Kid Connections

For better or for worse ...

We were at the most wonderful wedding yesterday at the exquisite Mar Hall Hotel & Spa.  The eldest daughter of our very good friends married an englishman - can't say anything as I did the same!  Have to say the ceilidh dancing was slight carnage as many didn't have a clue what was happening but it was such fun to watch. 

The bride was beautiful in a stunning fishtail dress and the groom looked very dapper in his kilt.  The reception was very relaxing in the comfortable surroundings of this glorious venue and we sipped champagne and pimms whilst nibbling onthe most gorgeous canapes - including mini sausages dipped in honey and mint!  Fresh salmon, fillet of beef and lemon tart for dinner- some of my most favourite food, so I was in my element, and enjoyed the company of friends and the much needed relaxation.  Wonderful!! 

Friends ...

Had a great day yesterday catching up with some dear friends.  My friend Joan from our church, who moved to Edinburgh a couple years ago, traveled through to come to our Tots & Co Thursday morning group and then we spent the afternoon together.  It was wonderful and we spent a couple of hours running round after our toddlers! 

We had 6 new mums/dads and babies at Tots yesterday ... which means we are probably going to be full by Christmas!  Our heating was not working properly so it was a bit cold in our hall - I didn't feel it as I was moving around too much but with all going on I don't think the children were at all bothered.  We had lovely harvest treats too, which made it an extra nice morning. 

My dear friend Cathy also popped in to Tots for a brief visit, on route to have lunch with her auntie.  It was great to see her.  I love hearing how she is getting on in her job down south - it sounds exhausting ... but she seems to be thriving on it.  She is far more energetic than I am and I am embarrassed to say that I cycle in a year what she does in a day!  But ... we don't really have the weather for cycling (well that's my excuse anyway!!!).  I miss her not being around.  As a colleague she was a constant source of encouragement and wisdom and as a friend I am grateful for her ongoing prayer and pastoral support.  She is one of the few people who I trust implicitly to speak in to my life.      

And last night I went to visit my handsome Godson ... how gorgeous is he???   My two youngest were with me and hubby was meeting with another local minister who lives near by so it was great to spend some time and watch the three of them playing together.  They are all at a very funny stage our boy was trying to climb on everything as usual! 

Busy days ...

It's been a busy day with pleasant interludes!  It took almost 2 hours for me to drive in to Glasgow this morning!  I left home at 8.30am and hit a 6 mile tailback of traffic on the M77.  By the time I got in to town my left leg was is pain from constantly using the clutch and having to drive in 1st gear most of the way, and I had a thumping sore head.  Once I eventually got in to town and up to the west end I had a really good day - first our Thursday parent and toddler group followed by a lovely lunch with two of the mums and their darling babies, a bit of office chat, catching up with some other work and then driving back home just in time to pick up No 3 daughter from school.  I'm out tonight with two friends to see Fiddler on the Roof at the Motherwell Concert Hall & Theatre.  I'm not much of a theatre goer but I'm looking forward to it nonetheless.  Hubby is off today so has been spending time with the two little ones after a long day yesterday.

It's the school's October week next week so kids are off and I'm having some time off work to be with them.  There's lots of stuff needing to be done in the house but it's so miserable outside that I can't really be bothered!  I really want to be lying on the sofa with some nice nibbles, some decent coffee and either watching a good movie or reading one of the books I'm trying to get through just now.

I've been reading Moltmann's book In the End-The Beginning: The Life of Hope.  He shares a great deal of interesting stuff on childhood and children.  Part of the editorial review says, 'Debunking the classic images of Christian apocalyptic scenarios, the final struggle between God and Satan, Christ and the Antichrist—Armageddon—Moltmann instead shows that Christian expectation of the future has nothing to do with these but everything to do with new beginnings and a horizon of hope. Three parts explore three particular beginnings: birth (childhood and youth), rebirth (failures and defeats), and resurrection (death, judgment, afterlife).  This brief volume promises to be one of Moltmann’s most personal and compelling books.'  I'll share more if I get a chance but if you are in to theology books then it's well worth a read. 

Friends, food and fellowship ...

We were at friends last night, the 2 couples we meet with every fortnight.  It was a lovely night and we all look forward to meeting together so much.  Two of our friends are just back from a visit to Thailand, where they used to be missionaries, and were catching up with old friends and visiting some fo the projects they have been involved in.  We had a wonderful meal - including Thai sticky rice, which the boy ended up wearing more of than he ate!  He's munching everything he can and now has 4 top teeth and 2 bottom teeth.  He sinks his teeth into your arm or shoulder when he's upset - we hope to ease his teething!  You can see the culprits well here ... 

Congratulations !!

Congratulations to my friend Lynne - a fellow children's pastor and blogger - who has just joined the leadership team of MBC in Edinburgh, moved house, moved kids to a new school and hubby has moved to a new job too!  Guess you've been just a wee bit busy in the last week then!?!  Praying you are all greatly blessed in your new adventures.  L x

Katharos

We're off to Partick Trinity tonight with our 2 youth groups for the new Katharos event.  It is a new venture between some of the youth workers from various churches in the west end of Glasgow and it is hoped that the young people will be supported to take on the running of the event, which will be the 4th Sunday of every month.  It has exciting possibilities and we're praying that it will be a real blessing to the young folk.

I wanted to say thanks to friends too for a wonderful night of fellowship, food and fun last night.  We rejoiced into the wee small hours and reflected on the wonderful thing it is to know God intimately.  How truly blessed we are.