Thanksgiving Prayer

I came across a blogger's poem that really touched my heart (naks! parang totoo). RohMih encapsulated in a few words and lines what I want to express as a thanksgiving to our Creator and how I conceived Him to be.

In this holiday season, amidst the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping and celebrations, let us sit back and reflect on the things that feeds our spiritual body with this little prayer. To you Roh Mih thank you for sharing ...

A Thanksgiving Prayer

I thank and praise you, God
for creating and sustaining the universe
with your infinite love and wisdom.
You are an all-powerful and awesome God
yet patient and humble
and eternally giving.
You are the giver of life:
you cause every living thing to breath,
grow, move and multiply.
You manifest yourself to us in many ways:
you are all around us,
and you are within us.
I thank and praise you
for your continuing sustenance.
Amen


(A prayer composed in summer of 2003.)

So Goodbye Yellow Brick ... Mobile

Husband’s ancient Nokia 6210 phone finally broke. The screen cracked and although it’s still fully functional, you can’t see anything on the screen. So we finally decided to get a new one. He researched all the myriad tariffs, offers, and freebies in the internet and in the high street shops. We were about to sign up with a naranja coloured carrier when he spied upon a tempting offer in the internet. It says free handset, free bluetooth headset, plus free X-box console! Wow that did us in. I really intend to buy a longed for Xbox for our son so this is a huge savings for us what with the regular retail price of one going for £99. So we readily signed up for it not wanting to lose opportunity ‘coz they might pull out the offer anytime (they do this without warning). Weekend passed and husband is now waiting for the delivery of his hand and headset. Yesterday we were doing a little shopping in Bluewater when he went in a mobile phone retailer. There he saw the actual size of the handset he’s going to receive and all us went in fits of giggling and laughter. It was a brick! Much bigger than any of our old mobile phones! Hahaha! All the time he was imagining having a nice, small, sleek and sassy phone and he didn’t know that he ended up with a right ‘ol brick! ::ROFL:: Now we know why it’s got all those freebies – they’re trying to get rid of the model to make way for new ones. To be fair it’s got video messaging and we got lots of discounts and cashbacks plus the call tariffs are one of the lowest around. Oh well, hubby says he’ll just keep it in his trouser pocket all the time – who needs ‘enhancements’? ;-) I said – “keep close to me so women will get the message that you’re glad to see me and not them!” Hehehe!

Christmas? What Christmas?

I’m feeling kinda weird lately. This time of the year I would be very excited with all the preparations and shopping for Christmas presents. I should be in a panic mode since I have not sent any Christmas card nor done anything yet. I just don’t feel it and I don’t know why. No twinge of excitement, no frantic shopping, no prep for the Christmas feast. I’m not sad or depressed … it’s probably because I’m not caught up anymore with the material side of it. All the gift giving for the sake of giving because it’s “required” for Christmas doesn't interest me anymore. I just want to be with my husband and kids, relatives, and close friends. Hold them close on that special day, be thankful for all the blessings we received and about to receive, and celebrate! So friends in case you haven’t received my card yet don’t worry I still love and care for all of you, I just couldn’t be bothered to buy one. ;-)

In a way it is liberating especially with shopping. I used to be so OC (obsessive-compulsive) with choosing gifts. I keep on changing my mind and always thinking that it might not be good enough for the recipient. Now, the first one I see that I think is appropriate I buy it with nary a second thought. Haha! I think I can do all my shopping in one go. My husband would think that as a Christmas miracle straight from heaven !

Winter Is Here !

Last night was the first time this season for Southern England's temperature to plunge below 0 degree C. We woke up to mist and fog this morning. Ahhh, that's more like England. Thank goodness there aren't any ice on the road or we would have mammoth traffic jams again. You know how it is around here, trains get delayed because of leaves on the railtracks, massive traffic jams when snow starts to fall, more train cancellations because signal light switches froze. You would have thought they'd licked these problems since they face this every year. Oh well, I guess a little excitement in winter once in a while won't hurt you.

My task right now is to wrap up well from the cold. I take the trains and buses everyday and it can be an ordeal waiting in the bus stop during winter. These buses, I tell you, you stand there waiting in the freezing weather and nothing comes in 20 minutes (where there shd have been 2 already). Then they all come in twos or threes! Grrrr!

I'll be coming home early today to prepare for a trip up north to Manchester area. It's our nephew's birthday tomorrow and we'll be there to help out (and eat) and celebrate with them. Travel time is around 4 hours but if you have to stop every time the kids go hungry or want the loo, then it takes about 5-6 hours. Besides the motorways around there are always jammed like a long car park. Why am I ranting about traffic jams and buses here? Sad life isn't it? ;)