Giving Thanks and Praise!

#@* ACHTUNG! WARNING! *#@
This post is going to be a long one... go and get yourself a cup of tea & relax!!



How do I begin to give thanks and praise?
I have just listened to an hour of good old traditional and riveting radio from my national broadcaster and it left me with the overwhelming desire to blog - and to give thanks... and praise.... (If you want to hear what I was listening to, visit the link and its the show from 14th June)

Then it sparked a short but packed reflection on the blessings I have been showered with recently.

I'm having the day off today and resting in bed. I overdid it spectacularly for my birthday weekend, and finished it with a throat infection/cold/flu thing. I was soldiering on, until a rather restless sleep to wake with a ragged throat, brick head and sick breath... no, not worth the effort, and I need to be well. I think I'm going to like my new job, but currently its exhausting!!

Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, giving thanks... It is winter here now, but the thing I love about a Melbourne winter is the way the sun shines. Yesterday it felt really cold (and this morning there was a definate layer of frost on grass and cars, 4 degrees, brrrr), but you could still feel the gentle warmth of the sun, and we now have green grass again. You blessed ones in well watered parts of the world probably don't understand or cant imagine the great expanse of Australia's dessert landscape. But now the Darling is flowing again, and perhaps there is hope for the mighty Murray. I love rain, the way it washes everything and leaves it bright and vibrant. The way the Australian landscape smells after rain too - it is my favourite scent in the whole world (but a difficult one to describe). Winter has so many comforts, and a sense of fierce camraderie not necessary in the excesses of summer. In winter the harsh realities of the world we live in can no longer be ignored. The division between those that have and those that have not can be the difference between life and death in winter. It is in winter that generosity is a gift so essential.

Monday morning dawned cold and drissly (I know because I was still enjoying Sunday and suddenly it was Monday!) I did something I have always longed to do, and inhabited my favourite city for the night. A friend and I left the NightCat (a club featuring a great live latin band) in Fitzroy at 1am. Its still so early! I mused, but as we wandered the streets of Fitzroy and Collingwood, heading into East Melbourne - everywhere was closing. I plucked a free paper from the doorway of a closed shop. (Its not stealing when it was free, and the owner obviously didn't want it.) Where are we headed? My friend asked. Well we first stopped in the Exhibition Gardens and then I got it in my head to visit the fairy tree in Fitzroy Gardens (actually East Melbourne). I can remember visiting the little Tudor village and Fairy Tree as a child, and thinking I'd like to come at night time (with that childish thought that the magic things always come out at night). There were a lot of possums, hoping we had food! Every time I have visited Fitzroy Garden I have felt a wonderful sense of peace. I think God inhabits that place and that it must have a history of people finding peace and solace among its trees and plants. Nearby are two or three hospitals and so I imagine the sick being brought in to taste the fresh air. I found shelter under the hedge surrounding the Fairy Tree, instucting my friend to be quiet and just listen. I'm not sure how long I spent there, but it was wonderful and life affirming. I was visited by Nan too. I don't know if she ever saw the Tudor village and Fairy Tree, but its the kind of place I think she would have liked. She was a wonderful woman, so generous with her love, even though she had never really been loved and nurtured as a child and woman. She was an orphan. She loved like the clod of clay. (See my post on the clod and the pepple if that doesn't make sense) Not that her husband, daughter and friends didn't love her, but she was so deligtfully eccentric, and not well understood. She really knew how to make you feel special though. She always gave the very best treats and hugs and compliments. And Next to the painted dead tree, under the hedge, in the shadow of great tall pines. I felt other friendly, good spirits. Its a safe place.

In trying to explain it to my friend I cried with frustration, but he was determined to understand so we got past it. Now we were wandering again, heading into the city proper. We ended up finding more shelter under the footbridge that crosses the Yarra (beyond the station and over to Crown Casino) This time I cried of lonliness. No one had sung me happy birthday on my birthday, and there was no cake!!! Why I could get so upset about such little things.... but those of you that know me, know what I'm like! My friend could understand how I felt. His family is far away too. But he reminded me that I'm never alone, and have friends and family everywhere. How right he is, and I felt a lot better after that. I also had to remind myself that I hadn't even given my friends and family a chance - by organising my own party so thoroughly there was no room for people to surprise me!!! Still Sundays are always the hardest day for me, because they were such a family day when I used to live at home. And I told my friend how, growing up I was always the fortunate one who had both her parents around for her birthday. (Tim & especially Glenda, weren't so lucky).

Well, now we were really cold and it was time to find a nice hot drink to warm us up... but cafe's were not in full open mode at 3am on a public holiday!!! We were finally headed up to Stalactites (a 24 hour Greek restaurant) When we passed a young man huddled in the doorway of a pub. I stopped to ask if he was ok, he wasn't, and we helped him to get to Spencer St station and on to the train home. I've never met a more polite young drunk man (I suspect his parents are Catholic) and I'm praying fiercly that he will soon find God's grace - also hoping he really did make it home ok, and that he will find himself some real friends who look after him, rather than leaving him to catch hypothermia or drown in vomit. It was my good deed for the day (and I probaly saved money for our public services too!) ;)

By the time our young friend was on the train it was nearing dawn and the city (even on a public holiday) was waking up. We boarded a tram and headed back to Carlton. Threshermans was open for business and even had good tunes. My car was parked in Carton, so I dropped my friend home and then headed back to my temporary abode. Into the shower. Best way to warm up, and because it was breakfast time, I had a bit to eat before turning in for a few hours.

But I've been completely off the topic again (I did warn you it would be a long one!) I lived my weekend 150%, and God was definately there. You know when there are just too many not quite so random encounters?? Perhaps I just had my eyes and ears open more than usual, I know I was looking for opportunities, and it was a Sunday!!

On Monday I was a bit tired, but still enjoying my birthday weekend. I got up very leisurely and was out the door around 1.30ish to meet my Godmother in the city. I didn't like waiting for the train in the shadow of the big hospital (Its a bit of a scary place). The other direction looked onto a stand of huge flowering gum trees and they were full of birds. My voice wasn't working too well, by this time, so I couldn't sing. I whistled gospel tunes instead! I missed The Gospel Show on Sunday morning (because I was having my birthday brekkie). Gospel tunes are so good for giving strength. They remind us what kind of a God we believe in!

Which brings me back nicely to the real theme of this post, and because its probably gone on long enough already. I'm going to resort to bullet points of thanks and praise!!!

• For my new job (it will be a good one)
• For my new home!!! Yay, and its even walking distance to the Northcote... this could be dangerous ;)
• For my wonderful family - every day I give thanks to God for the wonderful parents and brothers and sisters he blessed me with. I thank God that its not so hard to imagine him and relate to him as my loving father, as I have a loving earthly father too!!
• For my wonderful brothers and sisters (in Christ), my other family. Isn't it so great that we have a relational God who longs for us to have good relationships, and helps us and guides us to have good relationships?
• For my Church (currently the Estates, and what a family, they are!) I haven't blogged about our weekend away, what an inspiring and wonderful weekend it was!
• For my daily bread - even though recently I've not had much money, I've never been without. God really does provide all we need each day.
• For my Car (I know its not right to be so attaced to an inanimate object, but I can't help it!)
• For the sun that shines, the rain that falls, for the seasons, for the day and for the night... for the trees and the flowers, all that is good and lovely in creation!
• For birthdays... I think its all the compliments, can't get enough!! ;)
• Did I mention my new home?
• For Ecclestiastes 3 - it is good to know that the seasons do change, for those that are having a hard time, you will get through it, for those that are enjoying success, it too will pass, so enjoy it while it lasts!
• For God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit

And so we come finally to praise... You cannot thank God without praising him also. Just as you cannot marvel at creation without complimenting its creator. But I feel I've gone on quite long enough, so perhaps I'll save the praising for a future post..... <><