Timing

T is for Timing

One of my favourite movies is Sliding Doors. The story follows Helen (played by Gwyneth Paltrow) who loses her job at a classy London PR firm and on the way to the underground is attacked by a purse-snatcher. She misses her train and in so doing, doesn’t catch her boyfriend Gerry in bed with his former girlfriend. The story then looks at what would have happened in parallel, if Helen had caught the train; How would her life have turned out if she had caught Gerry? Two different scenarios, all caused by missing or catching a train. 

This movie really makes you think about timing – and even the timing of one or two minutes.

***

Now as a Christian I believe my life is planned out by my higher power. In having faith in the God of the universe, I believe that things will happen at the right time. Now if I was a really patient person, who never questioned God’s timing on things, everything would be cool. My problem is that I am human – fancy that – I’m human. I want to be in control of the timing of events in my life... I want things to happen when I say for them to. And when things don't, I get angry and upset and disappointed. I have to keep telling myself, Everything happens for a reason. You know that saying don't you? I bet you've even said it. 

In 2013 I had a breakdown. My anxiety and depression was severe and I fell in a heap. I ended up having to leave my job as a teacher, and totally felt lost. I didn't understand why my career had ended so abruptly. Now in 2017, I can see that God had other plans for me. My time of teaching had finished. Since 2013 I have ventured out of the child's world and interacted more with adults, I've written blogs and books, studied youth work, advocated for inclusion, mental illness, facial differences and disabilities. I even entered the world of public speaking. None of these things would have happened if I was still in the classroom.

Going back further in time, if my husband and I hadn’t been on the computer in the same chat room way back in 1999, we would never have met. We were on opposite sides of the world. Another example - if I hadn’t become clucky at 39 and become pregnant straight away, before I could change my mind, I would never have had my daughter who has Down syndrome. Without Jessica I would never have trod the path of intellectual disability. My world would never have been opened to the discrimination against these people, and I would never have become an advocate for Down syndrome and inclusion. 

Even a couple of weeks ago we were nearly in a car accident. A car crossed the road in front of us, my husband slammed on the brakes, and we just missed the car. A few seconds earlier, or if my husband had been distracted, things would have ended up very differently. 

So when you're waiting on the right time for things, do you sit around and fiddle your thumbs or do you step out and try things? I'm not good at just sitting around so I do step out in faith and try things. Since leaving teaching I have applied for several jobs which I really wanted; one door opened then closed a year later, and the others haven't opened at all. This has left me upset and confused, particularly when I and all my friends believed the signs were there to say I was going to get the jobs.

When these things have happened, I've had to tell myself the above quote: There's no need to rush. What's meant for you always arrive right on time. Keep believing. I must believe there's a reason why and time will reveal all. My patience is constantly being tested.

Do you believe in timing?
Can you identify with what I have been saying? 

Have you had a sliding doors moment in your life?
Are there things that have happened, or haven’t happened to you or someone you know, that have blown your mind? 
 Feel free to share them with me. :)

Rainbow

 

Red and yellow and
Pink and Green
Purple and orange and blue

I can sing a rainbow
Sing a rainbow
Sing a rainbow too

Listen with your eyes
Listen with your ears
And sing everything you see

I can sing a rainbow
Sing a rainbow
Sing along with me

R is for Rainbow

Who doesn't love a rainbow?
What do you think of when you see a rainbow?

• Do you see the colours?
• Do you see the shape?
• Do you wish there was a pot of gold at the end you could get to?
• Do you see the science behind the rainbow?
• (A rainbow is formed by the reflection and refraction of sunlight in raindrops. When a ray of light enters a raindrop, it bends and gets separated into its constituent colors. How many colors are there in a rainbow? The answer is 7 amazing ones: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet.
  Read more at buzzle.com)
• Do you see God's covenant with His people? There will be no more floods that wipe out the earth like Noah's flood did?
• Do you see the symbol for the gay and lesbian community and gay pride?
• Or do you see beauty?

When I look at the rainbow I see diversity. To be precise, diversity in colour. This diversity in colour is on display everyday, all over the world, in the flora and fauna around us. We can also see it in the array of landscapes; from the bluest oceans, to the yellowest sunflowers, to the montage of colours that are painted on the birds that fly around us, to the orange dirt of the outback. Our world is a truly magnificent and beautiful place because of the all of the colours and mixes of hues.

I also think of the diversity in the colour of people. When I was little I remembering singing the following song in Sunday School:

 Jesus loves the little children
All the children of the world
Black and yellow, red and white
They're all precious in His sight
Jesus loves the little children of the world.

When I see all the racism in the world as an adult, I really wish people could love each other the way Jesus loves everyone in the world, no matter what the colour of their skin is.

I think most people would say that they love the diversity of colours in our world too. But yet the diversity in the types of people in our world is not as well loved or accepted. The black man, the child with Down syndrome, the adolescent with the facial difference, the lady with the mental illness, the Muslim, the Christian, the homeless family, the indigenous youth... There are so many marginalised people in our community.

What I guess I am finding a trifle annoying at the moment, is that when one of these groups is used in a TV campaign or shown in the media, a big fuss is made about it. Does this big fuss, draw more attention to the fact that these people are marginalized?

Let me explain. The latest Kmart advertisement features children. Both boys and girls. The ad is promoting clothing and toys. This morning on the news, this ad was called 'controversial' because of the models used.

 Click here to see the latest Kmart Advertisement

When I saw the ad myself, I had a reaction. My reaction was, 'Hey look there's a boy playing with a Barbie. That's awesome!' Why did I have that reaction? Two reasons. One because I've never seen any magazine or TV advertisements showing a boy playing with a 'girl gender' doll or toy, and two, I have a son who loves dolls. He collects dolls - and he is twelve. In the beginning it was a bit hard to get used to my son's obsession with dolls - why? Because society says that boys shouldn't like female dolls - they should only like action figures which are mainly superheroes. Now my son owns no action figures, and I bet there are other boys out there in the world who are the same as my son; they are happy in their masculinity and like dolls. Do we hear about these boys? No.Why not? Probably because most likely they consequence will be ridicule or being teased by trolls and other ignorant people.

The other type of marginalised group in the Kmart ad which has been particularly noticed, is a little girl towards the end of the ad, who is 'riding' an emu, has Down syndrome. A huge deal has been made of this. The headline for the news article I have linked above is:

Kmart television advert one of the first to feature model with Down syndrome

If the child was in a wheelchair, would the headline have been, Kmart television advert one of the first to feature model in a wheelchair? I am not so sure. Society still holds a lot of prejudice towards children and adults with Down syndrome. There is a meme going around Facebook that says: This little girl has Down syndrome but she is still beautiful. I want to slap the person who made this. This meme is implying that Down syndrome means she should be ugly. How stupid is that? Does the fact that these children are born with almond shaped eyes mean they are ugly? I don't think so. That's absolutely ridiculous. Or is it because they are intellectually impaired that they are ugly? That too is absurd.

Now I must confess that I did put the write up on the Kmart ad on my Facebook feed. Why? Because I think it does raise awareness of marginalised groups, and I give kudos to Kmart for embracing diversity in their advertising. Am I adding to the fuss being made? Maybe in some ways I am. But as an advocate for the active inclusion of people with disabilities into society, and as a mother of a child who has Down syndrome, I think it is important for me to keep on putting it out there that people with Down syndrome and other disabilities, are more alike to the rest of the human race, than different. I hope that one day there comes a time when marginalised groups will be included in advertising campaigns and a fuss isn't made, because it will be a normal thing, not a 'first'.

Now when you look at a rainbow, what will you think about?

Mission

 

 

M is for Mission

 

 





Have you ever thought about the word mission? What it means? If you have one? If you know someone who you would say is on a mission? Or maybe you know someone who is a missionary?

 

I hadn't really thought about the word until I decided to use it for this blog. I know people who are missionaries - men and women who purposely go to countries and communities where they help less fortunate people under the name of Jesus.

 

I've heard people say, 'So and so's mission in life was to.... maybe lessen poverty in the world, or petition governments to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions.' There are many causes people advocate for.

 

What do these people who are missionaries or are on a mission have in common?

 

What do you think? I think, it's passion.

 

These people have a passion. That passion drives what they do with their life. A tragedy, a life circumstance, a value or talent can be the motivator to start. This passion gives the person a purpose for living. It's like they are on a one-way train ride towards achieving or making a difference in their community, country or the world. The achievement of what they are working for, is a part or all of their life's work.

 

I believe a mission does not have be finite - it can change with life events or circumstances. You can see this in the many people who have tragedies in their lives and afterwards set up foundations or charities to help others in the same situation.

 

This little diagram says that mission is the reason to be and why we exist.

 

Do you have a defined mission? I set myself some goals each year and I have a general idea of why I think I've been put on this earth, so I guess I am on the way to having Jenny's mission.

 



 

I have been looking up people's personal mission statements. Here are a few:

 

Oprah Winfrey, founder of OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network - "To be a teacher. And to be known for inspiring my students to be more than they thought they could be."

Sir Richard Branson, founder of The Virgin Group - "To have fun in [my] journey through life and learn from [my] mistakes."

 

 



So how do you decide on your mission or write a mission statement? 

 

Here are 5 steps.

1. Think about what's important to you. Consider the following areas: relationships, career, health, religion, finances, education, family.
2. Think about what you value in life. For example, a world of equality, honesty, financial security, friendships.
3. Ask yourself questions like:

Ø  When am I at my best?

Ø  What am I good at? What gifts and talents do I have?

Ø  What gets me up in the morning and what makes me want to stay in bed? What do I have a passion for?

Ø  What does my perfect day look like?

Ø What mistakes have I made so far in life that I don't want to repeat?

 

     4. Decide how long your mission statement will be for. A year, five years, ten years, the rest of your life?

     5. Write something down. Remember you can always change it.

 

  

 

Your mission can be as simple as getting out of bed in the morning. This is particularly poignant if you're suffering from anxiety and depression or grief. Or it can be a philosophical statement about how you approach your life. Or it can be dreams you hope to achieve or even your bucket list. Your mission is a personal statement - it is about you and your existence on earth. 

 

I like this acrostic poem. Each letter refers to the author's mission in life:

 

 

I thought I'd try this for myself:

 

M ake the world aware of facial differences

I nspire others to accept themselves for who they are

S hare my experiences to be an encouragement and support

S ee everyone as equal in race, disability, gender

I nstil in my children self-worth, kindness and respect for others

O pen my heart to doing what God wants me to do

N etwork with others to learn more

 

I think my poem shows what I feel my purpose is for being on earth. It is goes hand-in-hand with the goals I have in the areas of my writing, youth work, advocacy for facial differences, disabilities and mental illnesses, and my desires for my children's characters. It also shows my Christian faith.

 

I'd love to hear what your mission in life is. Please leave a comment!