Above the clouds

Last Thursday night, I went to Sydney for work. Then on Friday night, I went to Adelaide for my Aunt's engagement party on Saturday night. And then very early Sunday morning I flew back home so that I could be back in Brisbane in time to teach my Sunday School class. So with all of that travel, I had the opportunity to take a couple of plane rides.

I love to fly. I mean, I really love it. I've done a fair bit of it in my lifetime, but it never gets old for me. I always (always) check-in online so I can get a window seat. I love the takeoff, and I love the landing. And most of all, I love just how beautiful the world is up above the clouds. Sometimes I wish I could just float up there for a few minutes, just to feel the quiet that I sense exists when there are no airplanes around.

So very early Sunday morning, I was sitting on the plane, reading the old testament and preparing my Sunday School lesson. The scriptures we were studying last week were so beautiful and so tender, and between those and the view out of the window, I felt very blessed. The sunshine was just glorious, and then down below, for as far as the eye could see, there were the most magnificent, fluffy, white blankets and fabulous clouds. The looked so strong and gentle and beautiful all at the same time and I just wanted to get out and walk up and down them and enjoy all of that peace. It was so evident that the hand of the divine was in that sight.

After a couple of hours, the pilot announced that we would be landing shortly, and we started our descent. I always enjoy going through the cloud layer. It's just a tiny bit thrilling and scary since you can't see anything, and I find myself having a lot of faith in the instruments up in the cockpit. It seemed to take longer than normal to get through the clouds though - the layers were really think. And when we finally burst out through the bottom of them, I did a bit of a double take. It was so gloomy and rainy and dark and cold! I don't actually mind that weather too much actually, but it was just SO different from the world ABOVE the clouds that it completely took me back!

It was probably just because I'd been in a 'lesson preparing' frame of mind for most of the flight, but the whole thing got me thinking, and I've been thinking about it on and off all week. I wonder how often I look up and see gloomy clouds, and rain and darkness, and I wonder how often I get to thinking that that's all there is? And yet I wonder how often the sun is streaming down gloriously, just on the other side of the clouds. And then I wonder what I can do to make sure I'm seeing and enjoying it. I think sometimes clouds gather because of a difficult test or trial, and those storms are real and valid, and require a lot of faith and effort on our part. And there's not much we can do about them. But I also think that a lot of the time I put the clouds there because of a bad attitude, or sin, or a general inclination to refuse to have hope :)

Regardless, I think I'll find it comforting to realize that no matter how dark the clouds might seem, the sun is still shining beautifully just above them. Ultimately, they'll dissipate - clouds always do - and the constant and brilliant sun will be visible again.

Your thoughts?

xo Tammy

A lovely lesson

Mum taught our Family Home Evening Lesson on Monday night, and I really loved it. It was about patience, but she came at it from an angle I'd never really thought of before, and I've been thinking about it ever since her lesson. It really touched me, and has been giving me the energy to keep trying and the faith that my repetedly failed attempts at life are maybe not the failures I think they are.

Anyway, just noticed that she's written some of the same thoughts in a really beautiful entry on her blog, and wanted to recommend it. She's titled it 'Patience for Eternity', pop on over to her blog and have a read of the post if you have a moment.

xo Tammy

Quote Board

This one's from Family Home Evening on Monday night.

DAD: (pointing suddenly at the engagement ring on Bethany's finger) Have you always had that ring?!

Total classic. She's only been wearing it since Robbie proposed in April.... If any of us ever dyed our hair, dad would have no idea who we were!

xo Tammy

A success 7 days in the making!

Just thought you'd like to know that yesterday was finally a successful 'getting healthy' day... after a string of 7 'not so successful' days!

- Ate perfectly
- Drank an entire inland lake's worth of water
- Went 12km on the cross trainer (while watching 1 and a half episodes of 24)

Weighed in this morning expecting to have lost 6kgs overnight, and the scales let me down... pretty sure they must be broken... will have to buy new scales I suppose ;)

By the way, I've decided that the best way to start a diet is to spend the first week eating really badly, and eating too much of everything. By Sunday night I felt so sick that I actually wanted to get back into the fruit/vege/exercising thing. Can you believe it?!!! I guess I just don't handle bad food as well as I did last year! lol!

I've been looking online, and I think my next big holiday (which won't be for another year or two) should be in South America. I've got my eye on the most amazing 24 day trip: Cruising down the Amazon, hiking the Inca Trail, Machu Pichu and then flying out to the Galapolas Islands and sailing/snorkeling all through there. How awesome does THAT sound?! James and Jessima are all up for the Inca Trail climb too. Takes 3-4 days, and looks pretty difficult (although according to my research, once you finally get over Dead Woman's Peak the trek gets easier! lol!). I'm also working on convincing Jenny that she should come too :)

(My first choice was actually Antarctica, but Jenny said that would be to cold... hahahaha!)

xo Tammy

PS. Read the most adorable post on my friend Felicity's blog, and though you might enjoy it. What little girl doesn't absolutely adore her daddy?! I'm pretty sure I was planning to marry mine for several years there... ;)

This afternoon I....

... cooked a double batch of cream filled pofita rolls with thick chocolate sauce AND a big custard tart - complete with home-made pastry.

Both were just for dessert at dinner tonight. I'm SOOO full right now!

... Can you tell my diet starts again tomorrow?

:)

xo Tammy

PS. Could seriously use some words of encouragement and some serious kicking-me-into-gear comments, by the way :) The first 15kgs have been off for about 2-3 months now, and they've made SUCH a fantastic difference to almost every aspect of my life, so I KNOW it's worth it.... but I've been really enjoying just sitting here on my laurels and eating anything I want to, and sleeping in in the mornings instead of exercising (winter is so cold and dark). So attacking the next 15 now is going to be a bit of a challenge....

Give me a t, T! give me an a, A! give me an m, M!......