First Tagging

Thanks Paul.
I'm not worthy; not clever; not funny...
Seriously.
I don't even have any belly-button fluff to trawl through, being a clean individual!

Well, ok then. You asked for it.
Question is, once I get started, will I be able to stop??

Shall I start?
Here goes. Don't say I didn't warn you though...
(and to quote Jamie: all responses are... "assuming love of God and love of family" ; also... "it’s my blog, I can do what I want"... I like it!! Thanks, I'll pop over properly one of these days and introduce myself)

1) What’s the most fun work you’ve ever done, and why?
Not teaching, that's for sure!! I have to take this opportunity to take my hat off to all of you out there who have kept going where I gave up. You guys are all amazing, and my teaching days simply were NOT; that's why I gave it up, to have babies...and enjoy life. I guess I just wasn't suited to it; although I think it's true what they say: once a teacher, always a teacher. Humph.
SOOO...
Having said all of that, the most enjoyable and fun 'work' I've ever done was going into various primary school classrooms, as a volunteer, to hear kids read one-on-one; and also to help and support small group activities, especially with weaker pupils.
I was fresh out of school myself and had taken a year out to do some stuff with Scripture Union.
There were so many kids I fell in love with, and who quite liked me too...It was truly, deeply fulfilling, so much so that I would one day, when I have time (erm, that'll be never then?!) love to go back and do this, in my own kids' school.

Some of you might question why I didn't say the most fun work I've ever done was 'have kids'...

Well...

Just hold that thought, I'll write a proper post about that one day.

2) A. Name one thing you did in the past that you no longer do but wish you did?
I'm afraid it's gonna have to be quite a fews things. Hope that's ok. (cf Jamie's quote above...)
These are in no particular order:
Laugh a lot
Cry a lot
Go for very long walks
Make much sense in my head
Sing in a worship band...(but that's a long story - and God's so in it, I'll have to write a post about that too sometime, lol)
Enjoy swimming in the sea, cos it's too cold and I hate cold water. Maybe I should just do what Mark did, and buy a wet suit?

Anyway.

B. Name one thing you’ve always wanted to do but keep putting it off?
Well, until about 2 weeks ago, I would have definately said start a diet. But I have since signed up on WeightWatchers, and have so far lost 2lbs (that's about 1kg for you frogs) - am so proud of myself...
So next thing on the list is: Start my own card-making business.
But that's never likely to happen, seeing as I am in no way, shape or form any good with money, finances, budgeting, book-keeping, etc.
Paul, being an accountant, maybe you could give me a few tips???

3) A. What two things would you most like to learn or be better at, and why?
Like to learn: to be more assertive and confident, and godly and gracious, and humble and PATIENT (although most of these should actually be in the second category...)
Also, I would love to learn to play jazz piano, speak Spanish and understand numbers...
Like to be better at: all the above, + understanding teenagers, painting/drawing, reading life-enhancing, non-fictitious books - there are so many books out there, written by some amazing godly authors, that I'd love to have the wherewithal to tackle, but just don't have the time, or energy, or - what was that word again? - wherewithal...

B. If you could take a class/workshop/apprentice from anyone in the world living or dead, who would it be and what would you hope to learn?
Man, these are getting tough!
Dead: at the risk of sounding 'clicheed', Mother Teresa, I think. I would hope to learn about real sacrifice, and love for the poor, which is an issue I'm being really challenged on at the moment.
Living: Jackie Pullinger; similar reasons, I think I'm just hungry to see more miracles, and more of God's Spirit restoring people's lives.

4) A. What three words might your best friends or family use to describe you?
Lovely, caring, mature

B. Now list two more words you wish described you…
Organised, patient

5) What are your top three passions? (can be current or past, work, hobbies, or causes)
(cf Jamie's quote, once more!!)
Worship
Getting alongside people who are broken, and trying to share a bit of Jesus with them
Writing/making or doing things with my hands (ie baking, cards-making, drawing, drilling holes into walls, that kind of thing...)

6) Write–and answer–one more question that YOU would ask someone
Mmmm, that's a good one: should it be a question I have which relates to the mundane aspects of my daily existence (like "why is a toddler's output in the nether regions quite so smelly or abundant, when they hardly eat a thing?"), or something slightly more spiritual and edifying, and of some interest to the 'general public'??

Can that be my question???

No - I didn't think I'd get away with it so easily...

Here's one, among many, that I do ask myself every year at Christmas time, and that I'd quite like answered by someone with a bit more patience and hindsight than me...:
"why do we bother with Christmas cards??"
I mean, if I want to tell my nearest and dearest, and all my friends, that I love them and appreciate them, why wait till Christmas? Why not just pick up the phone and tell them?
And if it's just a way of keeping in touch with people I don't have much to do with anymore, why can't I just MOVE ON???
I don't know, I really struggle with the whole thing and as you may be able to tell, I'm still recovering from my annual sense of failure to get all my cards in the post on time!! Christmas is busy and expensive enough without the added pressure and cost of producing, writing and posting millions of cards each year, surely?
Maybe my real question should be "do I really have to conform?"...

Who's next?
There.
Done.
Now, let's see...
Erm: B, Blest, Debs and Miriam (sorry, you've probably done thousands of these...)
And remember: we have ways of making you talk...