The Garden

I have been meaning to post these thoughts for a while but wanted a photo of my back yard to post with it and up till today did not have such a photo. I love this view of the garden. There are tall trees and not so tall trees; if you look closely you will see dead trees. There are plants dying and there is new life shooting from the decay. There is bamboo that is not native next to the native gum. There are all colors, shapes and sizes. There are a few weeds but remember a weed is just a plant out of place. There are a few plants stifled and crowded. There are plants with plenty of room. Some plants don’t get much sunshine and wish they did and there are plants in the shade that love it there. There are trees that are very old and there are the very young. There is a small creek. There are birds and snakes, frogs and lizards, probably stray cats as well. There is diversity. There is a small group of dedicated, loving people that remove the plants that would kill the garden. In the daylight, the garden is a beautiful, safe place for people to stroll and enjoy but in the dark, the garden can attract people who have less than honorable intentions. It is the garden that I enjoy being in and looking upon. It is all there in the garden; the place that God designed.

Briar Creek Retreat

Briar Creek Retreat is a thing, event, place that does not exist; at least not yet. It is a dream (which I believe God inspired) for a retreat centre for ministers. A couple we know have tried to send their minister and family on retreat only to find the cost of the retreat centers prohibiting. They also found that these places had many activities that were part of the cost. They began to see the need for a place for ministers and families to go with little or no cost and simply have time to be, to relate with each other and to have control of activities or lack of activity. At this imaginary place, there will be cabins with names; a community breakfast, if you want; a lake; walks; a garden and nearby a town with concerts; boating, fishing, etc. Will it be real? I think so. I see the need for such a place and am supportive of the dream. Right now, it is at the trust God for the funding stage. I believe in about 4 -5 years this place will be real and Mal and I will be sitting by the lake with my Dad, maybe with siblings, children and grandchildren. Care to join me?

"I killed a bird with two stones"*

Sometimes we all miss our mark. Two birds with one stone is a special event and perhaps even one bird with one stone. But I think many times to get to what we are aiming at we need to “throw” several “stones”. I believe that it is okay to keep trying to achieve good goals. The idea would be to make sure the bird that we are aiming at is truly the one we want. After that, fire away. Otherwise, you simply join the ranks of people who throw stones.

*Mia, 2 September 2007