Loving someone is giving them the power to break your heart, but trusting them not to ~  Julianne Moore

Not someone I think I’ve ever quoted from, but I felt this one particularly true.

Yes, loving someone means you open yourself up to all kinds of hurt if you fall in love with someone you doesn’t love and care for you as you do them. Conversely, when you find your soul-mate you can trust them without ever fearing you cannot trust them.

I’ve found my love-mate, I hope you’ve either already found your soul-mate, or if not, you find them soon.

Being sad with the right people is better than being happy with the wrong ones ~ Philippos

So true.

If you’re sad or upset, you need people around you who will support you and care for you. Sadly however I’m sure we’ve all found ourselves with people who don’t seem to care about us when we’re most in need of support. But have you realised these are not the people you should be calling “true friends”?

Therefore make sure those you call true friends are people you know and trust will be there for you in your times of need, because if they’re not, don’t leave it until you need a friend most, to find out they don’t really care for you.

True friends will be there for you during your lowest times as well as during your happiest moments, I hope you’ve found some true friends!

It just amused me as I can think of one or two people I know who, whenever they get a pain or feel a bit off colour, they try to diagnose what’s wrong with them. Unsurprisingly, their diagnosis is just about always wrong, as none of them are medically qualified in any way…unless googling their symptoms counts as a medical degree these days!

Anyway, my main reason for mentioning this quote from Mark Twain, is that it reminds me that we are all quick to believe what we read in newspapers and books, but are we as quick to believe what we read in the bible?

It’s funny how we’re quick to believe the words we read in newspapers which are written to make profit for their owners.

It’s funny how we’re quick to believe what we read on internet sites which have no authorisation or qualifications to say what they do.

It’s funny how few of us read our bibles regularly and believe God’s promises contained in it.

Let’s make sure we believe all God’s promises to us, and live our lives as He directs us to.

It may be a cat, a bird, a ferret, or a guinea pig, but the chances are high that when someone close to you dies, a pet will be there to pick up the slack. Pets devour the loneliness. They give us purpose, responsibility, a reason for getting up in the morning, and a reason to look to the future. They ground us, help us escape the grief, make us laugh, and take full advantage of our weakness by exploiting our furniture, our beds, and our refrigerator. We wouldn’t have it any other way. Pets are our seat belts on the emotional roller coaster of life–they can be trusted, they keep us safe, and they sure do smooth out the ride.

by Nick Trout, Tell Me Where It Hurts: A Day of Humor, Healing and Hope in My Life as an Animal Surgeon

Grief can be even tougher to cope with if you are on your own. However, as Nick Trout says above, even the company of a pet, can be the comfort and companionship you need to help you through the difficult days after a bereavement.

So if you have a pet, I hope you realise they can be your companion during these days, but if you haven’t, why not consider getting a pet to keep you company. After all, not only will you enjoy their companionship, I’m sure they will enjoy you company just as much, if not more.

I am so glad I believe and trust the words of the above song…

Because, I am sure that without God by my side, I would not have got through these last few years, never mind these last few months.

I believe God can help me through every situation I encounter in life, and I believe He can, and will help you too, all you have to do is let Him lead you.

All the colours of the rainbow
All of voices of the wind
Every dream that reaches out
That reaches out to find where love begins
Every word of every story
Every star in every sky
Every corner of creation lives to testify
For as long as I shall live
I will testify to love
I’ll be a witness in the silences when words are not enough
With every breath I take I will give thanks to God above
For as long as I shall live
I will testify to love
From the mountains to the valleys
From the rivers to the sea
Every hand that reaches out
Every hand that reaches out to offer peace
Every simple act of mercy
Every step to kingdom come
All the Hope in every heart will speak what love has done.

How about you, will you testify to love for as long as you live?

I will do my best to testify for God for the rest of my live, but I know I will only be able to achieve this with God’s help. That is why I pray each day that He will continue to help and guide me each day.

Having said that, despite working flexi time and not actually having to be in until 10am, I’m usually at work sometime between 8.30 and 9.15. Even so, I still like a bit a quietness then…at least until I’ve had my first coffee of the morning!

It’s funny how some of us like to get up early in the morning and just get on with things right away, while others of us like to have a long lie and like to slowly get into things. I definitely fall into that second category, how about you?

Just because I’m not a morning person and like to slowly move into my day, doesn’t mean I don’t get much done, it simply means I probably finish things a bit later. e.g. In a work sense, I’m often one of the last to leave the office at night.

So please, for those of you who are morning people, please remember some of us are not morning people and we like a quiet peaceful start to our mornings, thank you.

It all started on Thursday with my Mum going into hospital for an exploratory procedure. But I’m pleased to say, all turned out to be fine, with no problems found.

Then on Thursday night I went to my first band practice for a while, at Bellshill Salvation Army. I was quite stressed about going back to the band, not because I thought the folks there wouldn’t welcome me back or be supportive, but simply because I am still struggling emotionally following the death of my Dad and my Aunt Mae earlier this year.

Music has always been a huge part of my life, with music always been played in the house from as early as I can remember. Dad was always composing and arranging music (or “decomposing” music as he used to say!), and sitting at the piano trying out various bits and pieces of his compositions. I remember even when I was very young, I always climbed up onto my Dad’s knee at the piano to “help” him. So much so that when I was 6 I started piano lessons, despite the piano teacher not normally taking pupils until they were at least 7, but as I was extra keen an exception was made.

Then a few years later I was given a trombone by our YP band leader (at Rutherglen Salvation Army), and after being shown how to hold it and blow into and the 7 slide positions, I was off and running with my trombone. Needless to say I had a lot of questions, and Dad was there to help from that day on until his dementia meant he was unable to, as he was a trombone player of well renown in the jazz and big band scene in the west of Scotland.

So taking all that into account, band practices, and trombone playing as such a huge reminder of me of my Dad, as he was always there to help when I was looking to some alternative slide positions for some bit of music, or helping choosing a new mouthpiece etc…

I coped not to badly at the band practice until we went to practice Guardian of My Soul, and the words of the last section of this were read out…

These words, although not necessarily favourite words of my Aunt Mae, they were words which reminded me so much of her, as she was a lifelong Salvationist, and even in her final days when her dementia meant she wasn’t the person we knew and loved, she still always talked about the Army and how she’d held various positions for many years – even the nurses and carers at her nursing home talked about how she was always telling them about the Salvation Army!. She truly did serve God, her Saviour, all her days.

So when we started to play that piece of music, my emotions got the better of me and my tears streamed down my face…I was just glad everyone was playing as I really didn’t want anyone to notice how upset I was. Crying in public is one of my worst nightmares, and it was no different that night!

So onto today, Sunday, my first meeting at Bellshill for a while, and again I was stressed, as I knew the band were playing Guardian of My Soul and I knew how that had affected me on Thursday, and there would be even more folk there to witness me getting upset, if it were to happen again…

Yes, the music got to me again, as Guardian of My Soul got my tears flowing again, however this time I just tried to play through it (not sure how successful that decision was though!).

But even before we got to the band piece, my tears had started, as the YP Band played I’m In His Hands, and the words associated with this song, touched me just as they do every time I hear them, but they were the reminder I needed that whatever the future holds, I am in His hands.

Even one of the congregational songs from this morning got me, as it reminded me of the band’s Easter Tour of 2003, as just after we returned from this tour I took unwell, and although I’m much improved now, my health continues to cause me some problems. Before we left for our tour we joined in singing, Lord If Your Presence , and again this morning as we sang these words in the knowledge that for the next 9 months, Bellshill Salvation Army will be without a home of their own, as we will be worshipping in the Bellshill Cultural Centre while our halls are refurbished and a new worship hall built.

Even as we played the final march in our hall, Celebration, I was reminded of Dad again as I remember asking him about one of the parts in this piece when I was playing a different part than I was today.

Many thanks to all who offered words of support to me both on Thursday night at band practice and also this morning either before or after our morning service, I really have appreciated the love and support shown to me (and my family) during what has been a particularly difficult time for us.

In conclusion, I’d just like to share with you the words of the song I mentioned earlier

Ever noticed how many of us don’t like it when it’s quiet, when no-one is talking? Funny how someone always feels the need to break that quietness…usually with something completely unrelated to any previous discussion, and in many occasions trying to be funny but completely failing!

Have you ever noticed how there are some people you can sit in silence with for ages and never feel uncomfortable with? They are the folk you love and trust, and that is why silence is so easy to cope with and not uncomfortable at all.

So, yes, there are some times when quietness or silence is uncomfortable, but then there are also some situation where the silence is just so natural. Hold onto those relationships where silences are comfortable as they are your important and valuable relationships.

When we feel alone…Jesus is there for us.

When we feel rejected…Jesus is there for us.

When life is cruel to us…Jesus is there for us.

In all these situations, pray, because Jesus is there for you, and will help you.