changing address...

It's time to let you know that the season for write minded is coming to an end as my blog is changing address!

You will find me at debholmes.com.au from here on... still more of the same with a bit of different stuff thrown in.

Please drop by and visit!

family matters...

Family matters to me.


All of my most treasured memories involve my family.


Whether the times were special because of what we were doing or just because my loved ones were there, I am not sure...perhaps both... but either way, I love to share the experiences of my life with those I hold most precious.


As I have grown, my understanding of family has changed somewhat, and so has the structure. My own family unit changed from a clan of 5 to an intimate 2 when I married my best friend almost 9 years ago.  Over the years, others have married and had kids, adding more brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews... Having more people in my life makes me realise just how great our capacity to love really is.


Yet there is still room in my heart for more.


The desire to add to our little unit of 2 has, over the past while, been met with disappointment, heartache and unfulfilled hope.


We have walked a difficult and tumultuous journey... I know it has been a short one compared to some... but still...


It is a road I would not wish upon anyone... yet it is also a place that I know you don't understand until you have been there. The lessons are hard to learn.


I have learned that the things you always think happen to "someone else" can just as easily happen to you... 


I have learned that despite how much you want or work towards something, there are certain things that are simply out of our control.


I have learned that my timing and my ways are not necessarily God's ways. I have learned to trust Him in spite of the circumstances.


I believe in a God who can do amazing miracles and defy a doctor's report. 
I know that if He wants to do that for us, He will.


However, I also know that He sees a bigger picture... and perhaps... just perhaps, the perfect baby for our family is not one created by us...


I believe adoption is a miracle all on its own.


So... with that in mind, we are moving north to be closer to some of our extended family as we work towards expanding our own. 


Because family matters.


A whole lot.

on love and loss...

Today has been a tough day for my household.

Especially for our little Murphy.

My sweet little dog was out walking on the beach with me yesterday evening when he came across a little bit of discarded fishing bait. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary as his walks usually involve lots of sniffing and nibbling of anything that looks even remotely flavoursome. So I wasn't too concerned until I realised that he was stopping to paw at his face because there was something hanging out of it.

Thinking that he had picked up a stick or piece of grass in his beard, I called him over to remove it. On closer inspection, I realised that it was a piece of fishing line with a sinker attached. After looking in his mouth, it dawned on me that the tasty morsel he had just munched on was more than likely still attached to a fish hook, which was now somewhere down his throat.

After a rushed trip to the vet, x-rays revealed that the hook was in fact stuck all the way down at the base of his oesophagus - one of the most unlikely and difficult places from which to retrieve it.

Our two options involved the use of an endoscope to remove the hook, or surgery.

We chose the least invasive option, which was the endoscope. This, however, proved unsuccessful as the large hook was becoming more firmly stuck with their attempts to remove it.

The last option was to try and get to it through the stomach.

Thankfully, our prayers were answered and the operation today was a success. Though he is not yet out of the woods, he is in good hands and we are believing he will make a full recovery. 

I fully understand that Murph is an animal; however, he is very much a part of our life. In 2 short years, he has firmly entrenched himself in our hearts and as a part of our family.

I do realise that he won't live forever but I simply wasn't prepared to say goodbye to him so soon.

But one thing I have been reminded of today is that loving means that you have to face losing. 

Thankfully, for us, not today. 

But someday, sure.

Loving brings the greatest moments of life - incredible joy and feelings of happiness and belonging.

But it also brings a vulnerability to loss and grief - something we inevitably have to face, often when we are least prepared for it.

Of course, the loss of a pet is not even on the same scale as the loss of a person... but still, it hurts.

Yet though loving means that I will have to face my share of pain and grief, I choose to love.

To love and to be loved is an immeasurable blessing.

And it is so much better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all.

I can't wait to have my little buddy back home, following me from room to room, just waiting for me to love him with games, cuddles and walks.....

Though maybe not walks on the beach for a while.  

being curly...

I wore my hair straight for a couple of days this week.

It still amazes me how one little machine can turn this

into this!

Oh, the wonders of the GHD.

Inevitably, because it looks so different, straightening my hair always elicits a comment or two.
On Thursday, I was having a conversation with a friend who also has naturally curly(ish) hair and we both commented that our husbands prefer our hair curly.

Which is great for me.
I mean... it is nearly always curly... so the fact that the hubs prefers me to look the way I am most of the time is a relief.
It takes a lot of effort to get it straight. And whilst it is fun to do every now and then, I don't have the time or energy to do it every day!

I remember a day I wore my hair straight to school and one of my students commented, "Mrs Holmes, your hair looks SO much better like that..."

oh.

The truth is that I spent many years of my life trying to straighten, relax, and iron out my curls. Every day was a bad hair day. The day I decided to embrace having a head that looks like a bunch of slinkys, I started to have the best hair days of my life.

We have to be who we are created to be.

In every area of life.

The days I try to be someone I am not are like the days I straighten my hair... I might be able to pull it off for a while but if I continue to do it long enough, I will become brittle and broken.

So I choose to embrace the curls.

And all the other bits.

"For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well." Psalm 139: 13, 14

What's in your wardrobe?

A few weeks ago, we spent a weekend in Melbourne with friends.


I love Melbourne...and a long weekend in the city with our best buds was just awesome.


As if it needs to be said, there was MUCH shopping done and I must say that the addition of a few dozen new items to the wardrobe created something of a space issue when I got home.


What a lovely problem to have. :)


So, I happily got stuck into culling mode last week and filled two big garbage bags full of clothes that I no longer want or wear.  I decided to take the ruthless approach, so anything that so much as raised an eyebrow got tossed passed onto charity. :)


I am pretty sure that some of the things I decided to let go of have been sitting around, unworn and unloved for quite some time now and I sometimes wonder why I kept them for so long. However, behind some of the "unlovelys" I found some hidden gems... fantastic items of clothing that I had forgotten about because they were hidden right at the back, behind something that hadn't been touched for too long.


Despite the fact that I often stand in my wardrobe in a daze thinking, "I have nothing to wear", the truth of the matter is that I have loads to choose from. I have never EVER gone without something to wear (or something to eat or money in the bank, for that matter...)

I am blessed. Truly blessed. And not just because of the dresses that hang in my cupboard.


I have my health. I ran a half marathon on the weekend and, let me tell you, it was no walk in the park. (Well... it was similar to a run in the park... a very LONG run..) I needed my health for each and every step and I am so grateful for it.


I am blessed to have an amazing family. It never ceases to amaze me how God hand picks all of the people in our lives, just for us. My family is unbelievably great and I would not be the same without them.


I am blessed to be married to my best friend. No more needs to be said. He is awesome. ;)


I am blessed to have a faith in God, who gives me a future and a hope. Who reminds me daily that I don't have to walk in my own strength; I can rely on Him.


I am blessed for so many reasons. 


And I think that sometimes it is good to take note of what some of those blessings are. 


Just like fabulous clothes at the back of the drawer that get forgotten about, things in our life that bring us joy can be overlooked because of the junk lying in the way that so often obstructs our view of how much we really do have. 


Let me tell you, it feels good to get rid of the junk. It feels great to be able to see all that I have in my life without having to trawl through all the old baggage that just fills the space.

It feels great to let go of the garbage and enjoy the blessings.


What hidden gems are lying around in your wardrobe?


Note: Last image is only my real wardrobe in my wildest dreams!

Just a closer walk with thee...

Regular beach walks have become somewhat of a daily occurrence around here.


We are enormously blessed to live in a place where every day feels like a holiday. A little bit clichéd , perhaps. But true. That's exactly how it feels.


It has become one of my favourite times of the day... we head down with the schnoodle to feel the sand between our toes, marvel at the beauty and power of the ocean, and give our calves a good workout. :) It is such a relaxing and calming place to be - even when the wind has whipped the waves into a white horse frenzy, like today.


Since moving here, we have been training Murphy quite consistently to "come when called". A couple of previous beach trips (before we moved here) saw him taking off for miles down the sand chasing seagulls and left us feeling a little nervous about his ability to cope with too much freedom. Hence the rigorous training and cautious approach.

Needless to say, our little regime has worked a treat. He has responded beautifully...even to the point where he has elicited comments from complete strangers on the beach about what an obedient dog he is. 


The truth of the matter is that he has quickly learnt that if he does respond and come when he is beckoned, there is usually a tasty treat and high praise waiting for him at the other end. And whilst he is a busy boy at the beach, checking out everything that has been washed in with the last tide, few things down there taste as good as what is hidden in my pocket.


Our walk today was a doggy dream as we had the whole beach to ourselves and he was allowed complete freedom for the entire walk up and back. The fact that we took a chance between downpours no doubt contributed to the lack of human traffic. That and the fact that it was blowing a gale and the crashing of the waves made a noise akin to a passing freight train.


To hear my call over the roar of the wind and waves, Murph's little doggy ears had to be well-attuned and ready to listen.... and it helped that he never ran too far from where I was at any time. He has realised that the closer he walks to me, the more he is rewarded.  He will often bring himself over just to "check in" and let me know he is still there, being a good dog. 


Makes me wonder how attuned I am to my Master's voice....and am I walking close enough to hear Him when He calls?


His treasures for me are great and many... if only I am listening and ready to run to Him.


Just a closer walk with Thee,
Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,
Daily walking close to Thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.

love and sacrifice...

Today I have been thinking a lot about love.


and sacrifice.


and Jesus.


Well... it IS Good Friday. 


I have had some crappy not-so-easy-to-take revelations lately about the fact that being a Christian does not necessarily grant you special treatment here on earth. 


In my head, I think sometimes that because I am a follower of Jesus, I should get a free ticket to easy street...the destination where everything falls into place, life is easy and there is no stress.


Ha.


Obviously I am stretching things a little here.. but, you know what I mean? 


Despite what my head says, though, in my heart, I know it is not the case.  
I do believe that there is favour from God for those who seek Him and I do believe that prayers are answered and miracles can happen....but things don't always happen in the way we hope or expect.


There are no GUARANTEES. 


About anything.


EXCEPT eternal life.


You see, Jesus' love for me is far greater than my immediate circumstance. He sees beyond what I face day to day and wants to unlock treasures and character that are, as yet, untapped. Which sometimes means I take a detour away from easy street for a while.


But He also knows the big picture... He wants the best for me and He really does love me.... a lot. He knows that what is REALLY important is not how easy this life on earth is, but whether or not I am in relationship with Him for eternity. 


So... because I am a sinner and I constantly stuff up, Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice by dying.


For me.


(and you.)


The fact that I am forgiven because Jesus died for me makes me realise the insignificance of my earthly worries.


It makes me understand, just that little bit more, how much He really does love me.


And it makes me so incredibly grateful...


I realise that because He paid the ultimate sacrifice, I get the ultimate reward.

And that makes me the most blessed, favoured person I know.

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 3:16