You Are Wonderful - Thank You

I would like to thank all of you that have left such wonderful messages for Jackie and Ron under my tribute to Rosemary and for taking the time and trouble to do so.

It has been so heartwarming to know that through the medium of the computer people can and will reach out to others like this, to offer comfort, to offer support.

I have been touched that people who did not even know  of my journal have visited and I know that this is down to the prayer group. 

Jackie will not be able to attend the funeral as she is still confined to bed but I know the comfort they will  both receive from your messages and how those messages will help them through the days ahead.

It is wonderful to know that in times of trouble and tears this community comes together as a family.

In a few hours time, I shall be printing the tribute off and it will be given to them.  If there is anyone who would still like to leave a few words, then please do so, but I ask you to remember to leave your comments for Jackie and Ron and not for me and please do not leave your comment under this posting but under the Tribute (previous posting) otherwise Jackie and Ron will not get your message.

Thank you and God bless you all.

Rosemary - In Memorium

 

                                            ROSEMARY

                                      16th September 1974 -
                                        11th August 2006

This posting is in loving memory of a very special person, Rosemary G.  -  the beloved daughter of our friends and neighbours, Jackie and Ron. 

Rosemary was not as other people, she had very special needs. Jackie and Ron devotedly cared for her all her life. Although she was never able to attend school, obtain employment or do any of the things we all take for granted, Rosemary managed to touch the lives of everyone that knew her, which is a rare gift and she was deeply loved, even the nurses who tended to her in the last few days of her life, loved her.

She passed peacefully into the arms of our Lord at 3.50 a.m. on Friday morning.

 

Welcome home, dear soul, welcome home,

To the place God wants you to be,

Prepared for you  a long time ago,

Your place for eternity.

 

Down through the years  God watched you

He claimed you before you were born,

You were moulded, guided and taught

Through His love you grew and were formed.

 

He gave you a good life on earth

And saw that your needs were met

He gave you fair shares of sadness and mirth

And gave up His Son for your debt.

 

God counted each hair on your precious head

Ane he planned in advance all your years,

He knew each day what lay ahead

And He was aware of your prayers and tears.

 

Though you've left your loved ones behind

It is just in a physical way

And now you'll be closer to them

In a more wonderful, spiritual way.

 

A banquet's been spread in your honour

God is the Heavenly Host,

The guests are those gone before you

That on earth you had missed the most.

 

Welcome home, dear soul, welcome home,

Tell your family and friends not to grieve,

You're welcomed now at your Father's throne,

Totally whole and pain free.

 

    Copyright Virginia Ellis.

 

 

My lovely friends and readers, I ask you to offer a prayer up for dear Rosemary and also to pray for Jackie and Ron and their other daughters in their time of grief and loss.

 

Jackie knows that those of you in the prayer group have been offering up prayers for her and for Rosemary and for the family and she has asked me to thank you very much for your love.

 

Jackie has been confined to bed for several weeks after breaking a bone in her spine and she has been battling with constant pain, so please pray for her as well and ask the Lord to surround her with His healing.

 

 

 

 

Death is nothing at all

I have only slipped away into the next room

I am I and you are you

Whatever we were to each other

That we are still

Call me by my old familiar name

Speak to me in the easy way you always used

Put no difference into your tone

Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow

Laugh as we always laughed

At the little jokes we always enjoyed together

Play, smile, think of me, pray for me

Let my name be ever the household word that it always was

Let it be spoken without effort

Without the ghost of a shadow in it

Life means all that it ever meant

It is the same as it ever was

There is absolute unbroken continuity

What is death but a negligible accident?

Why should I be out of mind

Because I am outofsight?

I am waiting for you for an interval

Somewhere very near

Just around the corner

All is well.

Nothing is past; nothing is lost

One brief moment and all will be as it was before 

How we shall laugh at the trouble of parting when we meet again!

 

Canon Henry Scott-Holland, 1847-1918, Canon of St Paul's Cathedral

 

 

"Pond"ering And A Video Peek At Our Home

Glad you all seemed to like the video of our fish feeding.  It was while they were being fed that we were shocked to see just how many fish we had.  My fault.  When we extended the pond two years ago as we really wanted a Koi pond, I did not have the heart to let my goldfish go.  So they all went into the pond and the inevitable happened.  The goldfish bred with the goldfish, the Koi bred with the goldfish and what was originally twenty fish turned into around one hundred and fifty.

There is nothing that will bring disease into a pond quicker than overcrowding so we had to make a decision.  Some of them just had to go.  So, since I last posted we have had to drain out the pond to around four inches and then Mike has had to lay on a grill laid across the pond and catch whatever he could, trying not to stress the fish too much.  Believe me it was a long and difficult job and we have both hurt our backs in the process.  He had to keep passing the net to me so that I could transfer the fish into a container full of water and I had to keep leaning at full stretch across to try and "herd" the fish to where Mike had the net.  So now around thirty five fish have gone to a new home.  That is still nowhere near enough and we will have to do it again maybe before the winter comes but if not then certainly in the Spring before they start breeding again. We had intended to try and catch more but we had had enough by then and we are sure the fish had as well.  It then took seven hours to re-fill the pond during which time Mike got  the filters  and waterfall going again.

It was difficult deciding which ones to pick. I hated to see any of them go but you have to be sensible.  Also, for a long time we had tried to catch a fish that had a huge growth.  He/she always eluded us but this time we were successful.  No sooner had we lifted it out than it expired, just like that, so I think its time had come anyway and it was relieved to go.

So, some of those fish you saw on the film are no longer living here with us.  We also removed one of the water lilies.  They had grown very rampant and were taking up a good deal of the pond.  We kept the yellow one which is our favourite.  So, although there are still too many fish in the pond for the area or water and the depth, they do now have much more swimming space and as we have good filtration they should be o.k. for a while.

We did have some much needed rain  during the night and this morning.  Nowhere near enough but it was nice to see it.  The only problem is that the sun is out again now and there is a strong wind which will dry everything up again.

I have spent the last couple of days resting my back and reading.  A job like that will give anyone back ache but as I have problems with mine generally, I should have known I was asking for trouble!

Anyway, at the moment, I am limiting my computer time until it eases off but  I will try and get around to your journals as soon as I can.

Mike took another little bit of video for you.  A little peek at the outside of our home (the front) and the road we live in.  Hope that you enjoy viewing it.  You will see the new side gate Mike made on the extreme far left of the video, towards the end.

 

Wishing you all a good weekend.

Sugar has now posted the J-Land Anniversary Tribute to all our pets.  Please visit her and see what a beautiful, touching and loving job she has made of it -  

  MEMORIAL FOR THE BELOVED PETS OF J-LAND 

Peace In My Garden

I wanted to write a few words about the joy I experience in my garden and to add another video for you, this time with music.

As you know I love my garden.  This summer it has been too hot most of the time to even sit out there for the shortest time.  So I have been going out there in the late evening and staying until after dark.  I love the quietness of that time.  No noise from passing cars as in the daytime, no radios, no loud voices, the air is cooler and slightly damp with dew.  The skies have been so clear and I love looking at the sky.

I ponder upon things.  I search the heavens and remember that these same stars and this same moon that shines on me, shone on my ancestors centuries ago and, if the fates are willing, will shine on my descendants long after I am gone.  I ponder upon how great nature is and how very small we are in the scheme of things.

I love the reflection on the water, I love to see the moonlight catch the scales of the fish as they glide silently through the darkened  pool.  I love the grass beneath my bare feet.  Somehow I feel far more spiritual, more at one with nature.  I find peace, I find tranquility, I find calm.  In that time the cares of the world are washed away.  You could say I feel closer to God.

On milder days I am out looking at the many varied colours of the flowers, watching the fountain play into the pond and delighting in the colours of the fish and the song of the birds. Watching for butterflies and insects and seeing our little feathered friends come down to use the bird feeders.  Our garden is our own little Eden right here on earth.

So I am sharing a little of that tranquility with you all today

 

I hope you enjoy the video and that you can feel  a little bit of the peace I experience and that you find your peace as well in whatever location that happens to be.

 

Another Week

The start of another week, where does the time go?  It is very overcast and gloomy here today but no rain as yet although Becky who lives about six miles away has had some showers.

I hope you are all displaying the green/blue J-Land anniversary graphic on your sidebars in honour of the anniversary on the 21st.  If not please feel free to snag it from here now

SUGAR is doing a special memorial to all J-Landers pets who have passed away during the last three years. If you would like your pet included, please write to Sugar with some details and a photograph if possible.  She will be happy to include your pet. *If you have lost a loved one - a family member or a dear friend during the past three years then please visit    ROXY  as she is going to do something special in remembrance of those you have loved and lost.    Do not forget to visit VIVIAN as well to keep up to date on all that is planned.  I know a chat room is being arranged where we can all get together.    Not forgetting  DONNA   who has made some great celebratory graphics.

I am glad you liked the video that I posted yesterday. I think Jesse and Jack are quite proud of being beamed into all your homes.  I hope to put another video on in the near future and, much to their disappointment it will not be the dogs again.

At the start of this entry I mentioned time and how quickly it passes.  We are always in a rush aren't we, always something to do.  Years ago you never heard the expression ASAP.  Now it is commonplace.  ASAP - as soon as possible.  The pace of life is much faster than it used to be, the world is full of trouble, there always seems to be something to worry us.  So today I wanted to share a little poem with you.

This poem was given to me yesterday by the husband of a neighbour.  They are going through the most awful circumstances at the moment.  Heartrending and tragic, yet they still find the time to think of other people.  I will not put their details on here, that would be an invasion of their privacy.  But I do ask you to keep Jackie and Ron in your thoughts and for those of you who pray, in your prayers. Always take the time in this mad and fast-paced world to think of others and always try and set aside a little quiet time for yourself and your family. Always remember, not everything has to be done ASAP.  This abbreviation can also stand for something else - always say a prayer.

There's work to do, deadlines to meet
You've got not time to spare,
But as you hurry and scurry -
ASAP - always say a prayer.

In the midst of family chaos,
Quality time is rare
Do your best, let God do the rest -
ASAP - always say a prayer.

It may seem like your worries
Are more than you can bear,
Slow down and take a breather -
ASAP - always say a prayer.

God know how stressful life is
He wants to ease our cares,
And He'll  respond to all your needs
ASAP - ALWAYS SAY A PRAYER.

Author unknown.

Wishing you all a peaceful, happy and stress-free week.

One More Try

I am so glad to learn from your comments that you are able to view this video.  It is, of course, our two Border Collies, Jester (Jesse) and Jack.

Taken on Saturday 5th August very close to our home.  I will endeavour to put other video clips on from time to time.

General

Another of Donna's lovely designs to help celebrate three years of journals.  I believe the official date is the 21st August.

I know a lot of you have been waiting to hear about Daniel.  Well, so far everything is pretty inconclusive.  All his tests came back clear as I have already told you and that is a great relief.  Becky asked if it could be some sort of allergy but received no reply (She had already tried taking him off cow's milk and putting him on Soya without any result). So, they have now issued him with an Asthma inhaler.  Not that they are saying he has Asthma, they simply do not seem to know - they have told Becky to try it if and when she thinks he needs it.  It it works it works, it if does not - they will see him again at the end of November!  So it is all very much hit and miss and I feel also rather unsatisfactory.  Maybe they are just hoping he will grow out of it.  Well, only time will tell now.

Mike has been busy making the new side gate.  I was going to take a before and after picture but the phone rang and I had rather a lengthy conversation with a friend.  By the time the chat was finished the old gate had been dismantled and demolished, so no "before" picture.  I do not know whether it is worth putting an "after" picture on because you will have no comparison and after all, it is just a wooden door.  Anyway, he has assembled the new one and added hinges.  Now he has to fix it in place and add bolts and a lock etc. etc.  He will be doing that today.

Whether it is the change in the weather from scorching hot to really cold and now back to hot again I do not know but the last couple of days I have been a mass of aches and pains.  I hurt all over so I shall be taking it easy over the weekend although we will be seeing the family either today or tomorrow.

Anyway, that is about enough from me for the moment. I just wanted to update you all on Daniel. I shall be catching up with all your journals very soon.

Wishing you all a happy weekend.