Wednesday reflections…from Tuesday!

A very interesting day yesterday – not only having lunch with my good friend Floatie, but also had one of the best counselling sessions so far! It almost sounds cheesy, but they really worked for me, the two techniques that my counsellor JP got me to try were 1) Try to find ‘a happy place’. 2) Really concentrate on your breathing & try to hold your out-breath for a little longer.

But the really interesting part for me is the difference that it made to my whole experience of counselling. These were techniques with the purpose of remaining in control. So that when exploring the memories that I started seeing JP for, I could remain in control of my emotions, rather than letting those memories be in control of me. Overall, the effect was very good. We shall see next week if it works well, when it shall be used during the exploration of very difficult & hazy memories.

Blessings


Si

Incidentally the happy place that I found was sat with my best friend J on his sofa, in his house in Devon, just chatting about life the universe & everything & overlooking the town of Ilfracombe – a simple yet very powerful place for me. I told him as such as well – not a bad idea mate lolz!

Up2date?

OK I haven't been blogging recently - I've been writing instead - an interesting theory & I thought I'd share some of what's beeen going on. It's really more detailed than this, but here's some insight bloggers!

I've been having a week to think, pray & reflect about the possibility of a relationship with a girl. During that time, I really prayed about things & God really did some work in my life - this is life a mini-testimony really....kinda!!

Anyways I was given a brief vision - but nothing to do with the matters of my heart...or so I thought. When I say vision, I'm talking about an image which I could really see, & was not a memory, but something else. People may not agree with this [theologically] but this is just my own understanding. This vision was of a glimpse of a picture which looked like this:

My Father in heaven was walking through a garden with me, as a father does with his child, deep in conversation and laying a hand on my shoulder.

Which made me wonder if it’s just the wanderings of my mind about how my own father treats me [i.e. that never happens], or if it was a true vision of how God wants to interact with me at this turning point in my life? It's an interesting question which I went on to develop, but it also made me remember previous visions & caused me to write the whole thing down. It was an intersting exercise, because it was focusing my attentions on God & my own faith, rather than on the girl.

This made me have what I would call a good God-week & that was a really positive thing. Now all I need to do is to keep going, so if you read this pray for me, for strength in my faith.

Blessings


Si

Bloggeritus!

Forgive me Mr Internet for I have sinned – it has been many, many weeks since my last blog! [does it offend you, yeah? If so – sorry mon ami!]

There is much going on in the world off the Pikachu. Much contemplation, prayer & reading has happened since ‘The endless, glorious summer of 2007’! So I’ll try to briefly fill you in.

For those not in the know, I’ve been doing a degree course for just over 2 years now, & have also been attending weekly counselling sessions since Easter. The degree is trying to teach me to be a reflective practitioner & in a very strange way, the counselling is also assisting me on that quest.

I seem to have now developed this [potentially irritating] habit of thinking before acting. Now this strange concept has been going on post-summer holidays & now is taken over much of how I think and act.

So, for example, I started to think that I should start to look for a job, so re-subscribed to youthwork magazine, so I could check out the vacancies section, amongst other things. When looking through, I starred a couple of likely-looking posts, but rather than just ring them all, I stopped…did nothing for a few days & simply offered it up to God. I then decided on just one to go for [incidentally this was ‘that’ job that I got so many of you to pray for!] – but really go for it. Again I stopped & thought about this place – could it work, would it be right for me, would I be right for it, etc. Then I fully engaged with my preparation & attended the interview after being short-listed. I didn’t get the job in the end, but wasn’t too disappointed – there was nothing wrong with my interview or anything, it was just that they wanted someone to start immediately & full-time & that was just something I could commit to just yet.

This brings me nicely on to my second example. In my ‘personal’ life, I’m bringing more contemplation into everything. So when I started to having feelings for a particular person [who, for now, will remain completely nameless, but she knows who she is!] I actually stopped & didn’t rush into anything. I still haven’t rushed into a relationship, even after establishing various things like if we ‘liked’ each other, etc. & talking about the potential for a relationship. After advice from my good friend Sid, everything has been done slowly & with much prayer, thought & contemplation. Right now we’re giving each other time & space to think & pray about the realities of forming a relationship.

I’ve even read a book that had been recommended many moons ago by Mrs Woods – the Five Love Languages & it’s made a real impact into my thinking & something I’m using to better understand the actions of those around, myself & most importantly my Dad. But that is another story & one which I will attempt to blog sooner rather than later – you never know – he might even read it!! ;o)

Shalom

Six