Same Sex Orientation

So this month is Mission Month.  In our Parish our very forthright Priest has arranged a series of Tuesday Talks.  Taking place in the church we are going to hear, and discuss, several issues of importance in our modern day lives.  In fact these are not new issues, they are here since forever issues, but they will force many people out of their comfort zone. 

This is a good thing. 

Tomorrow night we kick off with "Same sex orientation and the Family of God" .... I hear a lot of cheering ... I also hear some "ongemaklike" squirming and fidgeting. 

Come with an open mind, asks Fr Chris.  I hope this is heard by all.  Come ... come and listen .... parents, kids, young adults, pensioners, middle aged people, for and against, come and listen.  

Remember that wonderful verse John 8:6 "He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."

I will be there.  My kids will be there.  It is an issue we feel strongly about.  I get quite feisty and my daughter even more so.   

And before you tell me "that everyone is entitled to their own opinion",  I agree, but I will never agree with those who use demeaning terminology, judgemental comments and generalised misperceptions and stereotyping.   He who is without sin ........ 

The following week we discuss Divorce, Annulment, Remarriage and the Church ..... I love October!! 

Till soon 
Be open minded 
c'est la vie 
xxx 

Letters from my heart

My daughter cooks.  I write.  She puts her heart and feelings into her cooking.  I put it into my writing.  She cooks when she feels great and she cooks when she is sad.  Ditto for my writing.  Her cooking makes you think as you savour every mouthful.  My writing will make you think .... it either touches you or it doesn't, but hopefully it stirs something in you.  Maybe you do not like every single dish my daughter can make, the same for my writing ... she cannot cook for every palate, sometimes people think I am writing about them when I really am not! 
 Her life is as a 2nd Commi Chef, training full-time.  My writing started when I took Journalism for 3 years during my studies and got the opportunity to write for Beeld during that time.  

And I write letters.  Good old fashioned letters, on paper, by hand, that get put into an envelope.  Yes I blog and email and type normal letters on computer, but when I write from the heart, for a purpose, to someone specific, I like to do it by hand .... because every pen stroke happens with passion and feeling and I place a little bit of me in that envelope with that letter.  I write to all kinds of people for all kinds of reasons, but these are not business letters or such, they are Karin letters.  And I always hope that the recipients appreciate and understand that Karin-ness.  

Over the past 2 weeks I have written several of these.  I love handing them over or delivering them, I love the reactions I get from the recipients and I love nothing more than the times that the reader understands with what consideration it was written. 

My hubby always chuckles when I sit down to write these.  Because he sees my intense concentration, my attempts to get my large loopy handwriting readable and recently when I wrote some letters of several pages he kept peeping over his laptop to say "still writing?". 

Now recently amongst my letters was one written to someone we have known for a very very long time ... a dear family friend and I wrote as I always do .....all my letters are straight from the heart .... I don't do a trial letter and then correct it and write a final draft.  I simply write.  

And then I wait. 

This recipient arrived at my office this week.  Sat down opposite me.  Looked up at me with tears in his eyes and told me that no-one has ever written such a letter to him.  He called it "soulful and honest" ... it clearly touched him.  He said he would treasure it.  I had taken at least an hour to write this particular one and when I saw the light in his eyes I knew that he got from the letter the same feeling that my daughter wants people to get from her cooking. 

So stationery will always be a big love of mine.  And when you get a letter written by my hand,probably with glitter somewhere,  know that I put a little bit of my heart in that envelope.  And a lot of effort. 

till soon
c'est la vie xxx