Here it is 2011 already. Who can remember when people were filling up bath tubs for the beginning of the millennium? Where has that time gone? I know I do feel 10 years older. If someone would have told me in 2000 the things I'm doing today, I would have laughed and laughed out aloud. In 10 years I have four yes you heard it four number 4 extra children, one of them terminally ill, in my home calling us Mum and Dad. Hubby & I started a charity called Extended Hands ATSI... www.extendedhands.org.au
The name came from a guy, low in his luck, we had living with us at the time, as he and hubby went to pick up some bread to give out to homeless and people in need. In the beginning of the naughties we had adults who were down on their luck living with us. Our son would tell his friends, "I don't know who will be sitting at the dinner table each night" as there were people hubby would find who had no where to live or just needed a feed, like the chef who lost his job & his wife kicked him out....he stayed with us till he got a job which wasn't long & he got back onto his feet then left. The grandmother who was being evicted so she considered suicide....we got there just in time....she lived with us for about 3 months.She found out that she was due a huge insurance payout. Once she got that she was on her way. Then there was the children. I said to hubby adults can look after themselves but children can't. So we started taking in children. We loved the babies. Some got back home to their mothers. Some went to other relatives. We would help the parents who were interested in being helped. Some mothers would crawl over broken glass to get their children back....some treated their children as a commodity! In the latter cases we would fight for the rights of the children.
The people we have met through the past ten years have been incredible. The biggest stand out is Ps John Dowell and his lovely wife Diane. http://mamarenes.org
What gems are these two people. We are proud to call them our friends. The work they do for the homeless in Brisbane is gigantic. They house homeless, feed homeless, clothe homeless. The money they get is a pittance. Their faith in the Lord to supply all their needs is an inspiration to everyone. My prayer for Ps John and Dianne is more people donate to them constantly throughout 2011.
Then there was a Chinese man I met on the internet through a business deal, Dove Gong. As months went on we got to know Dove really well. What a gentleman. We even got to go to China to meet him. Our relationship grew. He gave us the honour to give his son an English/Australian name. We are proud to call him a friend.
Family stuff...well my Dad's cancer came back with a vengeance. He saw Christmas and 2011 which we didn't think he would. Praise God!
Our own two children were married and we became grandparents,twice.
In 10 years I have had children start school....start high school.....leave school....start university, leave university with degree, leave university without degree. We have had good report cards, bad report cards and sad report cards.Children have left home, came back and left again.
We renovated the house throughout....not mean feet with children, babies & a dog.
I've lost heaps of weight and then again I put it all back on again plus a lot lot more.
Hubby & I have travelled to Asia a couple of times a year as respite. We named Hong Kong our Gold Coast, cause living on the Goldie one doesn't stay here for holidays. We saw the poverty in Bangkok so we helped children charities there. We heard the cry of the poor in Uganda, put a roof on an orphanage in India, purchased a well for a community in India, gave 2 families taxis in India so they can start their own business, purchased a sewing machine for a single mother in India so she can start her own business and took guitars, stationery items, books, clothing with us on our trip to Fiji for an orphanage in Suva.
I've learned to Facebook, Twitter, Blog and master an Android smart phone, though sometimes I think it's smarter than me....maybe all the time it's smarter than me.
Oh I nearly forgot. I started doing my family tree. I found a photo of my grandfather. I found that I am a descendant of a 1st Fleeter marine, Thomas O'Brien who came out on the Scarborough and 2nd Fleeter convict, Susannah Mortimer who came out on the Lady Juliana (the brothel ship) on my paternal side. I found on 11th November 2009, Remembrance Day, my Great Uncle David at the age of 17 died on the battle field in Belguim in the Battle of Ypres. I have found many many cousins I didn't know I had from all over the world. I found how hard life was for many of my great grandmothers, the loss of their many children. The despair they must have endured.
Well that's my 10 years in a nutshell. I look forward to the next 10 years with excitement.
