Happy Ordiversary to me!

 Today I have been ordained for 15 years. A statement I find pretty impossible to be fair.

Where did those 15 years go?

And, if I were to give some advice to my younger self - I wonder what that would be?

First: nothing is really as bad as you think it is. Be true to yourself, accept each day as it comes. There will be pain along the way - but so much more joy and pleasure that those painful days will fade into insignificance.

Second: don't be afraid to speak your mind! Being quiet when you see things that are wrong or unjust may feel safe, but you will regret not speaking up for the right. 

Third: the places you will go, and the people you will meet through your ministry are beyond your imagining; you will find support in the most unexpected places; you will make friends across the world; and you will have more opportunities through your ministries than you can ever imagine.

Fourth: spend time with the people you love. Make the effort to see them, talk to them, share experiences together. Because life is short and you never know what is waiting round the next corner. You will lose friends, your heart will break for them. Knowing you had lunch, shared a fun experience, said what was on your heart, will ease the sorrow and bring hope into the darkest days.

Fifth: you are not alone. In everything, in every difficulty, in every celebration, in every heartbreak, in every joy-filled moment: God is. And God will be with you every step of the way. God called you to this, God is with you through every step, breath, moment. God is. 

NaBloPoMo #6 - Friday random

It's Friday - so that means Friday Five over at RevGals... plus there's today's NaBloPoMo prompt, so I'm going to do a wee combo.... 

On the blog, 3dogmom asks: random Friday Five out of the hat today.

What is your “gotta go!” breakfast that you can grab and take with you in the morning when you’re in a rush?
Oh my! Breakfast is the one meal I never rush! I don't eat bread or dairy due to food allergies; so my daily breakfast is eggs and bacon with mushrooms and tomatoes and spinach - the meal I would rush or skip is lunch - easy when you have a decent breakfast. 

When was the last time you had a fun evening out, and what did you do?
Wednesday was my birthday, and my beloved took me out for a lovely meal in a very special restaurant, very fine fare, and we had a sweet time. 
Last real 'fun' night was with good friends, eating, playing silly games and laughing lots. 

Favorite poet or poem?
Oh - a tie between George Herbert and Christina Rossetti: GH - Come my way - simply wondrous; Rossetti - Remember me when I am gone away - sublime. 

Who makes you laugh?
Lots of people! My boys; my sweetheart; Peter Kaye; Michael Macintyre... I don't like the ones who do swearing or bad taste - there is so much funny out there without resorting to that.

Where do you like to go for some “time apart,” in the way that Jesus took time apart?
The sea!! Oh yes the sea, or if I can't get to the sea then a river or a loch will do 

And Julia asked us for today's prompt - when you were about 8 what did you want to be when you grew up?
For the longest time I wanted to be a scientist - I can't remember when I first got the notion, but my whole senior school choices were geared to me working in a lab, doing research - I wanted to find a cure, or discover a new treatment - I never wanted to be a doctor - just the scientist in the background. 
It all fell apart, when after school I applied to work for ICI - passed the interview failed the medical - too many allergies which would bar me from laboratory work. 
But for those childhood years, I'd wear my little white coat (one of Dad's old shirts!), and play experiments with bottles and jars, water and plants from the garden...