It occurred to me that for an author with a fictional island called Resolution, perhaps I needed to devise some for 2012.

But then I decided to approach the New Year period the same way I approached this Christmas. When asked (many times) what our plans were, my answer was simply – ‘The plan is to have no plans.’ I have to say; it worked superbly. I didn’t cook, clean, entertain, or over eat. It was peace – pure peace, and quality time with those I loved.

So, riding high on this triumphant experience, my New Year’s Resolution is to make no resolutions. I will simply let my yes be yes, and my no be no. In fact, I consider that this is the very best way to be.

Yesterday, I was reading the well known Bible story of the paralytic man healed by Jesus. I’ve known it well since childhood, but this time I saw something completely different in the story. In the past I always thought of it in terms of a supernatural healing, this time I pondered the miracle that the man was even there in the first place.

He had to have some awesome friends because he couldn’t walk. The crowd around Jesus was so tight that there was no way a paralytic was getting through. So the people with him hauled him up to the rooftop – which would have been no small feat with a dead weight. Then they made a hole in the roof large enough for him to fit through. At no time does this story outline the dangers in doing so as it constitutes malicious intent to destroy property, trespass, not to mention being a little on the crazy side. Then they lowered him down to Jesus on a mat. How easy it could have been for that to go wrong! The place was packed. They did all this on a chance that he would be healed – which he was.

When you think about the part the nameless friends played you realize just how far these people stuck their necks out for this guy. They didn’t give up. They saw a chance for him and went for it, without thought or care for their own wellbeing, without any reference to consequence.

These people loved their friend. They were willing to sacrifice and take a chance for him.

Sometimes I feel as though the world is a place that promotes each to their own, every man for himself, get what you can. Even in places that have been traditionally a balance of profession and service like the political and medical spheres,  there are times when I cannot fathom the blatant take what you can attitude.

It all makes me appreciate my friends that much more. They are the ones that will stick their necks out for you, support you, and give away from themselves without contemplation of what’s in it for them. They lift you up when you’re feeling down. They take your grief and heartache upon their hearts. They give you a kick up the bottom when you need it, and they tell you what you don’t always want to hear – all because they love you.

There are definitely trying times in life. Moments of rejection or feelings of being undervalued. I have always tried to be the sort of person who gives without expecting in return. Not to say that I consider myself very ‘good’ – I don’t know that true ‘goodness’ can be achieved in human form.

The thing is: every embattled moment in my life fades in comparison to the outpouring of love and support that has been shown to me over the last few weeks. With the launch of my first novel ‘Back to Resolution’ I have been inundated with friends and family giving generously in so many ways it would be impossible to list. Not to mention the birthday greetings, the constant stream of well wishers, and those offering generous encouragement for my work.

When relating my gratitude to a friend she observed that if I had ever done a good deed for someone, it was just coming back. There’s no doubt that the truth exists within the statement: ‘Give and it shall be given unto you’. What an incredible feeling it is to see the proof of this in my life.

So, THANK YOU, to all of you who made the last few weeks so memorable for me. I highly value gratitude, and I want you to know that I am truly grateful to you all. Throughout my life I will look back on this time and smile away. xoxo

We live in a world that has so many time saving devices. Ovens, washing machines, dishwashers – they all dramatically decrease the time we spend on household chores. In turn, this means that we have far more time to spend on other endeavours. But after I spent two hours on the computer yesterday, I asked myself this question:

Has all my time saving devices been replaced with time wasting devices?

How easy it is to get trapped on the computer for hours on end. More often than not, I sit down with a specific purpose only to find some time later, that I have been aimlessly surfing the net.

Then there s all the other time wasters: Television, social media, computer games ect. It is so easy to fill our ‘spare time’ with these ‘time wasters’.

Did our ancestors really have it so bad? They may not have had all the mod cons’ but they worked hard, were forced to self sufficiency, and spent their off hours in communication with each other – face to face. They really knew each other, and the community in which they lived.

I’m not saying that we need to dump all our white goods. But perhaps we need place less significance on who wins the next reality TV show competition and more significance on our actual reality.

I finally got to see the end of the movie ‘The Way We Were.’ You know – Barbara Streisand and Robert Redford? For those who haven’t seen it, it’s supposed to be a love story. However, despite being completely in love the two characters can’t seem to get it together. Needless to say – it wasn’t a happy ending.

But it got me thinking about our perception of love. I think that Cinderella got it wrong, folk. She didn’t live happily ever after. When the ball was over she had to go home and work hard on her relationship. The Prince was used to having everything done for him, and she was a real doer. They were opposites. Don’t you think that would have put a bit of strain on the relationship?

Perhaps we throw the word ‘love’ around far too easily. ‘I love that new show on television.’ ‘I love my new shoes.’ ‘I love chocolate.’ ‘I love the football.’ ‘I love Hugh Jackman.’ (Okay – maybe we’ll overlook this one – who doesn’t love Hugh Jackman?)

My point is that love isn’t actually the sum of all the things we like. Love is what we do. And for love to work it has to be coupled with all the other really, really ‘hard stuff’, like patience, forgiveness, compromise, trust, honesty, humility, perseverance, kindness, faithfulness, sacrifice, ECT, ECT.

Jesus gave us a new commandment – ‘Love one another, as I have loved you.’ I think it is the hardest commandment for humanity. Not just because we are flawed, but because He loved us unconditionally. He was every challenging emotion rolled into one word – Love. He didn’t just say it; He did it. He showed every bit of the ‘hard stuff’ in action.

So I guess for love to work we must also commit to the ‘hard stuff.’ Otherwise, just like Katie and Hubble (Barbara and Robert) we’ll eventually drift apart. Don’t let your memories be of ‘the way we were.’ Let them be of ‘the way we are together.’ Be prepared to accept that Love isn’t a fairytale. It’s the sum of all that ‘hard stuff.’

If you’re travelling along a road it seems that, no matter how well the bitumen is laid there will be a bump or two, (If you’re travelling along a North Queensland road there are a lot of bumps.)But what if the road was a constant run of smooth surface? What if there wasn’t a single bump to be felt? What if you never met a single other vehicle travelling along that road and you went from destination to destination without contact with anyone? Sure- the ride would be smooth. But how boring would it be? Most of us would fall asleep from the inactivity and dullness.

I’ve been thinking lately about how much life is like a bumpy road. We all complain about the ride, but what if we were faced with the alternative? We wouldn’t have relationships, wouldn’t be challenged; wouldn’t build perseverance or character – we would all literally fall asleep from boredom.

As the song says – ‘life is a highway’ and there will always be ‘bumps’ along the way, and sometimes it seems as though those bumps are unpassable chasms – but they aren’t. Because while you’re still on the ride – you’re learning, you’re loving, you’re building character, and something even greater – you’re living.

So, if you’re having trouble negotiating a difficult patch of road today don’t try to go around it – embrace it, and just remember – with each patch of hardship you are slowly trading up from a tin can hatchback to an off –road cruiser. Take heart in a journey that is only enhanced with every ‘bumpy’ experience.

 “Mum, is this a dream?” My five year old asked me recently. “Is what a dream?” I needed clarification. It was the middle of the afternoon and I was finishing off some urgent office work before going upstairs to start dinner. “You know. Me, you, here.” His answer was intriguing enough for me to stop what I was doing and give him my full attention. “What do you mean?” Needless to say I was confused. He swished his arms around in the dramatic fashion he was prone to, “Here. This. Where we are. Is it a dream?” I smiled. “No darling, we’re all real.” I kissed him on the head. My answer must have satisfied him because he happily went back to his drawing. I knew from experience that more questions would have followed had I not been specific enough for him.

But the unusual exchange got me thinking later. A dream is very real to us until we wake up from it, even though we all think we know the difference between dream and reality. The realities of living get shoved down our throats every moment of the day. As a contrast the saying: ‘We’re just spiritual beings having a human experience’, holds some significant weight in the world, even for those without faith.

So, here’s the interesting question contemplated by a five year old: Is life the dream? Is death indeed the awakening we all share? Those with faith know that humanity isn’t the end. It’s just a stopover. Reality is the spirit within. A faith in God is the difference between having a window into the awakening, as well as living in the dream.

I’m starting to understand better when Jesus said: ‘anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will not enter it.’ Sometimes a simple pondering holds an essential answer.

 My friend just sent me a YouTube link of a whale rescue. A group of researches happened across a whale, almost dead and entangled in a fishing net. They set about unravelling the encumbrance in order to free the animal. I sat watching through tears as this massive beast swum to freedom. Regardless of its obvious exhaustion, the whale jumped and slammed its bulk in a spectacular display of thanks to its rescuers.

This made me think about us humans. We may not all be physically entangled in a net, but emotional baggage, un-forgiveness, bitterness, jealousy, ect ect ect; it can all force us into a nearly dead state. Depression, sadness, hardship; they are all so prevalent in today’s world. It made me realise how truly blessed I am. My faith in God is the biggest and best part of who I am. There is nothing I ever have to go through or face alone. What a blessing, what a promise, WHAT A RESCUE.