Patea

February 1995 - September 28, 2007

God on the Mountain

This is a song that I only recently heard and which I just love to pieces already. Written and sung by Lynda Randle of the Billy Graham Singers.

Life is easy when you're up on the mountain
And you've got peace of mind like you've never known
But then things change and you're down in the valley
Don't lose faith for you're never alone

For the God on the mountain is still God in the valley
When things go wrong, He'll make it right
And the God of the good times
is still God in the bad times
The God of the day is still God in the night

You talk of faith when you're up on the mountain
Oh but the talk comes easy when life's at its best
But it's down in the valley of trials and temptation
That's when faith is really put to the test

For the God on the mountain is still God in the valley
When things go wrong, He'll make it right
And the God of the good times
is still God in the bad times
The God of the day is still God in the night.


Bless you, Miss Randle

~~~

Water logged

Saturday morning. Usually there's lots of housework with veg shopping topping the list of to-dos Sat morns but last weekend was a completely different story. I woke up to find it raining heavily for the third day running and half of my room had morphed into a little lake of sorts. I went downstairs and quickly ran through my sister's leg warm up exercises, helped her get into her chair, had a nice hot cuppa tea, did the downstairs rooms, and then checked back on my room. The little lake had spread out so there wasn't a dry spot on the floor. It took about 3 buckets to mop up. And I had to repeat the whole thing three times throughout the day. By the end of it all, my doggie Patea and I were all pooped out. Lordy, I don't want to see anything wet for the next 6 months!

Conscience-speak

A student died yesterday. Having been a teacher for several years now, I've had a few students cop out before but somehow this one made me stop and think. I'd been the one to enter his name on the class register but I can't recall what he must have looked like. Was he short or tall, thin or fat, fair or dark? They say he'd had kidney problems and then a heavy case of jaundice which he'd succumbed to. I've been thinking a lot of things. Like it was just a couple of months ago that he'd come to class with high expectations, thinking he was now in college and on his way to getting a degree. And only a short time later he's dead and gone; his name soon to be removed from the records, and apart from a mention in the annual magazine, his memory obliterated.

As a Christian I've been thinking....what have I ever said to these young people about life hereafter. I teach them how to write an application for a job, how to write a resume, delve into and discuss the intricacies of human psychology, social and cultural myths and mores, etc etc via literature. I see myself as helping them get that degree.

But what about life after death? To them I'm an adult figure and whatever my inadequacies, they see me as a responsible, trusted mature person and I should be a guide, a mentor, a someone who ought to know that their young lives can suddenly be cut short and prepares them in some way or the other for that eventuality.

It's humbling to feel so completely inadequate and useless.

~~~

This is where the buck stops!

I'm going to rave and rant this time. No putting my best foot forward. No pretty speeches. No clever poems. No killing 'em softly with a song. And don't miss the blood red text colour.

My biggest grouse about blogging and my fellow bloggers: why oh why oh why can't people have the decency to ask if they might add me to their blogroll? Where have good manners and the simple "Mind if I add you?" one-liner disappeared? It was there when I first started blogging a year ago but since I don't know when, I've clicked onto people's blogs and found mine quietly sitting on their blogrolls without so much as a by your leave. Now that really gets me, people! Sure I'm flattered as shit you consider me worthy of being featured on your personal pages but puhleeeze, have the decency to check with me first. In other words, knock on my door and ask "May I?" Puhleeze!

As it is, I'm not even sure anymore if I should continue going public. Unlike a lot of other people I know personally who choose to make very impersonal inputs, preferring to air cultural, social, religious, et al concerns, I have chosen to write on very personal matters. And I'm frankly freaked that any passing Tom, Dick or Harry should just sit out there and give my innermost thoughts a virtual onceover. So if one of these days, this place goes under lock and key, this is why!

~~~