This one is for my friends...

This year was set to be the most depressing birthday I've had due to the fact that I was writing an exam on my birthday as well as the day after. I was so upset that I wouldn't be able to celebrate at all especially seeing that it would be my last birthday in Durban.
But.
I have the greatest friends in the world. I'm not even exaggerating.

Two days ago they threw me the most wonderful surprise party I could have asked for and I was legitimately surprised - did not have the slightest clue! They even bought me presents, made me two cakes ( I got to blow out candles which I haven't done in years), and wrote me all these lovely and silly messages which were hidden inside balloons. The night really made me so happy, and I realised how absolutely blessed I am to have these people in my life.

So to all of you I just want to publicly say THANK YOU. I look forward to many more fun times with you guys in the months to come.

 

 

Mother

Seeing as Mothers Day is fast approaching and I'm still thinking of a creative gift to get my mom, I decided to do some research and find out the origin of this special day in a mom's year.

Mothers Day never used to be concerned with the personal, human touch that we know of today, but instead dates back to times when it was traditionally practiced by societies to pay homage to Motherhood through the honouring of Goddesses and statues. In fact, one of the earliest historical records of a Mothers day celebration takes us back to the times of the Egyptians, when the Goddess Isis was honoured every year in a festival. This is relevent because Isis was often named the " Mother of the Pharoahs'.

In later years, Christians from Europe developed a holiday to honour Motherhood, but to them, that meant honouring the church that they were baptised in, in other words, their Mother Church.
 In the 17th century, thanks to a decree in England,  the celebrations were widened to include real mothers, and the holiday became known as Mothering Day. Following this, the Americans discontinued this tradition, but in later years, after a young lady by the name Anna M. Jarvis, petitioned to have an official day created as an honour to her mother, the late Anna Reeves Jarvis. Thus the request was allowed and in 1908, the official Mothers Day holiday was created.

Personally, I love the thought of spoiling my mom and this Saturday I am planning a trip to Essenwood Flee market and the I Heart Market to try and scout out that perfect gift!




Mother Prayer



Dear Lord,
today we pray for mothers--
our own mothers, and mothers everywhere,
who have made such a major contribution
to the good qualities we have,
sometimes through genetics,
more often through great effort and patient instruction,
and who have done their best
to gently polish away our rough edges.
Lord, please bless our mothers
for the endless hours of time they spent
and the boundless energy they invested in us.
Bless our mothers for their sacrifices on our behalf
as they often gave up or deferred their own dreams
so that we could have ours.
Bless our mothers for always being there for us,
for being the person we know we can turn to
when we need comfort, encouragement, or just a hug.
Bless our mothers for making a home for us
where we could feel safe, where we felt we belonged.
Most of all, Lord,
bless our mothers for their unconditional love,
for loving us no matter what,
and for frequently showing love
in ways that make us feel valued and cherished.
Lord, please bless our mothers mightily.
Strengthen them, soothe them,
wrap them in Your infinite love
and shower them with blessings
too numerous to count, too magnificent to describe.
We love them, admire them, respect them,
and we wish that You would give them back
many times the good they gave to us.
In Jesus' name we pray; Amen.

(By Joanna Fuchs)

  

  

  

{ images We Heart It}

Capetown Love

A recent survey on the Worldwide Web revealed Capetown to be the current number one holiday spot in the world. Here's a few reasons why I have to completely agree.


Scenic mountain walks. Half-priced sushi everyday at Food Lovers Market. Sunsets from Clifton and Signal Hill. Sinful Ice cream. Camps Bay and Clifton Beaches. Trendy clothing stores. Trendy people. Catching trains to anywhere for R13. Running for a train that you're about to miss. Gigs on Longstreet. Mercury, Purple Turtle, The Waiting Room and Zula Bar. Mr Pickwicks milkshakes. Beautiful drives along Chapmans Peak. Oceans that are coloured many shades of blue and green. Squirrels. Walking along suburban roads without being scared. Seeing dolphins and seals regularly. Kalkies for the cheapest and best fish and chips. Walking from one town to another. The Cape Festival. Cheese and Wine tasting in Stellenbosch and Franschoek. Going sokkie-ing and loving it. Marcels frozen yogurt. The Waterfront. Shopping at Canal Walk. Cheap DVD hires. Sitting on the curb. Partying at The Dubliner. Penguins. The bravest surfers in the world. Stunning views. Putting your feet in both oceans at once. Hockey games. Amazing churches. Eating meals with the homeless. Endless tea parties. Posh accents. Access Park. Having daytime last till 8pm. Going on adventures while trying to navigate your way around. Drinks at Forries. Night Markets in Somerset West. Gordons Bay. Having thousands of photo - worthy destinations. Cocktails at a fancy restaurant while looking at the ocean and mountains. Laughing hilariously at how many times you get offered drugs on Long Street.  Looking like a tourist and not caring. watching shows at the Artscape. Having sunshiny days with no humidity. Not having to worry about frizzy hair. Skinny jeans. Guitars. Staying in digs. Climbing and having a picnic on top of Lions Head. Riding in the cable car. Hitting a roller coaster at Ratanga Junction. The Old Biscuit Mill. Saturdays at Milnerton market. Fabric World. Sewing. A world of media. Llandudno beach. Jumping off rocks at Crystal Pools. Productions at Baxter. Natural History Museums. UCT. drawing on paper tablecloths at Da Vincis. The Sharks Supporters Club. Main Road. Breakfasts at Polsmoor Prison. Pancake evenings. Having a real winter. Trench coats. Ankle Boots. Rain. Hot water bottles.  Jumping shots. White sand that doesn't stick to your feet. Being Indie. Constantly seeing Gods creation all around me.

Fashion versus Jesus

A beautiful girl walks into the room. Before you notice her infectious laugh or her kind eyes,  you notice that she's wearing waist shorts, lace up boots, a brown leather jacket and a small leather pouch sling bag worn fashionably across her body. Fashionably. This girl is immediately dubbed as "cool" and beautiful because she is wearing all the right stuff.

I ,myself, love dressing up and looking nice and seeing if any of the latest trends suit me, but lately, I have been wondering if this increasing obsession with fashion is interfering with my identity in Christ. Has fashion become an idol that I worship in order to make myself feel good and accepted and beautiful and "cool". Am I being defined by the clothes that I wear rather than by the life that I live?

Look, there is absolutely no problem with dressing so that you look nice, I'm not saying you need to dress like you've never seen what clothes are before, but, it's so easy to fall into the trap. You look all around you and there are SO many trendy people wearing what the magazines say is 'in', or rebelling from what the magazines say, or are just trying to stand out from the crowd and have their own unique style. But is that so you can impress your peers? Is it so that you can get affirmation from society that you are trendy and cool? Is that what makes you feel good about yourself?

In 1 Peter, Jesus has this to say about outward appearances, ' Do not adorn yourselves outwardly by braiding your hair, and by wearing gold ornaments or fine clothing;  rather, let your adornment be the inner self with the lasting beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in God's sight '.

I don't think Jesus is specifically saying don't braid your hair, or don't wear gold jewellery, or don't wear that maxi skirt or those skinny jeans. I think he is just gently reminding us to check our heart attitudes, and to remember that the outward stuff is not what makes us beautiful or handsome, but rather, how we treat people and how we live out our faith what attitude we choose to convey. I think Jesus wanted woman to see that no matter what there outward appearance is, if they had a 'gentle and quiet" spirit, they would always be considered beautiful. Which is awesome .

We live by these social constructs which govern how we dress, how we judge others and how we judge ourselves. When we wake up in the morning we shouldn't be starting our day thinking ' what can I wear today that will make me look really trendy and will show off my best assets', but rather be starting our day off with ' how can I best show the people around me that I love them', or  ' how am I going to shine Gods light today'. This is what should be governing our thinking and our living.

Living life from the inside out is what sets us apart from everyone else, and believe me, people will notice your beauty and individuality no matter what you are wearing. Living life from the outside in ,however, just leaves a whole lot of room for self-judgement, insecurity, ego, and jealousy to get in the way. Plus, most of the time, no matter what outfit you put together, you just end up looking like everyone else. Which is boring.

Personally, becoming consumed with self-image has had a hugely negative effect on my relationship with God, and its something I'm working on to improve. I've realised you don't need clothes to define you, God defined you a long time ago when he 'knit you together in your mothers womb'. He made you in His image and He is perfect, so guess what that makes you? It's not a hard one to figure out.

So don't let a piece of material or the opinion of society give you an identity, because you already have an identity and his name is Jesus Christ and he's just waiting for you to realise it.

The road to Europe - Part One

Next year a group of friends and myself are planning on doing a EuroTrip where we will be spending just over a week in Italy and then another week travelling to a few other countries. These kind of trips require so much planning, organising and saving. Here is a {hopefully} helpful guide for planning a Eurotrip of your own!

LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITIES

If you have any good mates who have family or family friends that live in Europe, you definitelyy need to take hold of that opportunity because it could mean saving a lot of money. I have family in different parts of Italy who are able to offer us food, accommodation and transport for free which gives us more money to spend on visiting other places.


GRAB A MAP

You need to decide where exactly you want to go, taking into consideration how far one place is form another, how much it will cost to get from place to place, and which places have the most to offer ( although the whole of Europe is pretty darn amazing). Here are some of the places that we'll be visiting on our tour of Europe!


Milan....

...is not only the fashion capital but is also filled with beautifully designed cathedrals, night markets and tourist attractions such as Gardaland ( Italian Disneyland), MinItalia.

Venice...
...is just a two hour car drive away from central Milan and is also filled with plenty to do. The ocean is warm and inviting, the houses are surrounded by water, the buildings are created with exquisite architecture, and we get to ride on a gondola!

Naples...

...is home to the famously known Mt Vesuvius, a dormant volcano which frames the country landscape. Just beneath this great mound of earth is an entire city named Pompeii which was completely destroyed when the volcano erupted thousands of years ago. You can explore the uncovered ruins of the city and even see complete human bodies which are mummified by hardened lava. It's hardcore.From Naples we will be visiting places like Florence, Caserta, Rome and the Isle of Capri.



The Alps...

...One of my aunts lives in a quaint little cottage just below the snow-covered Alps. We are definitely planning on taking a few skiing and snowboarding lessons and doing some beautiful and tranquil hikes as well as visiting a famous lake known as Lake Como.

France...

...is going to have us taking in the view ( and catching an elevator) to the top of the Eiffel tower, learning how to dress fashionably, visiting the Palace of Versailles, admiring the collections at the Louvre, and riding in a Parisian boat along the River Seine.

Greece...

...is home to many beautiful places such as Santorini, the island of Cyprus and the city of Athens. All of which we hope too visit in our short stay there, enjoying activities such as sailing, wine-tasting, donkey rides, viewing historical places like the Parthenon and the Acropolis and feasting on delicacies like baklava.

Spain...

...invites us to enjoy beautiful beaches and very good-looking people. I'm looking forward to feasting on Tapas and Paella, watching a traditional bullfight, learning how to dance the Flamenco, and visiting the city of Seville which is home to the Alcazar Castle.

{Images:  WeheartIt}

** Watch this space for updates on planning a Eurotrip **