OUT OF THE STRONG CAME FORTH SWEETNESS
TATE AND LYLE has been named as Britain's oldest brand with their packaging for golden syrup not having changed much since it's introduction in 1885. I remember the tin from when I was young and I remember how I loved Golden Syrup but be warned-It rots your teeth! I remember the picture on the front of the can and I remember the story of the lion.
'out of the strong came forth sweetness'-Judges14:14
It is the story of Samson's riddle and how bees had made a home in a dead lion and produced honey.
There are a number of ways to look at this story. The lion who was strong when he was alive is now weak as he is dead but his carcass is home for the bees who produce honey, a life giving food, a food which gives strength but in itself is weak. Deep huh! you still with me? Good, I knew you would be.
Another way of looking at it is a weak thing can have greater strength and power than an outwardly strong thing. The power of women is often underestimated, they rear the children and at times have greater influence over the child, subtly instilling views and ideals that a torturer could not instill. I would like to feel that my legacy to my children has been to instill values of equality, especially for women and children. I would also like my legacy to include ideals regarding fair play towards the earth and all their fellow man and when they do anything make sure it does no harm and to always search for joy and to enjoy your life.
Therese de Lisieux was a young girl who lost her mother to breast cancer when she was 5 years old and her father later died as the result of strokes in, she was a religious little girl who followed her sisters into the Carmelite order at the age of 15 and whilst she was in the order she realised that it was not necessary to accomplish heroic acts or do great deeds in order to obtain holiness and to express her love for God. She wrote about 'The Little Way', some people have said she was over-sentimental but she has said that she was not able to read learned treatises and be inspired but the Bible with single words having the ability to inspire her to find God and the way she should live her life. She felt that the way to be was through living your life simply and striving for a child's perfection. She rejected a spirituality that was obsessed with one's faults and the imperative to store up credits for a next life. Many have said that she sought to show that people at all levels could lead a good life and find God and it would not be difficult and it was not necessary to be constantly punishing yourself for 'percieved' faults but to be always striving forward with joy and a newness of spirit. And the p
oint of this story?.............she died of tuberculosis at the age of 24, she had always been physically weak but her strength of spirit outshone greater luminaries in the church. Therese has touched the hearts of millions with her 'Little Way' and has been a great force for good and continues to be a force for good still today.
Remember Aesop's fable where the wind said he was stronger that the Sun and they had a competition and the Sun won, here the Wind used all of it's physical power to blow the traveler but it was the passive actions of the Sun that won the day when the traveler took of his cloak because he was too hot. 'Kindness affects more than severity'.
Mother Theresa was a small woman with the frailities of health that ma
ny endure, yet she managed to influence the world hugely and in 1999 was ranked as' the most admired person of the 20th century'. I do not agree with her views on abortion, marriage and divorce, funding issues in her movement , acceptance of poverty, sacremental baptisms, politics and care issues in her institutions but I believe that her capacity to influence the world was immense. As Therese de Lisieux said it is not necessary to perform heroic acts or great deeds to achieve holiness, I believe we do not have to be 'perfect' to do good deeds. Mother Theresa can be seen as the Sun in Aesops fables, the Sun that influenced the Traveler to take of his cloak.
We are all Travelers and St Therese as an ordinary person influenced us with her Little Way to live a good happy life and the same with Mother Theresa, Mother Theresa was just an ordinary person who made others believe they too could make a difference.
So who are my heroes and heroines?
*Just the ordinary little people who live their lives trying to make a difference.
*Politicians who when they get caught out put their hands up and say,'Yup, it was me and I'm really sorry'
*Famous women who when they have had boob-jobs and plastic surgey say,' Are you kidding, of course I've had a boob job, it's brilliant,isn't it?'
*Famous people who use their fame for good like Bill Gates, Bob Geldof, Steve Guttenberg, Paris Hilton(oops scrub that last one).
*All the teachers, helpers and staff in Beauty's school.
*The teachers who taught me to read.
*My children who I am inspired by daily.
*My mother
*People who work hard for the minimum wage.
*Beauty's child minder( a God send)
*Volunteers
*Carers
*Johann Gutenberg-the inventor of the printing press.
GUESS WHOSE FOOT?
This is Ariel's foot, the toes or toe are probably broken, two days ago I needed her to help me to take things upstairs before the builders arrived but she wasn't too keen(a bit of a paddy ensued), when I insisted she flounced into the room by the back door and came out at shouting, 'I want to be on MSN' at a speed of more than 30mph and went straight into the tins cupboard. After 5 very painful minutes spent rolling on the floor screaming,'I've broken my foot, I've broken my foot'. I think Ariel was a tad disappointed to hear that casualty would not x-ray her foot and would only strap it and give her pain-killers. So I took her to her Dad's in the car and on the way I bought her plasters and painkillers in Tesco in Cathays. The colours on her foot are quite attractive in a Goth sort of un-dead kind of way.
Beauty's new toy Ratty.
Beauty wearing the jumper that I knitted for her,holding Ratty.
'out of the strong came forth sweetness'-Judges14:14
It is the story of Samson's riddle and how bees had made a home in a dead lion and produced honey.
There are a number of ways to look at this story. The lion who was strong when he was alive is now weak as he is dead but his carcass is home for the bees who produce honey, a life giving food, a food which gives strength but in itself is weak. Deep huh! you still with me? Good, I knew you would be.
Another way of looking at it is a weak thing can have greater strength and power than an outwardly strong thing. The power of women is often underestimated, they rear the children and at times have greater influence over the child, subtly instilling views and ideals that a torturer could not instill. I would like to feel that my legacy to my children has been to instill values of equality, especially for women and children. I would also like my legacy to include ideals regarding fair play towards the earth and all their fellow man and when they do anything make sure it does no harm and to always search for joy and to enjoy your life.
Therese de Lisieux was a young girl who lost her mother to breast cancer when she was 5 years old and her father later died as the result of strokes in, she was a religious little girl who followed her sisters into the Carmelite order at the age of 15 and whilst she was in the order she realised that it was not necessary to accomplish heroic acts or do great deeds in order to obtain holiness and to express her love for God. She wrote about 'The Little Way', some people have said she was over-sentimental but she has said that she was not able to read learned treatises and be inspired but the Bible with single words having the ability to inspire her to find God and the way she should live her life. She felt that the way to be was through living your life simply and striving for a child's perfection. She rejected a spirituality that was obsessed with one's faults and the imperative to store up credits for a next life. Many have said that she sought to show that people at all levels could lead a good life and find God and it would not be difficult and it was not necessary to be constantly punishing yourself for 'percieved' faults but to be always striving forward with joy and a newness of spirit. And the p
oint of this story?.............she died of tuberculosis at the age of 24, she had always been physically weak but her strength of spirit outshone greater luminaries in the church. Therese has touched the hearts of millions with her 'Little Way' and has been a great force for good and continues to be a force for good still today.Remember Aesop's fable where the wind said he was stronger that the Sun and they had a competition and the Sun won, here the Wind used all of it's physical power to blow the traveler but it was the passive actions of the Sun that won the day when the traveler took of his cloak because he was too hot. 'Kindness affects more than severity'.
Mother Theresa was a small woman with the frailities of health that ma
ny endure, yet she managed to influence the world hugely and in 1999 was ranked as' the most admired person of the 20th century'. I do not agree with her views on abortion, marriage and divorce, funding issues in her movement , acceptance of poverty, sacremental baptisms, politics and care issues in her institutions but I believe that her capacity to influence the world was immense. As Therese de Lisieux said it is not necessary to perform heroic acts or great deeds to achieve holiness, I believe we do not have to be 'perfect' to do good deeds. Mother Theresa can be seen as the Sun in Aesops fables, the Sun that influenced the Traveler to take of his cloak.We are all Travelers and St Therese as an ordinary person influenced us with her Little Way to live a good happy life and the same with Mother Theresa, Mother Theresa was just an ordinary person who made others believe they too could make a difference.
So who are my heroes and heroines?
*Just the ordinary little people who live their lives trying to make a difference.
*Politicians who when they get caught out put their hands up and say,'Yup, it was me and I'm really sorry'
*Famous women who when they have had boob-jobs and plastic surgey say,' Are you kidding, of course I've had a boob job, it's brilliant,isn't it?'
*Famous people who use their fame for good like Bill Gates, Bob Geldof, Steve Guttenberg, Paris Hilton(oops scrub that last one).
*All the teachers, helpers and staff in Beauty's school.
*The teachers who taught me to read.
*My children who I am inspired by daily.
*My mother
*People who work hard for the minimum wage.
*Beauty's child minder( a God send)
*Volunteers
*Carers
*Johann Gutenberg-the inventor of the printing press.
GUESS WHOSE FOOT?
This is Ariel's foot, the toes or toe are probably broken, two days ago I needed her to help me to take things upstairs before the builders arrived but she wasn't too keen(a bit of a paddy ensued), when I insisted she flounced into the room by the back door and came out at shouting, 'I want to be on MSN' at a speed of more than 30mph and went straight into the tins cupboard. After 5 very painful minutes spent rolling on the floor screaming,'I've broken my foot, I've broken my foot'. I think Ariel was a tad disappointed to hear that casualty would not x-ray her foot and would only strap it and give her pain-killers. So I took her to her Dad's in the car and on the way I bought her plasters and painkillers in Tesco in Cathays. The colours on her foot are quite attractive in a Goth sort of un-dead kind of way.
Beauty's new toy Ratty.
Beauty wearing the jumper that I knitted for her,holding Ratty.
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