Gingerbread House

A lot of different things happened this Christmas. One of them was the creation of a gingerbread house to the highest standard of imagination, colour and sweetness. We have a very special friend who took it on herself to make it for our family this Christmas. We knew about it but we kept news about it as a surprise. It was fun to see their faces when they saw it.

A little angel holding a heart welcomes the traveller to the door. There is a lot of meaning in that heart. Barb has been recognising hearts in so many random shapes during this year that it has become well known. It is almost an expectation that Barb will find a heart each day... somewhere. Icing sugar makes very good snow drifts and the assortment of lollies make excellent decoration over the house. Oh Noddy, eat your heart out. This is a house that rivals yours.

Our present challenge is to widen the sharing of this gift. It is such a marvellous creation that we must pass it around. Importantly, they will help us consume it. This gingerbread house could feed an army of sweet-toothers. We used a long all-purpose serrated knife to find our way into the interior where we found it full of chocolate snacks. Where's that army!

Christmas at the Hut

A perfect day
the perfect way
to awake to
in yet another stay
at Gembrook

The sky is fine
the birds on time
to tap at the window
in vain expression
at Gembrook

We have no gifts
but for the moment
and the warmth
of the rising sun
at Gembrook

We must remember
the gift of love
and loss from God
the everpresent Spirit
at Gembrook

Drawing Nemo

Piper our grandchild, has shown a keen interest in drawing and has recently drawn the story of "Finding Nemo". This collection of pictures are a gift to us from her this Christmas. Those of us who know the story well will appreciate each drawing and what it means. We think that Piper, not yet five, has drawn magnificently and creatively. See for yourself.

Marlin, Coral, the eggs and the barracuda (underneath)

Nemo (on the stingray) was going on an adventure. But it wasn't an adventure that Marlin want him to go on, because it was the drop-off and the drop-off wasn't safe.

Nemo swam up to touch the bottom of the boat (above) and a diver caught him.

After losing the boat in the distance, Marlin chances across Dory.

Marlin and Dory meet Bruce the shark.

Meanwhile, Nemo is placed in an aquarium and meets Puff and Gill.

Dory is stung amongst the jellyfish tentacles.

Marlin and Dory are saved by the sea turtles and are carried on their backs.

A whale (in the distance) moves in and swallows both Marin and Dory.

Marlin and Nemo now united and spreading the word in the tuna fish net to all unite together to help free themselves and Dory.

(Addition to the story) The stingray helping Nemo and Marlin to get back home.

Marlin and Nemo talking to each other in their home, the sea anemone.

(A conclusion deviation) The barracuda ate all the eggs, but not Nemo, and Coral escaped because she was so quick, and this his her swimming back.

Soon there were two more babies in the family!

Nativity Story

Let us pause to reflect on this ancient story. It has been told to us so often that we can become indifferent to its deep meaning and significance.

Let us begin with a teenager named Mary and a carpenter named Joseph. An angel had told Mary that she would conceive miraculously and bear the saviour of the world. In response, she allowed God to do this because even at her young age she desired action from God for the sake of this fallen and corrupt world about her. She was indeed waiting like so many faithful people, waiting for God to turn the world upside down. She was in a pre-marriage contract with Joseph, so when he was told of her pregnancy he thought she had been with another bloke. An angel appeared this time to Joseph in a dream to convince him to believe her story and marry her.

This happened to be the time when the Roman Caesar called for a census of the empire. Every man and his family had to return to the place of his birth to be counted, so Joseph took his wife, then in the late stages of pregnancy, to Bethlehem, hundreds of miles to the south. At Bethlehem they found living space almost non-existent because of the so many travellers had come in for the census. It was in the stable of one of the places there that Mary gave birth to her son and they named him Jesus as directed by the angel.

Shepherds were the group that God announced the birth to. They were keeping watch over sheep that were likely destined for sacrifice at the temple, not far from them in Jerusalem. God wanted to tell them about the birth of the lamb that will take away the sins of the world. They were an appropriate group to be notified and God's host of angels made a great impression on them.

Far away in the east, a totally unrelated group of people had noted a travelling star that indicated the birth of a great king. In faith they set out to find the young prince. After many years of travel and causing a flap amongst the authorities in Jerusalem upon arriving, they were further led by the star to Bethlehem itself. It was there that they found the boy with his mother. Their gifts turned out to be gold, frankincense and myrrh – gold fit for a king, frankincense for priestly use, and myrrh for anointing a dead body for burial. Each gift had a meaning that one had to ponder over.

Afterward, the wise men went a different way home and Joseph was clued up, in yet another dream, to quickly leave Bethlehem with his family. The authorities in Jerusalem were stirred up enough to attempt to stop the predictions and extinguish the life of the prince. Joseph's family slipped away to Egypt, the gold helping pay for a passage by sea to Alexandria.

We enacted this story during a Sunday worship time at Gembrook Retreat, utilising the fine outdoor setting.

The Eagle Has Landed

After just three grueling days on the road from Melbourne, Mon arrived in Atherton. His drive from Canberra onward took a turn for the unlikely. When he found the planned motel stop would not respond to his knocking, he just kept on driving till daybreak. That was somewhere south of Rockhampton. There he slept in a airconditioned cabin all day and started again to drive through the night.

So at 7 o'clock the next morning, Peter saw him at the door. He and Peter brought breakfast up to their mum and dad, and did they get a surprise. In hindsight, Peter realised that their mum's heart was not at its best and the surprise might have stopped it. But all went well and the renuion was super.

Mon old Nimbus carried a load of stuff. Every square cm was accounted for. Peter's mum is sure that there were angels holding that car together the whole way. Absolutely.

Air Ambulance

Peter's brother Phil and Shellie, Harley and friend Daniel showed up to say good-bye to Peter who has now got only a few days left in Atherton. Mon is soon to return and resume as carer. At the same time, a government hellicopter brought in a patient to the Atherton Hospital. When it lands and takes off it churns up a storm of leaves for the gutterings of all the nearby dwellings. Phil and Shellie decided to wait till it took off before leaving themselves. Lots of other people stopped to watch the take off. Peter's little camera just was not good enough to focus and catch the thing as it sped off into the blue yonder. You get what you pay for. Oh for a SLR.

Seven Sisters Yungaburra

The road from Atherton to Yungaburra passes between seven volcanic cones or mounds. Further on past Yungaburra, are the two more well known crater lakes, Barrine and Eacham, so the whole area points to having been a volcanic hotspot some time ago. The volcanic mounds have been called the Seven Sisters even though Peter feels there is an eighth. Maybe it was decided it should be seven to be in keeping with the constallation Pleides and all the folk stories that go along with it.

Peter's mum has her hair washed in Yungaburra each week, so the Seven Sisters are seen and appreciated fairly often.