Castollita

Arrived.

Jem — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 12:50:12 +0000

So I here at the end of my 2nd night at Burwood house. Sitting amongst the mess and chaos that is my room.

Enjoying the marvellous wonder of the electric blanket. What warm feet I have.
Enjoying the greatness of free wireless. Direct to my new room.
Enjoying the stress of deciding between way too many cool rooms to have. I settled with the lovely alcove room, less noisy but not as joyously bright as the front room.
We had a 5 hour meeting today. Wow. I don’t even know how I felt after that.

This has been a pretty huge month. Sort of amazed by how quickly ones life changes. Life is looking pretty different to what it did on Tuesday, and pretty different again to what it did a month ago. But here I am. And thankful for the beginning of new things and sad for the loss of the old. I’m really going to miss everyone at Merrylands house. And that is good and normal and I’m leaving whilst things there seem really good.

The Minsik Special.

Jem — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 01:55:21 +0000

Minsik is a guy from Korea who moved in a few weeks ago. He’s pretty great. But he has also provided me with the greatest story to share with people over the last month. The other day he was making a sandwich.
He began with a hamburger bun. Then spread minced garlic. He must be making garlic bread. He proceeds to spread jam. I thought at this point I need to intervene. I chuck many comments his way warning him, calling him crazy…things like that. He brushes them off and gets out the tomato, a cheese slice and fries an egg.

On return home I ask how it was. Delicious he tells me. But he can’t keep eating them because they make one fart. Our house now has the Minsik Special challenge. To try one of these beauties. garlic and jam…who would have thought!

Change.

Jem — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 01:50:37 +0000

I am moving. Again. To Burwood. In about a week. Crazy. I keep pondering how quickly life changes.

Jem — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 03:53:32 +0000

It’s your oldest trick and your cheapest one
Turn the world to blank and the game is done
I hope and I pray that the rainbow comes
You’ll change your mind don’t shoot the gun

You can sail on seven seas
Lend your heart out to who you please
Where ever you travel what ever you see
don’t forget the love you got from me

Goodnight moon goodbye sun
What goes with you is all my love
I hope your best is yet to come
let’s close the book what’s done is done
‘cos yesterday’s gone

There you go now you’re off your leash
Go rid your heart of its great disease
Where ever you travel what ever you see
don’t forget the love you got from me

Goodnight moon goodbye sun
What goes with you is all my love
I hope your best is yet to come
Let’s close the book what’s done is done
‘cos yesterday’s gone
yesterday’s Gone
yesterday’s Gone
yesterday’s Gone
yesterday’s Gone

-Bernard Fanning

Canberra.

Jem — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 13:04:27 +0000

I am in Canberra. It is cold. Very cold. We had a nice gathering tonight of L’Arche and Faith and Light from Australia and New Zealand. We sung and introduced ourselves and it was all very lovely. I love it how nothing goes to plan or is “perfect”. Someone gets up and says something. It makes life so much more fun.

We are staying with some lovely people in a warm house and I scored a huge plush bed which truly makes me feel like I am on a holiday. Nice! I’m accompanying Gabriel which is nice nice nice. He is so lovely and sweet. Life feels good today. Hooray. And we didn’t even see the car up the tree.

facing fears.

Jem — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 11:23:57 +0000

I have to speak in front of about 1000 people next week at World Youth Day. That is kind of crazy considering how scared I am of public speaking. I have to do a L’Arche testimony which is good. WYD gives advice, very wise advice on writing testimonies which makes me giggle.

“Avoid an excessively negative view of yourself - the loser mindeset. Usually portrayed in the first part of your testimony e.g. “When I was younger I had no friends, everybody hated me…” This can leave people with the view that Jesus is only for losers.”

I kind of feel like it was someone writing Wisdom with Tabitha without realising.

Anyway, Claire tells me it’s not helpful to imagine people in their underwear. Who knows what I am going to do?

The things life chucks your way.

Jem — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 11:06:24 +0000

This afternoon I came home from my days away to find out I have a new housemate. I think I left my keys in Glebe and so I knocked and a random opens the door. Our new housemate. A guy from South Korea. He seems pretty cool. I remember arriving here on my first day. Hmm. The next 2 weeks are going to be pretty crazy. I’m going to Canberra for 5 days tomorrow. It should be fun. We are going to dance…COME TO THE CIRCLE.

Take

Jem — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 01:24:44 +0000

Sometimes this world can feel so take take take. That is sad. But at least not hopeless.

Easiness.

Jem — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 10:23:03 +0000

I never realised how much I was a person who wants an easy life. I’ve been a bit confronted by that desire lately, when most things seem pretty difficult. But I don’t really want to be someone who just wants everything to be easy. However that is easier to say when you aren’t in the middle of it. But then sometimes you are blessed with easiness and it’s great and such a blessing. But better to be thankful for that than angry at hard things…Who knows, maybe the angriness is constructive too, but I don’t know, I’m all out on clarity these days. Whatever happened to that. I used to have so much and now I have none. Maybe that’s a blessing too. But it’s so useful! Come back.

Uncomfortableness.

Jem — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 01:57:19 +0000

I’ve been thinking a lot about cultivating the spirit of gratefulness lately. One of those hard to see blessings I think is that of being in a place of discomfort, uncertainty, insecurity and vulnerability (which oddly enough is something I just seem to be Abundantly blessed with at the moment, unfortunately, I find it hard to appreciate and easier to dwell in its difficulty). Anyway, one of the great things about uncomfortableness is the way it keeps you on your toes, not taking anything for granted, keeping you constantly asking the question of “How do I love better?” Which is something that is a great thing to be asking, but easy not to ask when things are secure, easy and comfortable. Whereas, when you’re faced with difficulty and discomfort, you can’t help but ask it, and that is a blessing, because I so want to be someone who never forgets to ask, “How can I love better?”