Seven Years

Everyone keeps saying, when I tell them it's been our seven year anniversary on Sunday, "That's a good number".  It makes me laugh, because in the grand scheme of things, seven is not any special milestone.  Maybe its just a Christian thing :)

But every anniversary feels like a special milestone, in my book.  It is by God's grace we made our promises, and it is by God's grace that we keep them.  Anniversaries are a great time to talk about the fun times, and to make each other feel special.  But they are also a good time to give God all the glory for the blessings of our lives.

Tim and I celebrated by having a special dinner at Crown.  I sat looking out at the Yarra River and the Rialto thinking- we really are in Melbourne again.  And that also seems like a special turning point in our marriage, and another thing to be greatful to God for.

Thanks Tim, for Seven years of being everything you promised to be and more.  You have proven yourself, through good times and bad, to be a faithful friend and husband, and such fun.  I am so grateful to God for you.
Love BG
PS If you are curious (which I was) the traditional gifts of 7 years are Cooper and Wool- a definately improvement on paper and tin!  Maybe we are finally approaching something good enough to buy for each other :)

Time

There is a silly joke in our household.  Tim and I have some similar taste in movies and TV shows (Sci-fi and adventure sitting pretty high on the list), but one thing that brings us together like nothing else is the Back to the Future Movies.  We both loved them as kids, we still love them as adults.  One of the jokes that occasionally comes up is the excitement of counting down until we reach 2015.  Because, despite no advancements to suggest this is the case yet, of course by 2015 there will be flying cars and most particularly hover-boards.  That reminds me, I need to start working on my skateboard skills in preparations ;)

Time is such a weird thing.

We have just a little under a month and a half until we move to Melbourne for good.  It hit me this week that I could no longer feel super organised by saying "Yes, I think I'll probably start packing this week".  Three weeks ago, that was super organised.  This week, given that I haven't actually even put together a box, I realised that a month is not a long time to pack up a house, while working pretty much full time and socialising the rest of the time.

It has hit our year of College that things are almost over.  And so the next three weeks or so are filled with lots of "Final events".  Final College dinner in the playground.  Final Bible study social.  Final book club, final chapel, extra four year specific thanksgiving service.  Official College good-bye dinner and any number of goodbye dinners that we organise just because we are going to miss everyone.  A friend and I were saying, it's great that we are being so social, but we wish we'd realise how much we'd miss our year sooner so we could have fit all these events into the whole year and not just the last month!

And so, even though it will be a special and meaningful month, I feel a little dizzy when I think about it.  Because I already feel exhausted coming home from work to quickly cook dinner before heading out again.  Adding packing to the mix seems like a bit much.

We have been in Sydney for Four years.  Sometimes it seems like the time has flown and sometimes it seems that four years cannot be enough time to fit in all that we have experienced, the good and the bad.  Nothing has been as I have expected- the things I thought would be hard have not been, the things that I thought would be easy have not been.  But God has got us to this point anyway, and I am grateful.

On Tuesday, Tim will sit his last exam for a very long time.  And then, we will get ready to pack up and leave this Sydney life forever.

Time is such a weird thing.
Love B

2012 and beyond

When I first started this blog- I had very recently moved to the city of Sydney.  The whole idea of the blog was to keep friends updated on my life in the new city, and because I was studying, it was an opportunity to reflect on what I was learning.

Three years on, things are very different.  I am no longer studying, but working in a job that is hard work but a blessing.  And while this blog is still primarily about informing friends, it is also just a way of me processing the things that happen in my life and hopefully encouraging people along the way.

But the big news is that at the end of this year, Tim will have finished his Bible College studies and we will be moving back to Melbourne.

This means alot of changes, such as minor ones like coming up with a new blog name ;)

But one of the biggest things changes is that Tim and I will be embarking on a new ministry adventure.

God-willing- next year Tim and I will be planting a church in Melbourne, in the Suburb of Box Hill.

Even writing the words I suddenly get filled with all kinds of different emotions: the two biggest being excitement and fear!  And I think excitement and fear will be two emotions I will get rather used to as this year continues :)

I know that church planting will not be an easy venture.  But I love Jesus, and I love sharing him with those who are yet to know him, and even with the challenges, I look forward to the opportunities for evangelism that Church planting will create.

Tim and I (well, really it was me, I'm the blogger in the family) have started a new blog about the church plant.  I'd love you to check it out, and start praying for us :)

http://www.gracechristiancommunity.blogspot.com/

It is hard to believe that it has been three years since I started this blog!  I'm really thankful to God for those of you who read it, and particularly those who have continued to love and care for us even when we have been far away.

And I am thankful to God for the last three years.  They haven't been easy, but they have been important and filled with much joy and blessing.
Love B

Updates

November isn't a good day for blogs.

I don't know if December is going to be any better.

Life is hectic but kinda exciting too!

Exciting number one
Tim has finished exams! He is now a big bad fourth year- and only 12 months off finishing for good. Doesn't seem possible that these last three years have gone so fast.

Exciting number two
Christmas ministry! What do I mean? I mean playgroup parties and Scripture Christmas parties, and our Carols Outreach service. I am also giving an evangelistic talk at an outreach event for our playgroup Mum's. Please pray for me.

Exciting number three
One of the playgroup Mum's in my Bible study has become a Christian! She and I sat down today to talk about it because she wants to be baptised. She brought along another friend who has been thinking through Christianity and in the course of the conversation she realised she wanted to be a follower of Jesus too! I feel overwhelmed by God's incredible mercy in these women's lives, and the opportunity I have to see God work in so many amazing ways.

Exciting number four
Tim and I got to be God-Parents for our friends beautiful little girl Maggie. We were greatly honoured.

Exciting number four
I just had a lightening visit down to Melbourne for my cousin Kate's 10Th birthday. And. We. Saw. Mary. Poppins.
SO GOOD!

Please pray. Lots of excitement, but lots to do as well.
love Belinda

Holidays

Holidays in Melbourne are...

-Eating lots of food I shouldn't and not getting any exercise except a little bit of Wii fit. Though I did managed for the first time ever to get a Wii fit age which was actually within 10 years of my actual age so I assume I can't be going so bad!

-Being late to everything because every moment you spend with people you want to drag on and on. Or being late to everything because you just aren't in the habit of calculating the time it takes to get from A to B anymore.

-(speaking of cars) That Melbourne roads are beautifully wide and uncomplicated and that small cars like my sisters and my Mum's can't fit much stuff but they are so zippy and fun!

-lots of tears, as you realise once again that life is hard and that a burden shared may not be a burden halved, but that it does make a difference to be able to share the tough stuff over the last little while that you've all been through.

-Seeing people you don't see or talk to for 5 months and it is as if you just spoke yesterday

-Mad, crazy, not enough sleep.

-Wonderful.
love B

My week

As I sit down to write about this week, I feel like falling asleep on the key board instead.

It has been a great week. But you don't realise how tiring it is running around doing little errands until you come home and stop and realise how nice that feels.

It's been a great week. But you can't just go on holidays after a very busy and difficult month and expect recovery to be instantaneous. I am still emotionally winding down, and returning to a normal Belinda. Hopefully I will be there before I go back to work :)

It's been a great week. But not as I expected. Rather than heaps of social time with Fi, it's been lots of quality family time, and time hanging with the other Bridesmaids. Two people who I didn't know that well, who I've always liked from afar, and who I now know are as lovely as I'd imagined.

It's been a great week. But it isn't over. Not tomorrow but the next day I get to see my friend Fi walk down the aile, not as a rehearsal but for real. I get to hear her make amazing promises and start a new stage of life with her husband.

I'm so excited.
love B

Flash back

Hello,
I am writing to you from the study in my parents house. In the house where I lived from the time my mother brought me home from hospital.

It's changed a little.

There are new rooms, there is a rather nice patio. And after 20 odd years of hints, there is finally a fireplace.

But some things haven't changed. My room is still blue- though it seems so much smaller with a big sofa bed and my sisters sewing things stacked on my old desk.

Yesterday I road in the car with my sister.

She tried to get me to listen to her alternative music.
Then she eventually gave in and we listened to Crowded House and Van Morrison which we both like.
We coughed in songs to block out the swear words.
We talked about life and God and friends.
I teased her about being a Melbourne Uni Alternative-hippy who scorns me for my "pop" music and doesn't buy retail.
She teased me about my inability to offer my assistance in housework until the job was already finished.

My life has changed so much in the last six years since I moved out. And many of the changes are very, very good.

But some things haven't changed.

It's lovely.
love B

Operation Relocation

It just hit me today.

So far in my mind I've been pining after Melbourne people. Melbourne friends. Regretting the things that I'm missing, longing for the day when I would be back again.

But its just hit me. In a year and a little more than half we will be back in Melbourne. Perhaps for the rest of our lives.

And I'm suddenly realising how much I love my Sydney friends. How hard it will be to leave.

But before my Melbourne friends let out a sigh of horror (or even a few I told you so's) rest assured we are definitely coming back to Melbourne. Melbourne is home, and even if it wasn't- it is where I think we are needed.

But it's gonna hurt. Not to leave the city. But to leave the people. And it won't be like these two years of missing Melbourne friends, because in my mind it was always temporary.

But realistically, there are people who I dearly love who I will probably never live in the same city as again.

Wait- that's not true. In Heaven we will. And that will be amazing.

But I'll miss them while I wait.

And that brings me to my new plan.

Operation Relocation!

Get all my dearest Sydney friends to decide to make the permanent move to Melbourne!

I started with one friend today. She might have been humouring me, but she didn't sound totally against to the idea.

Operation Relocation.

Sydney friends- you have been warned!
love B

Family

I've been thinking a bit about family lately. Not that this is complete surprise, given we are staying in Melbourne and it's Christmas time.

We've got to spend lots of time with Grandparents. Photos seem to be a bit of a theme. Nan and i got out the photos from when I was little. "You were so lovely. So friendly and happy. Don't know what happened!" Grandma and Grandpa feel sad because though we always take photos they are always digital. They want something they can hold in their hand or put in an album to remind them of the years that been. That for them is a big part of how they cling to us when we are often far away. I'm printing some out this week for them.

Tim and I were given a great honour as some of our dear Melbourne friends asked us to be the God parents of their soon to be born child. They said they wanted God Parents who would be godly models that they wanted their child to emulate. It's one of those compliments that makes me feel both very happy and unworthy.

On Christmas Eve night we had our first Christmas party of just the immediate Grant family. Tim's parents, us, and his siblings and their respective attachments. Elise Tim's sister said "It's so much more fun now. Their used to be only three of us, but now I have two sisters and a husband." I get a bit teary when I think about those words.

People always talk about "Do you have a family?" or "Starting a family". I get really, really mad when i hear that. It seems to imply that because Tim and I are as yet to have children that somehow we are not really a family, that we don't fit into that category because there are only two of us. That we are not in and of ourselves legitimate.

But it's even more than that. Do I have a family? YES. I have the most marvellous, wonderful family! I have brothers and sisters and Aunties and Uncles and Cousins and Children and parents and Grandparents. Some are because of the blood in my veins, some are because of the wonderful man that I married. Some are because of dear relationships with Christian brothers and sisters.

And I am so thankful.
love B

The Lasagna sandwich

Well, we are on holidays and in Melbourne and it is less than a week until Christmas.

Writing those words- you would probably think I would be welled up with joy. And I will be. Just. Not. Yet.

I'm still in recovery.

I'm still in recovery from two weeks of Christmas craziness at church, the two and a half mad days of packing, 5 hours of steady cleaning and then 10 hours of driving.

Something I observed and was pointed out to me while I was working for RMIT is that after an intense period of work it takes a few days for me to properly relax and in fact for the first few days I often feel emotional and miserable. And while being in Melbourne is keeping off the misery and I am very tired and very, very emotional.

We stopped at my Grandparents for the night last night, and I was so happy to see them but also felt down to know that it had been a whole year since I had seen them! That just seems too long and it was unsurprising but still sad that my wonderful Grandmother (who is starting to loose her memory) kept referring to me by the names of the female Grandchildren who she actually does see on the regular basis :(

But we had lasagna for tea, so that made me feel a bit better.

Several years ago, actually its probably more like 7 years ago, I mentioned to my Grandma that I liked lasagna. From then on, any time I went to her house there was always lasagna. And I mean always. Our family would arrive and Grandma would have a lovely dinner made for us, and then she would pull me aside and say "Bindy, there is also some lasagna here for you if you would prefer it". And there in the fridge would be the two lasagnas she had made especially for me to get me through the time we would be staying with them. Even as her memory has been fading, my love of lasagna has somehow stayed with her.

But my favourite was when Tim and I were driving down to Melbourne or up to Sydney one time and Grandma made us sandwiches to take with us. I took a bite. It was absolutely delicious, but like no sandwich I've ever had. So I opened it up.

She had made me a Lasagna sandwich
love B

The Bitter-sweetness of Melbourne visits

Tim and I had a wonderful time in Melbourne.

Bec and Brads wedding was loads of fun, and it was so nice getting to hang out with many members of my dear in-law family.

But Melbourne visits are bitter sweet.

The more fun I have, the more sad it feels to go back to Sydney and to think through the many more months before we go back for good. It's not that I don't love Sydney. I do! But family is so precious and it is strange to be away from them for so long.

So, in honour of my discontentment- here are five things that I love about Sydney to help me to be thankful for what I do have:

-I love the train-trip home from my job. The beautiful Green hills of the North Shore. The glimpse I get of little harbours until...wait, there it is! The Sydney harbour in all its spender as I train my way over the bridge. Not to mention train seats that can face backwards or forwards by the pull of a handle. I don't normally change it but I appreciate that I can.
-I love my new Bible study. It's only been two weeks, but so far my study with other 2nd year working wives has been really enjoyable. We are study James and I've been so convicted so far. Gotta love being convicted by the word!
-I love my work and linked to that my church. It has been really great doing kids ministry, and I have particularly been enjoying seeing the inner workings of a local church. And I love the number of people I get to see every day who don't know God but are interested in getting to know him.
-I love where I live. I love the urban-dump to gentrified-hub that is the suburb of Stanmore. I love the cheap restaurants and great coffee-shops just up the road. I love that I have friends in my building and girly-chats whenever I need them
-I love the friends I've made here. God has blessed me so richly with some super-supportive people.

Thanks God for great times in Melbourne AND Sydney. Amen
love B

The best layed plans

A while ago I was writing about how excited I was about coming down to Melbourne, particularly because it would be a chance to rest.

The best layed plans...

It's so wonderful being back. I'm so thankful for the great time we are spending with our family. It's nice being able to drive around without pulling out a map. It's been wonderful starting to see friends.

But it's not a rest!

Because I'm working next year, my Austudy cut out a few weeks ago, so while I'm down in Melbourne I needed to do some work to get a little extra money in, to cover our rent back in Sydney and to pay for the inevitable Christmas expenses. I've got some work through family connections and I'm so happy about it. It's work that I enjoy, it's flexible, it's more money than I've earned for a long while, and it's a real gift for God. I'm working 4 days a week while we are down in Melbourne.

It's not a rest!

But, saying all that, one of the most restful things about coming to Melbourne is that its not my house. I don't have undone chores hanging over my head. I don't have jobs that can wait but that I'm always aware of to do. And there is a certain peace within relationships with family and old friends. I was quite happy to have a nap on our friends couch last night while Tim talked with our friends late into a night. You can do that with old friends.

I love Melbourne. But I must appologise. I don't think I will have time to blog every second day like I previously promised. I need to rest.
love B

An almost perfect day

I am suppose to be writing about what would my perfect day be.

Alot more complicated than it sounds! Because I now live in Sydney and so my perfect day needs to be spread across two cities. But it can't involve a plane flight- because that would take up to much time- and to do all my favourite things will take up every second of that day. But then, if I was busy doing all my favourite things- would I get tired and warn out?

The other hard thing about perfect days is that when you look back over which days have been the most wonderful in your life- they often aren't what you expect. My wedding day was up there, very cliche- but it really was awesome! But many of the other days have simply been ordinary days with extraordinary occurrences, or just really great fun times with family and friends.

And the cynical, grumpy part of me says-all I want is a day when the hard things in my life could just disappear. Then that would be the perfect day, regardless of what else was to happening.

But taking all of that into account, and knowing that this day is so chocked full I probably wouldn't really enjoy it (!)- here is my perfect day. I've set it in Melbourne-and my new life-long-healthy-eating-habits have, for some unknown reason, gone on holiday ;)

Waking up in a beautiful bed and breakfast with Tim, somewhere in the Dandenong Rangers- with a decadent, multi-course breakfast of all my favourite things (fruit, eggs Benedict, quality toasted muesli and a huge glass of orange juice). We would then go down the mountain and meet my parents and sister for a chai-latte at the Dragon Fly Cafe in the Basin. Then, off to a park for a big BBQ lunch with all my dearest friends. After a short afternoon nap Tim and I would get dressed up for our evening out. We would start with Indian, and then come back to his folks place for dessert (lemon tart, cheesecake...it's hard to decide...). It would be crowded with various relatives and friends and we would play crazy games into the night. For some reason that I'm yet to come up with- we would end the night by dancing!

So there it is. My almost perfect day.
And now I'm even more excited about going back to Melbourne.
1 exam down today- 4 more to go!
love B

Time in Melbourne

So sorry I haven't post much. I've been on holidays!

I love being in Melbourne. I enjoy Sydney but I enjoy it because I am there for a purpose. I love Melbourne...not because of what I can do there but simply because its home.

But there are things that I love to do in Melbourne.

I love the walks around the paddocks in the Basin, or the beautiful houses and shops of Camberwell

I love entering the Grant house to the enthusiasm of Pippen the dog and the semi-polite indifference of Celeste the cat.

I love when the Griffith cousins come over and all the Griffith grandchildren (and attachments) play crazy games!

I love playing video games with my brother-in-laws assistance (he's so much more patient with my inability to fight virtual battles that my husband ;)

I love bumming in front of Foxtel trying to find the next episode of the Gilmore girls.

I love coffees and prayers with other chicks

I love dinner and deep conversations with Melbourne couple friends.

I love seeing how much bigger babies grow when you don't see them for three months (although thats a bit sad too)

I love going back to church and the looks on everyones faces who didn't know we were coming

This second time, coming back was harder than the first. The musty smell of the hospital was frustrating more than welcoming, and I feel a bit be-grudging that the weather is so much more beautiful here. But we are here for a purpose and its nice to trust a God who can get us through difficulties such as being away from so many people we love.

Tomorrow we start running kids club at church. It should be crazy and busy. But how cool is this- we have a room set up which is the firey furnace from the story in the book of Daniel with a...real smoke machine! How awesome is that!
Please pray for kids club- what an awesome chance to share Jesus with the kids of the Chatswood community.
love B

Long socks and Lasagna

I love Melbourne!

Two comments for you. One is from Gilmore Girls:
Emily: "Go for traditional vows. Make up vows can be so tacky. Shirley Martin (made up name)'s daughter vowed to cook her husband lasagna once a month. Now a word like lasagna should never appear at a wedding."
(note: Tim and I did make up our own vows)

Next is a philosophical point from my wonderful sister Sandy:
You can always push down long socks, but you can't pull up short socks to make them long.

I love Melbourne!

PS Capsicum is not a vegetable either.

The yet to be discovered secret of contentment

Dear friends,
I love Melbourne. I'm going to say it again. I love Melbourne. It has been so nice seeing so many dear friends, but its had a bittersweetness to it because I know I will be leaving them all soon. But I'm very, very thankful for the friends I have. Which is funny. Because as Tim keeps reminding me as I complain about not making deep friendships fast enough in Sydney and how much better it was in Melbourne, when I was in Melbourne I often worried about friendships then too. Just another battle in the never ending struggle for contentment.

One of the things that has been on my mind alot over the last week has been the future. I think its because coming back to Melbourne gets Tim and I thinking about what we will do when we come back hopefully for good- and we toss around ideas and don't really get anywhere. My stomach tightened and my head spins and I begin to stress.

And then I move onto the next stage of the worry process, coveting. I look around at others. And I see them with their little families and their new mortgages and their husbands in normal jobs and I begin to stress some more. What if we can never afford a house? What if we never have a normal life? What if I'm doomed to spend the rest of my life with a tight stomach and a spinning head?

One of the most helpful moments in my content battle was a discussion I had with Heather about the nature of coveting. Heather once asked me...you look at other people and you say you want all the things that they have...but do you really? Would you change places? And I pause and I think of what I've had. Would I give up the joys of the last two years of seeing people grow and seeing people move most particularly from death to life...for a house? Would I miss out on all the things that I am learning at the moment? Would I give up on Tim? Would I give up the hard things if it also meant going back to the (prouder, younger, sillier) Belinda who hadn't learned those lessons?

The battle, however, doesn't seem to end with that process. It continues. And God continues to surprise me by taking care of our needs and providing for our little family regardless of our lack of a 'normal' life.

You know the life I really want? Its a life where rather than always looking back and seeing how good things were, I just pause and see them when they happen.

On Sunday we went to church with my Nan and sang one of my favourite hymns. Its such a good reminder to be thankful and of the character of God.

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases
His Mercies never come to an end
They are new every morning,
New every morning
Great is your faithfulness oh Lord
Great is your faithfulness.

I have this idea when I hear that song that what I should do is pause each morning and remember the mercies that God has given me for that day. I still haven't done it.

But I think when I do it, contentment might seem that little bit more possible.
love B