Bits of me

6:42:54 PM EDT
Feeling Sad

Well, the waiting is over.Our flight tickets have been confirmed....we fly on the 30th April....THAT's next WEDNESDAY!!!!! I'm still packing...I've still got to see my friends a few more times....I've got to cram in extra hours with my sister....I'M NOT READY!!

Sigh...BUT, I am....I'm sad for this beautiful land of mine....things are not going well.
I look to the future...I can't look back to what I'm leaving behind.I know the grass is not green on the "other" side...I'm not so naive...but the grass is greenER. And for that simple reason I must do what's best for my children.A future where there is no constant fear for safety, a future that includes a better education,  that provides the basic commodity...electricity!I wish I could be positive....I try...I pray...and yet...I flee...

I will make my next entry from our new country, the UK. I am so grateful that we may become part of a new country...a new life.Returning to our Irish roots LOL.Please keep us, espescially my two boys (15 and 10) in your prayers as we make this big change.My greatest concern is that they are happy and accepted at their school!

Thank you Jland for always encouraging! How amazing it is to share my sadness (and joy!) with complete strangers across this planet.How vast it seems at times, yet when we connect its a small world after all ...a small, small world

LOL ...bet you're singing it right now......UNTIL WE "MEET" AGAIN FRIENDS!

 

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2:47:22 PM EDT

Waiting...something I'm not good at....admiring Gods' creation and being thankful for a time out.I am always in awe of how much trouble God went to when He created the world we live in....intricate butterfly wings, delicate flowers...how green is your valley?

Groendal (Green Valley)

HAPPY EASTER JLANDERS.....GOD LOOOOVES YOU XXXXX

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2:41:26 PM EST
Feeling Sad

I have completed my time at College Hill Prep School where I have been for EIGHTEEN YEARS! It's a lifetime and the future is just a little daunting right now! I played around at GlassGiant.com and made the tag above as for eighteen years that has been my identity.

I live in a small town and because so many children know me and have passed through my hands, wherever I go in town I am greeted by smiling faces and waving hands or little bodies tugging their mommy's skirts and pointing...."It's Mrs Ternahan"

I know it sounds self gratifying, and it is, but what an awesome priviledge I've had to be loved by SO many. At my farewell I was given a scrapbook made for me by all my colleagues and church friends.In it were messages and photographs.I can't tell you what it means to me....to be loved and treasured soo much! It makes the leaving sooo difficult! BUT...I look back at all the memories I CAN take with me and look forward to the future.

I've been thinking a lot about how my being a teacher has become part of who I am.I almost feel as if I'm going through an identity crises LOL.I have for the past 18 years lived as a wife, mother AND teacher and these roles are very much WHO I am, BUT I am so much more and leaving my comfort zone of familiar grounds has made me look more closely at who ME is.

I've discovered I'm brave...those who know me know thats a profound statement to make LOL..I've never thought of myself as such. I've discovered that "TEACHER" is not all I am to little ones whom I teach...I am more. I've discovered that my colleagues are more than that...they are friends and loved ones. I've discovered that I CANNOT make this move without the strength I'm getting from Our Lord! It is He who makes me look to the future with HOPE and filled with LOVE.....

LOVE from those and FOR those I'll be leaving behind. Life IS a journey and I've sat on the path a long time and now I am moving on...I've discovered I' ve grown enough to take those new steps...big steps...toward a new future...but..I'll always look back and smile as I remember...

I'll treasure those little faces, those loving smiles, those eagerly waving hands...yes I will, my dear, dear little ones..I love you...all...everyone!

 

 

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2:11:19 PM EST

At this time of year I am so aware that for many it is not a happy time.I would like to encourage you to read the following piece that blessed me.I pray that it will remind us all that we are NOT alone! Blessings and Jesus love xxxx

EMMANUEL - GOD IS WITH US

INTRODUCTION
Matthew 1:23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”
When the Good News of the birth of Jesus Christ was announced to Joseph something wonderful was about to happen. In addition it was going to be the fulfillment of prophecy (Isaiah 7:14). But something about Jesus was revealed in the process. It was something about His name. His name would be Emmanuel. Names tell us about a person. In the old days names meant something and told you something about the person. In our home we named our one child Caitlin Joy. Caitlin means PURE and Joy of course means JOY. We anticipated that our daughter would be PURE JOY (And she has been). Now the angel comes and tells Joseph that Jesus will also be called Emmanuel – which means GOD WITH US! Something about Jesus was going to different – now God himself would be with us. But what does it mean for God to be with us? Have you ever thought about it? I see three critical aspects in the statement GOD IS WITH US!

1.  GOD IS WITH US
God is with us simply means that God is with us. We are not alone. God is not some far off heavenly being but He is with us. We can know a connection to God. 
A.  You are not alone
The fact that God is with us means that you and I are never alone. You may feel alone and isolated, but God is with you.
B. He will never leave you - no matter what
When you pass through the waters, He will be with you. When you pass through rivers of difficulty you will not drown. When you pass through the fire the flames will not burn you. For He is the Lord your God. He is not a fair weather friend, here when things are going well and gone when things are rough or difficult.
Matthew 28:20 God has said, “I will never, never fail you nor forsake you.”
Never is a very long time and extends beyond human life. No matter what you are going through, this truth remains. He will never, never leave you.
C. God is with us - there is no ultimate defeat
If God is with us we have a recipe for success and overcoming. If Jesus says ’I am with you’ it makes ultimate defeat impossible.
Isaiah 8:10 Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted; propose your plan, but it will not stand, for God is with us.
If God is with us who stands to be against us? We can know ultimate victory. On the basis of this great fact, we can go to God without hesitation. It is for this same reason that we should not turn to other things. No matter what, don’t stop going to God.
D.  God will not leave you (us)
Hebrews 13:5 For God has said, “I will never, never fail you nor forsake you.”
We cannot be separated from His love.
Romans 8:38-39 For I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from His love. Death can’t, and life can’t. The angels won’t, and all the powers of hell itself cannot keep God’s love away. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, or where we are—high above the sky, or in the deepest ocean—nothing will ever be able to separate us from the love of God demonstrated by our Lord Jesus Christ when He died for us.
God will not leave us and we cannot be separated from His love. Therefore, you can have eternal optimism. God loves you and He has NO plans of deserting you.

2.  GOD IS FOR US
Not only is God with us but He is also for us. Some people think that God is against them and angry and cross with them. Some people see God as a God who is waiting for them to put a foot wrong. Some people when they think of God they think of judgment. But the truth is that God came to be with us because He was for us and not against us. God sent Jesus to the world because He loved the people of the world! No matter what you have been led to believe, I am here to tell you that God is for you! God is not against you; God is not anti you. God is not waiting for you to fall or fail.  God is for you.
A.  If God is for us who can be against us?
Romans 8:31 ‘If God is for us, who can be against us?’
If God is for us then we are destined to win. Destined to win on every front. Destined to overcome sin. Destined to overcome guilt and fear. Destined to conquer those things that would endeavor to destroy us. Destined to win. Who can be against God? Are your problems greater than or beyond God? NEVER. If God is for us, who can be against us!
B.  If God is for us we have nothing to fear
Numbers 14:9b ‘The Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.’
If God is with us we do not need to fear. God wanted to take the nation of Israel into the land flowing with milk and honey. He had good things in store for them. But they had heard bad reports and become afraid. As a result they almost missed out on what God had for them. Fear can rob us of just about everything. I am here to remind you that God is for us. He is with us. We do not need to be afraid.
C.  God is for us and He will come through for us
Psalm 56:9 ‘When I cry out to You, then my enemies will turn back; this I know, because God is for me.’
David understood this. He had confidence in God. He knew that when he cried out, God would answer him, because God was for him. What a way to live! I believe that God wants us to enjoy the same degree of favour. I also believe that God wants us to enjoy the same degree of confidence.
D.  Because God is for you, you can be confident
The fact that God is with us should cause us to have great confidence.
Jeremiah 29:11-12 I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome. Then you will call upon Me, and you will come and pray to Me, and I will hear and heed you.
God is for you! God has plans for your good. God does not have plans for your evil. God has plans to give you peace and hope. God has plans to answer our prayers. God has plans to see us through. God's plans ensure that our FINAL OUTCOME will be a good one! God is for you.

3.  GOD IS IN US
Not only is God with us, He is also for us. In addition to the fact that God is for us, He also wants to come and live in us. God does not want to be on the outside of our lives, He wants to come and make His home within our hearts.
Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears and listens to and heeds My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will eat with him, and he [will eat] with Me.
God is knocking at the door of our hearts and lives and He wants us to open the door and let Him in. In this way God can really be with us as individuals. Then we can enjoy the reality of the fact that GOD IS WITH US, GOD IS FOR US and GOD IS IN US! Don’t you want this for yourself? There are three things we need to do:
1. Confess our sins: 1 John 1:9 If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
2. We need to repent: This means we must turn around and walk in a different direction.
3. Invite God into your heart and life! God will never force His way into our lives. He waits for us to open the door to Him and give Him place in our lives.
Would you consider doing that today? God wants to make His home in your heart!

By: Andrew W Roebert 
Email: andrew@alivetogod.com
Website: http://www:alivetogod.com
POSTAL ADDRESS: Box 32190 Glenstantia, Pretoria, South Africa, 0010
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1:49:01 PM EST

I've been gone so long there's a new version of Jland! NICE!! Been so busy but ,as the title says....I'm almost done.....DONE REPORTS, DONE PRIZEGIVING, DONE PACKING, BOYS DONE with school etc SOOO many things I've done for the last time.Quite emotional actually.

This Friday I'll be finishing up at the school where I've taught for EIGHTEEN YEARS!!! It's a very surreal feeling.I think the fact that we will soon be leaving is only starting to become real .I'm trying to cram in extra hours visiting with friends and ESPECIALLY MY SISTER....my heart feels like breaking when I think of leaving her behind! But I know that we must make this move and I have to look at it in a positive light. Look forward to what the future holds and not look back (not too much anyways) to what I'm leaving behind.

Changing the subject now...........before I start crying AGAIN....

I've found 2 cool sites Caption.iT and Glitterfy so check them out and PLAY...look what I made! Enjoy!

Was good to touch base again Jlanders...will post more often as soon as schools over!

Take care XXXXXXX

 

My beautiful boys

 

 

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11:04:57 AM EDT

Our plans to relocate to the UK are going along rapidly now. I have had a paper trail from h#ll to sort out but I'M DONE. I have our passports,police clearance certificates, vault copies of marriage and birth certificates, qualification certificates and only still await our visas. I have been for an interview with an employment agency and they have reassured me of finding work in the town we are moving to.

My husband will be working in Amersham, but we will be living in or around High Wycombe (Buckinghamshire county, South East England).The organising of this move has been a lot easier than I had imagined, BUT I had not bargained on the emotional side of things.I have four weeks left at the school where I have been teaching for 18 years! I feel rather emotional about leaving and I suppose a little insecure about starting my career all over again in a new country.Sometimes I wonder if I have the strength for this challenge, but I know it's something I have to do. While I love my country soo much and it really hurts to leave it, things are not going well in this country.The schools and hospitals are being mismanaged terribly and I don't think the rest of the world realises that the Madiba magic has done nothing for the plight of the poor in this country. So ALL races can attend school or go to any beach they want and vote too- that's the way it should be, BUT most of their lives have not changed AT ALL. They still live in squalor and with the rising cost of living and terrible crime rate, none of us see much in the way of transformation.In Cape Town the latest stats are that 50 people die PER DAY due to gang wars.Jo'burg is worse.....

sigh...sorry for ranting a bit...but it's so very frustrating to see a "new" Zimbabwe happening in my own country.I guess I am feeling emotional about this move!

The only thing that is a bit of a problem is that we have not sold our house yet.My niece has agreed to rent our house from us with the option to buy at a later stage, but we actually need that money to relocate as I don't really want to use my pension payout for that purpose, so... as you can see timing is the only problem at the moment.We don't have any friends or family near to where we will be moving to so the idea of arriving in a new country and not knowing where will put our heads down that night is just a tad daunting LOL I suppose it will be a B+B for a few days until we find a place to rent :-)

Thanks for all your positive vibes....have been "feeling" them in cyberspace :-) Keep 'em coming as I need them :-))

My husband laughs at me as each day when he gets home from work I tell him "I've given so and so this and that"....I feel like Santa HEHE.It's quite emotional doing "last things" sniff....last class,last prize-giving, last braai, last hug :-::::::::: GOSH !!!THINK I"M MENOPAUSAL LOLOL

Love ya JLand xxxxxxxxx

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1:36:16 PM EDT


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4:47:53 PM EDT

 THE YEAR 1907

This will boggle your mind, I know it did mine!
The year is 1907.
One hundred years ago.
What a difference a century makes!
Here are some  statistics for the Year  1907 :

************************************

The average life expectancy  was 47 years.

Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub.

Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.

There were only 8,000 cars   and only 144 miles

Of paved roads.

The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.

The tallest structure in the world was the

Eiffel Tower !

The average wage in 1907  was 22 cents per hour.

The average  worker made between$200 and $400 per year .

A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year,
A dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.

More than 95 percent of all births  took place at HOME .

Ninety percent of all  doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION!

Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which

Were condemned in the press AND the government as "substandard."

Sugar cost four cents a pound.

Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.

Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.

Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used

Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.

Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from

Entering into their country for any reason.

Five leading causes of death  were:

1. Pneumonia and influenza
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart disease
5. Stroke

The American flag had 45 stars.

The population of Las Vegas , Nevada, was only 30!!!!

Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and ice tea

Hadn't been invented yet.

There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.

Two out of every 10  adults couldn't read or write.

Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.

Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores. Back then pharmacists said, "Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect  guardian of health." ( Shocking? DUH! )

Eighteen percent of households   had at least

One full-time servant or domestic help.

There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE ! U.S.A. !

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2:51:15 PM EDT

I'm not a feminist...really!LOL

 

WOMAN'S PERFECT BREAKFAST

She's sitting at the table with her gourmet coffee.
Her son is on the cover of the Wheaties box.
Her daughter is on the cover of Vogue.
Her boyfriend is on the cover of Business Week.
And her husband is on the back of the milk carton.





WOMEN'S REVENGE
  "Cash, check or charge?"  I asked, after folding items the woman
wished to purchase.   As she fumbled for her wallet I noticed a remote
control for a television set in her purse.  "So, do you always carry your
TV remote?" I asked.
"No," she replied," but my husband refused to come shopping with me, and I
figured this was the most evil thing I could do to him legally."





UNDERSTANDING WOMEN

(A MAN'S PERSPECTIVE) I know I'm not going to understand women.
I'll never understand how you can take boiling hot wax,
pour it onto your upper thigh; rip the hair out by the root,
and still be afraid of a spider.







MARRIAGE SEMINAR

While attending a Marriage Seminar dealing with communication,
Tom and his wife Grace listened to the instructor, "It is essential that
husbands and wives know each other's likes and dislikes."  He addressed
the man, "Can you name your wife's favorite flower?"  Tom leaned over,
touched his wife's arm gently and whispered, "It's Pillsbury, isn't it?





CIGARETTES AND TAMPONS

A man walks into a pharmacy and wanders up and down the aisles.
The sales girl notices him and asks him if she can help him.
He answers that he is looking for a box of tampons for his wife.
She directs him down the correct aisle.



  A few minutes later, he deposits a huge bag of cotton
balls and a ball of string on the counter.  She says, confused,
"Sir, I thought you were looking for some tampons for your wife?



  He answers, "You see, it's like this:
yesterday, I sent my wife to the store to get me a carton of cigarettes,

and she came back with a tin of tobacco and some rolling
papers; because it's soooooo much cheaper.
So, I figure if I have to roll my own ... so does she.(ew..sorry!!)
(This guy must be the one on the milk carton!)





WIFE VS. HUSBAND

  A couple drove down a country road for several miles, not saying a
word.
An earlier discussion had led to an argument and
neither of them wanted to concede their position.


As they passed a barnyard of mules, goats, and pigs,
the husband asked sarcastically, "Relatives of yours?"
"Yep," the wife replied, "in-laws."





W O R D S
A husband read an article to his wife about how many words
women use a day... 30,000 to a man's 15,000.
The wife replied, "That's because we have to repeat everything to men. The
husband then turned to his wife and asked, "What?"

  CREATION

 A man said to his wife one day, "I don't know how you can be
so stupid and so beautiful all at the same time."
The wife responded, "Allow me to explain:
God made me beautiful so you would be attracted to me;
God made me stupid so I would be attracted to you!"





WHO DOES WHAT

A man and his wife were having an argument about whom
should brew the coffee each morning.
The wife said, "You should do it, because you get up first,
and then we don't have to wait as long to get our coffee."
The husband said, " You are in charge of cooking around here and
you should do it, because that is your job, and I can just wait for my
coffee."


Wife replies, "No, you should do it, and besides, it is in the Bible that
the man should do the coffee."
Husband replies, "I can't believe that, show me."
So she fetched the Bible, and opened the New Testament and showed him  at
the top of several pages, that it indeed says.........."HEBREWS"





The Silent Treatment

  A man and his wife were having some problems at home and were giving
each other the silent treatment.  Suddenly, the man realized that the next
day he would need his wife to wake him at 5:00 AM for an early morning
business flight.


Not wanting to be the first to break the silence (and LOSE), he wrote on a
piece of paper,
"Please wake me at 5:00 AM .  " He left it where he knew she would find it.
The next morning, the man woke up, only to discover it was 9:00 AM  and he
had missed his flight.  Furious, he was about to go and
see why his wife hadn't wakened him, when he noticed a piece of paper by
the bed.  The paper said, "It  's 5:00 AM  wake up."



Men are not equipped for these kinds of contests.



God may have created man before woman,
but there is always a rough draft before the masterpiece.


Have a good weekend ! LOVE YA XXX

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4:18:36 PM EDT
Feeling Silly

Love this :-))....knowing Mr Mandela I'm sure he would giggle at this!!

Nelson Mandela is sitting at home watching TV and drinking a beer when he hears a knock at the door.

When he opens it, he is confronted by a little Chinese man, clutching a clip board and yelling,

"You Sign! You sign!"

Behind him is an enormous truck full of car exhausts.


Nelson is standing there in complete amazement, when the Chinese man starts to yell louder,


"You Sign! You sign!"


Nelson says to him, "Look, you've obviously got the wrong man", and shuts the door in his face.


The next day he hears a knock at the door again.


When he opens it, the little Chinese man is back with a huge truck of brake pads.


He thrusts his clipboard under Nelson's nose, yelling,


"You sign! You sign!"


Mr Mandela is getting a bit hacked off by now, so he pushes the little Chinese man back, shouting:


"Look, go away! You've got the wrong man. I don't want them!" Then he slams the door in his face again.


The following day, Nelson is resting, and late in the afternoon, he hears a knock on the door again.


On opening the door, there is the same little Chinese man thrusting a clipboard under his nose, shouting,


"You sign! You sign!"


Behind him are TWO very large trucks full of car parts.


This time Nelson loses his temper completely, he picks up the little Man by his shirt front and yells at him:


"Look, I don't want these! Do you understand? You must have the wrong name! Who do you want to give these to?"


The little Chinese man looks very puzzled, consults his clipboard, and says:



(It's a beauty)


(Wait for it)



(Get your best Chinese accent ready)






"You not Nissan Main Deala?" 
 

LOL :-))))

 

 

 

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