Perspective // A mental view or outlook.

Sometimes you need to take a step back and try to see the whole picture that is coming together instead of focusing on just a small part of the picture.

I recently had the privilege of hearing the beautiful sounds of the Watoto children's choir. Watoto based from a church in Africa is devoted to caring for orphaned/abandoned children and vulnerable women.

They have programs set up for babies, children and adults providing them with an education and for the older ones they are given the opportunity to be trained and can make a living from things like farming, food or sewing. The Watoto children's choir is just a small part of the whole story. 

Children who have witnessed their parents being killed or watched them die from diseases and are left orphaned are brought into the care of a new "family" 

They are given hope. They are given love. They are given Jesus.

"Concerts of hope" are performed globally by several different choirs every year... 

Through singing and dancing the children accompanied by their "aunties" and "uncles" are able to share their stories and their dreams for their lives.

They were incredibly cute and their outfits were so bright and colourful much like the traditional African clothing. Hearing their stories is humbling, and you realise that your problems are minuscule compared to what they have been through.

Your perspective changes.

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The video below is a story of a man, overlooking the cultural barriers who has taken it upon himself to care and feed those around him.

"For them to feel psychologically that they are also human beings, there are people to care for them, they have a hand to hold, hope to live. Food is one part love is  another part. Food will give them physical nutrition. The love and affection which you show will give them mental nutrition. "

He has a perspective, that he can help, even if it's just one person. Even if you can't help feed everyone in the world just the tiniest bit of hope, love and nourishment can help one person and change their world. 

Finally would like to end with this video. 

Change your perspective. 

licensed to drive

I recently acquired my drivers licence (provisionals).
Or in Australia as we like to call them "P's"
I've driven a couple of times on my own since the test and I thought I would like to share with you what goes on inside my head when I'm driving solo.

Okay, you're just going to reverse out of the driveway. 

Don't hit the mailbox. Don't hit the green electricity box. 

You've done this ten million times befo- oh wait gotta put the AC on. 

Whoops came out a little crooked. 

Just go up the street, watch out for the cars that you know are always there. 

Don't bother changing gear because you know that you will have to stop for 
the red light at the top of this hill. 

Hmm I can do this. It's kinda fun.

Make sure I have my  hand on handbrake ready to go.

Oh yay the light is green,don't stall don't stall don't stall. 

Phew made the corner before the light changed yellow. 

Keep going straight ahead. Oop another red light. 

Small roundabout ahead, but you're turning left so make sure you indicate. 

Just remembered I have to get a ticket when I enter the car park. 

What if I don't go close enough and have to open the car to get the ticket.

How embarrassing. 

But if I go too close I could hit the kerb. 

Okay, it's my turn to shine.

Line up - careful. Not too close, not too far. 

Nailed it.

They really should make the parking tickets flavoured. 

Hmm okay you want to find a car park, kind of further away from the shops where there are less cars. Easier to find a car park you can just drive straight through.

Bingo, found one. 

Hmm not quite straight.

I'll just go forward to the next parking bay. 

Brilliant. 

please know this,

Please know that I was thinking of you today. 

Please know that I really want you to be well.

But I know you are not okay.
I know that you are struggling. 
I saw your post.
Your plea for prayer. 
I wish that I could be with you and not 921 kilometers away. 
I wish that I could give you a hug and tell you that everything will be okay. 
If I could take your pain, anxiety, stress and worries away from you believe me, I would. 

Please know that I think of you often. 

Please know that I treasure our memories that we've shared. 

Please know that you are incredible and brave. 

Please know that you make my heart happy.

Lastly I want you to know that you will get through this, this is just a season. 
A season of growing and struggles with another season soon approaching.
They say if you're going through to keep going. Keep swimming.
You are strong enough to pull through this.

The Golden Year.

Nowadays it seems to be common that people come from broken families. 

Having divorced parents seems to be the new normal.
Celebs are splitting, things are messy. People always get hurt.

So when you think about it - it really is quite incredible to be married for 50 years. 

On the weekend my family gathered to celebrate the 50th Wedding Anniversary of my grandparents (Grandma and Poppy/Poppa) It was so lovely meeting all the relatives on mums side of the family. Most of them I hadn't ever met before or haven't seen since I was five so yes, name tags were worn. 

It was such a great day and I'm actually really glad we did something to celebrate this milestone.
"Try and remember this day because it only comes once a lifetime and it's my wish that each and every one of you share the same anniversary." - Poppa 

Grandma still had her wedding dress, so we hung that up on display along with some photographs and telegrams from the wedding day. May have gotten a twig or maybe a branch in my eye while listening to some of the beautiful speeches.

"In 22 years, they have been much appreciated guardians, mentors, chauffeurs, cooks, conjurers and innkeepers. They made countless trips down to Brisbane for Grandparents Day, concerts, Birthday Parties, Christmas or sometimes just  to babysit." - Quoted from my brothers speech. 

The church where my grandparents were married was next door to where we held the function -- and some of the key friends and family members that were part of the wedding were able to attend which made it even more special.

Couples like my grandparents, on either side of the family give me hope that one day I will be able to celebrate such an incredible relationship that has lasted through the tough times and the good times.  I once read a quote that said"A relationship is like a house, when the light bulb burns out you do not go buy a new house you fix the light bulb." 

I hope that I am blessed enough to have a house that stands for as long as theirs. 

heavy hearts

How do you mourn someone you never knew. 

Today is the birthday of one of my aunties I never had the privilege of meeting before she was called home to heaven. 

Another aunty on the other side of the family had a stillborn baby.
A cousin that I never met. 

Today marks the first year since the passing of one of my brothers school mates.

This morning I woke up to the sound of the TV, immediately I knew something was wrong. Our TV is never on before the siblings go to school.
I heard the word "marathon" vibrate around the room, and immediately thought of the marathon that took place in my state just the other day.

I then found out there was a bombing, in Boston.
I breathed a sigh of relief that it wasn't near my hometown,

How could I be so selfish, yes it wasn't in my country, it was somewhere else but it easily could have happened to me or my family. Just because it was on the other side of the world, doesn't make it any less serious. 
My heart broke for those who live there.
These families now have one less pair of arms to hug at Christmas time.

Just like the shootings at Sandy Hooke, Aurora Cinemas, September 11 and Columbine, the Boston Marathon will be written down as one of these horrific events of history. 

People will remember forever.

I can't even begin to imagine what these families go through.
The lives of those around them are changed. 

And yet somehow they still seem to muddle their way through life.

This world is filled with terrible things and terrible people. 

However this world is also filled with wonderful things and beautiful people. 

"For every one person that plants a bomb you have hundreds more running a marathon. For every one person that makes a joke about the dead and dying, you have thousands more donating blood, offering prayers and volunteering their time. Things like this are the fault of single individuals who make violent, loud statements. We just have to make sure that the statements of good are louder." 

During moments like these I often come back to this song. 

I don't know who you are or what you're going through.
There is always dark before the morning.
Stay strong.