Heart Reflections Live

"Anne was not sleepy. She was too happy to sleep just yet. She moved softly about the room, putting things away, braiding her hair, looking like a beloved woman. Finally she slipped on a neglige and went across the hall to the boys' room. Walter and Jem in their bed and Shirley in his cot were all sound asleep. The Shrimp, who had outlived generations of pert kittens and become a family habit, was curled up at Shirley's feet. Jem had fallen asleep while reading The Life Book of Captain Jim... it was open on the spread. Why how long Jem looked lying under the bed-clothes! He would soon be grown up. What a sturdy, reliable little chap he was! Walter was smiling in his sleep as some one who knew a charming secret. The moon was shining on his pillow through the bars of the leaded window... casting the shadow of a clearly defined cross on the wall above his head. In long after-years Anne was to remember that and wonder if it was an omen of Courcelette... of a cross-marked grave "somewhere in France." But tonight it was only a shadow... nothing more. The rash had quite gone from Shirley's neck. Gilbert had been right. He was always right.

Nan and Diana and Rilla were all in the next room... Diana, with darling little damp red curls all over her head and one little sunburned hand under her cheek, and Nan with long fans of lashes brushing hers. The eyes behind those blue-veined lids were hazel, like her father's. And Rilla was sleeping on her stomach. Anne turned her right side up, but her buttoned eyes never opened.

They were all growing so fast. In just a few short years they would all be young men and women... youth tiptoe...expectant... astir with its sweet, wild dreams...little ships sailing out of safe harbour to unknown parts. The boys would go away to their life work, and the girls...ah, the mist-veiled forms of beautiful brides might be seen coming down the stairs at Ingleside. But they would be still hers for a few years yet... hers to love and guide... to sing the songs that so many mothers had sung. Hers... and Gilbert's.

FROM "ANNE OF INGLESIDE" BY L M MONTGOMERY.

Labels: Books, godly wives, motherhood, Quote

My Australia is...

... sipping tea on the wide verandah of a "Queenslander"house, eating pumpkin scones, lamingtons, Tim Tams and Pavlova...


...enjoying vegemite toast and Sanitarium Weetbix for breakfast...


... depicted in the paintings of Darcy Doyle and John Bradley...


...Tree lined streets of Jacarandas and Red-flowering Tea trees in the Spring...


...rows of Terry Towelling cloth nappies waving in the breeze on the Hills Hoist...


...spotting sleepy-eyed koalas in the gum trees...


...Listening for the Kookaburra to herald the dawn birdsong at the break of day as all creation praises its Maker...


...The Cane Fires...


...the call of the Magpie, Bell Bird, and even the mournful sound of the Rainbird at flood times and cyclone season...


...Hubby in the garden with his Victa mower...


...standing teary-eyed at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier...


...Singing the little-known THIRD verse of our national anthem declaring Christ our Head and Cornerstone...


...looking with pride at our national flag, remembering our ties with Mother England and The Magna Carta which protects our religious freedom, and The Southern Cross constellation which hangs in our Southern skies showing the world exactly where Christ was pierced for our sins...


...The Great Southland of the Holy Spirit...


I pray all Australians here and over seas had a wonderful Australia Day Weekend!
Labels: Christian Heritage

My Country
© 1904 Dorothea MacKellar
The love of field and coppice, of green and shaded lanes,
Of ordered woods and gardens is running in your veins.
Strong love of grey-blue distance, brown streams and soft, dim skies-
I know but cannot share it, my love is otherwise.

I love a sunburnt country, a land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges, of droughts and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons, I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror- the wide brown land for me!

The stark white ring-barked forests, all tragic to the moon,
The sapphire-misted mountains, the hot gold hush of noon,
Green tangle of the brushes where lithe lianas coil,
And orchids deck the tree-tops, and ferns the warm dark soil.

Core of my heart, my country! Her pitiless blue sky,
When, sick at heart, around us we see the cattle die -
But then the grey clouds gather, and we can bless again
The drumming of an army, the steady soaking rain.

Core of my heart, my country! Land of the rainbow gold,
For flood and fire and famine she pays us back threefold.
Over the thirsty paddocks, watch, after many days,
The filmy veil of greenness that thickens as we gaze.

An opal-hearted country, a wilful, lavish land -
All you who have not loved her, you will not understand -
Though earth holds many splendours, wherever I may die,
I know to what brown country my homing thoughts will fly.

Labels: Australia

Since, I have so many international readers, I thought I would do a couple more posts on Australian foods and culture.I enjoy so much learning about YOUR countries via your blogs, I thought I'd share a little from mine.

Being born in the late sixties and growing up in the seventies, our meals were greatly influenced by English foods. One of my Grandfathers was British,and our heritage is strongly English and German. We grew up mainly eating very traditional meals of meat and 3 vegetables per meal, followed by a homemade milk pudding.We never had international foods, and takeaway was always Fish and chips or accasionally a pre-cooked chicken. Roast Lamb dinner has traditionally been the Aussie favourite over the years, but in recent times with the influx of more international foods, Spaghetti Bolognaise officially tops the list as the favourite Australian Aussie meal!

THE PAVLOVA: is our famous Aussie dessert. It is a huge merengue shaped like a cake. We usually buy the shell, top it with whipped cream and fruit and/or crumbed chocolate.

VEGEMITE: In the Bible there was Israelites, Canaanites, Jebusites, Hivites- in Australia we are a nation of Happy Little Vegemites! This is a dark yeast based spread rich in Vitamin B. I sometimes have it on toast, lightly spread over butter. It tastes like...Vegemite. Forget Marmite and Promite- they are totally different. The only substitute we sometimes buy is Mighty Mite by Three Threes- it is Ausralian owned, and very very close in taste.

THE MEAT PIE: Yum, what can I say? We actually have stores over here that specialize in meat pies. They are also the all-time favourite food sold at sporting events over here. There used to be a TV jingle over here when I was a child that went "Football, meatpies, kangaroos and Holden cars!"

The Lamington: These are a plain vanilla cake, cut into large square serves, dipped in chocolate icing, then dipped in dessicated coconut. Very nice.


Please don't ask about delicasies such as kangaroo, crocodile or snake- I was tricked into eating a Kanga-banger one night (a kangaroo meat sausage)I felt so sick after finding out what it was, I can't remember what it tasted like!!!


Anyway, that's a brief run-down on some of the main foods people associate with our great country Australia.

Labels: Australia

Well, tomorrow is Australia Day- January 26th- and so this week I've been reflecting on our Aussieness, mateship, and the wonderful things God has blessed us with that are unique to Australia.

I've dug through our DVD cupboard for some Australian movies for our girls to watch, and have come up with "The Man From Snowy River", and "Phar Lap"- both our girls are interested in horses at the moment- Talitha especially! Our copy of "The Lighthorsemen" is out on loan at the moment, we also have the Australian mini-series "Against the Wind" made in the 1970's, which is the true story of the lives of 2 convicts, and gives a good look into the history of Australia, and the bad corruption in the country's ruling authorities, prior to the Govenor Lachlan Macquarie coming to power. If you live in other countries and wish to learn more about Australia, try to hire these movies they are very well done.

Well, Australia can take credit for Vegemite( no it doesn't taste like axle grease!), the Victa Mower, the Hills Hoist Clothesline, the "Queenslander" style house with its wide verandahs ( A verandah is similar to the porch on a home in the South part of the USA, only it sometimes goes all around the house) No we don't live in one (sigh!), Tim Tams-Yum,Drizabones, RM Williams boots, and Arnott's Biscuits. I find it sad though that some of these things are no longer owned by Australia.... ( Buy Australian!! Aussie readers please!)

Our nation is the home of The Great Barrier Reef, Ullaru, Cradle Mountain, beautiful opals, the kookaburra ( We have gum trees in our street and often see kookaburras- my favourite!), kangaroo, koala, platypus, red deserts, and lush rainforests. We are truly blessed.

So what uniquely Australia stuff have we got in our home? Let's see... We have Blinky Bill ( a koala character) and a traditional Koala that plays "Waltzing Matilda" in the cot; I collect things with kookaburras on them- 2 vintage jugs(pitchers), some wall prints, a fridge magnet, a hand painted tile hanging in the kitchen; Darcey Doyle Artwork-images of vintage Australia, a copy of "Snugglepot and Cuddlepie"; and some stuffed toy Aussie animals for the children to play with.

Some facts you may not know: Australia has been named "The Great South Land of the Holy Spirit" by Portuguese explorer Pedro Fernandez de Quiros in 1606.He was the first recorded European explorer to lay claim to Australia.

The constellation The Southern Cross is on our flag and hangs in our Southern skies. Each star shows the exact points where our Lord Jesus Christ shed His blood for the remission of our sins. Our nation has had its share of droughts ,floods and natural disasters. Recent surveys say that mateship is now second in Australia to getting ahead. We need to pray for our nation, that God would drive us to our knees, and exhort us to "Look up"- He is there for any hardened sinner who'll look to the One who is there, and whose enduring sacrifice is illustrated above.

Labels: Australia

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The pictured ring is similar to my birthday present. I couldn't find a picture of an exact copy.

Labels: everyday life lessons, family life

Many thanks for your prayers. Max is back in normal rhythm and is bursting with excitement to exit hospital and hit the shops!! We are very grateful.

It's 9am and I've just farewelled my husband again by ambulance for another cardio-inversion. Please pray for prompt, swift treatment at the hospital, and that God would graciously preserve him again theough this procedure that does carry quite a risk.

He heart suddenly popped out of rhythm while I was showering this morning. It seemed more stressful in the midst of screaming babies and worried big sisters.

Knowing Max, he'll be keen to get fixed and outa there! We'd planned a family trip out today for last minute Christmas shopping, and I'd also planned to catch up with a very dear old friend I'd known since kindergarten, we don't understand God's timing, but we do trust His heart and His Sovereignty.

Will let you know how things go...

Labels: testing times

Well, our little men turned one last week, and we had a small family celebration at my parents' place on Sunday after Church- of course they got to try one of Mama's home made cakes for the first time!

Zachary and Christopher- What smart little tykes you are! Christopher (the youngest) was the first to master crawling and walking, with Zachary slightly behind, but little Zachy was the first to figure out how things open, that they are not allowed to touch! He's a thinker, our Zachary.

Here's a funny story: Zachary discovered how to open our refrigerator, so we are always listening for that sound. One day I heard it... snuck up behind him and said firmly ZACHARY ELIJAH ROBERTS!!! He dropped to his knees, and hid his eyes behind his hands ( like when he plays peekaboo), thinking he was hiding from me! Of course it immediately reminded me of Adam hiding from God in the garden. It illustrated so beautifully how silly it is to think you can hide from Almighty God!

Sorry no photos today- hopefully in the near future.

Labels: Milestones

And thankyou for your prayers- just spoke to Max on the phone, and all is well-cardio-inversion worked first time!

It's the Lord's Day here, so I'll have a friend pick him up from hospital soon, and we'll be off to Church soon, tired as we are. How can we not give God glory?

I found I was more anxious this time- it all seemed too normal, so unemotional, so clinical, and then my eldest woke up, and again so unemotionally we had a talk, would she still love Jesus if He decided to keep Daddy and not let him come home as we hoped. Thankfully she got some sleep in our bed after a short while. I've had an extra 1 1/2 hours sleep, but still feel odd and crampy in the stomache. I'm fine in emergency situations, but generally feel ill later, even though I'm relieved and happy.

It helps to write how I feel, I hope you don't think me strange that I feel so unemotional right now. Coming into the Christmas season is usually a very emotional and joyous time for me, firstly remembering the miracle of The Incarnation, The first advent of Christ, and the fact that all of our children were born in December, with Zara soon after in January. I get very emotional remembering their births, and how I nearly died after having Zara, and yet the Lord brought me safely through the arrival of the boys nearly a year ago.

Sorry for raving on so, I feel better now. I'm going to play some hymns while the children are still sleeping and ready myself and them for Church. My miracle man will have another good testimony today!

Thankyou for praying.

It's 3am and yet again I'm requesting prayers for my dear husband, whose heart has gone into rapid AF for the third time in just over a month. Please pray the usual as per the last few blog entries.

I never intended my blog to become a list a prayer requests- don't get me wrong great things are happening in our lives, we've just a had a busy month- too busy to blog much- but this is a great concern to me that this has happened 3 times in just over a month for no apparent reason. It's a test of my faith, and I'm starting to wonder if it's time for Max to be on medication for his condition, or, dare I say it, if this the beginning of the end...

I covet your prayers this night wherever on the globe you live. My 7 year old daughter woke as max was led out to the ambulance, so no doubt will spend the rest of the night in our bed- will keep you posted.

Thank you Jesus for Your Peace

Labels: testing times