Moments in Life

Here are some random moments in my life...

The woman I stayed with in Cambridge gave me a little cutting of a plant that she said blooms incredibly well. She said she was on vacation and saw a massive plant with impressive blossoms and snipped a little leaf from inside the pot. She stuck it in dirt when she got home and it has thrived ever since. I forgot to plant the cutting and when I opened the little bag a couple of days ago, the tiny stem had a huge blossom on it. I figured if it's so determined to survive, I might as well give it some dirt and see if it perseveres in spite of my forgetfulness when it comes to watering indoor plants.

My determined little Christmas Cactus.

I went to a garden centre with Ann today and as we were driving she pointed out a little steeple peeking from a cluster of trees near the road. She said it belonged to the smallest church in Hampshire. I asked if she'd ever visited the church and she said she hadn't. On the way home she decided to stop by and see if it was open; one of those things you never bother to do when you live in a place for a long time. It was an adorable little church from the latter part of the twelfth century called the Church of St. Swithun. I was thrilled to discover it has connections to Canada! Check out the link for info if you're curious - a man buried there was Governor-General of Canada in 1766. Sadly I didn't have my camera with me, but I had my cell phone so I snapped a few shots (and re-shot it with my camera since I don't have the ability to upload the images to my laptop). One of my favourites is below. The mermaid is carved into the side of the front door as a warning to flirtatious youth. Boys, don't flirt with mermaids when you're away at sea or when you return home and find a girl to marry, the mermaid might show up at the church on your wedding day and drag you back to sea.

A warning to flirtatious youth.

This morning Ann pulled out her Christmas decorations and we put some up around the house. We put garland up the banister, ivy and holly on the mantle in the living room, and little bits around the house. My train is booked for spending Christmas in Eastbourne. Snow is falling in different parts of the country. Christmas is coming!

Decorations on the banister going upstairs.

I know most people hate shopping at Christmas, but I love it. When I was a youth leader about 10 years ago, our youth group held a weekend retreat and the theme was love languages. It was the first time I was introduced to the idea and it really helped me understand myself and relate better to those around me. My strongest love language for expressing love to my family and friends is giving gifts (although, oddly enough, that's at the bottom of my list for receiving love). I think that's one of the reasons I love Christmas; it's an excuse to shop for hours to find the perfect gifts!

But not this year.

I'm trying to save money and shipping costs are too high to send a bunch of presents to Canada (and almost everything you buy here can be bought in Canada anyway), so my friends who are used to receiving gifts will be going without this year. I have ideas for gifts for my family that won't require shipping, but it still means I won't be spending hours at the mall. It's strange to miss out on that part of Christmas.

I still haven't found a job and whenever there's a good prospect, the job is put on hold or my resume is submitted too late by the agency. The economic downturn isn't helping. I trust God to work through all this... I don't know what He's doing so I'll take steps and push on doors and trust Him to open or close them one step at a time. I was feeling really lost until a few days ago when I decided to continue looking for work but pursue travel until I find a job... no point in sitting around moping... I might as well spend some of my hard-earned savings!

I've been looking around and most last-minute travel deals are booked up as they're to towns holding Christmas markets (high demand). I decided to book my own trip! I've reserved a room at a B&B in Bath for two or three nights next week. I have discovered that room rates are open to negotiation so I'll be saving a nice little wad of cash on my accommodation. Never be afraid to ask... the worst they can do is laugh and say no. Hopefully I'll find a way to get into Europe soon for a decent price... I really want to get a European stamp in my passport.