALLER

I wish that I knew how to use my camera properly!!!!! This would have made such
an interesting picture...
This moth was resting on the glass ..almost looks asif it was placed in the sky


This other little chap/ lady, was caught on the patio, helping itself to our cats food. My son
took it to his girlfriends house with the intention of offering it as food to her really large and agressive 'dragon' thingy...fortunately, he was released in the neighbouring veld to make lots more little chaps/ladies.

This is not a sight that mothers enjoy seeing...a thick hooked-end of a 15 cm pin protruding from her sons shoulder...and it moves for Heaven sake!!!!!

Eeeeeeugh!!! Six weeks of this. Fortunately/unfortunately, he's young enough to think that its really 'cool'. He was walking around with his shirt off, the reaction of his cousins being a morbid facination and got a respectful "hauw" from our Malawi domestics.

It looks really rough!