CHRISTIAN UPGRADE BLOG

Yes you wouldnt think I could get emotional by walking into a Sandwich franchise and lining up for a healthy toasted sandwich. But I did!

The other day I was waiting to pick up my mum in town while she was visiting my grandfather in hospital. I thought I would go for a drive around and see what shops were open to kill time as there was no parking for me to go into the hospital.

After a few minutes I found a car park outside a little chinese restaurant and decided to go for a wander. Sure enough I started to feel hungry so I decided to walk up to Subway as a healthier option.

When I walked into the store there was noone there but I kept looking at the menu and just thought that someone would eventually come out and serve me. Eventually a girl did come out to serve me.

As I was making up my mind I realised that I started to get a bit teary. At this point I just thought my mascara was starting to irritate my eyes so I reached into my hand bag for my eye wipes and started wiping my eyes when I realised that no mascara was coming off…stupid me forgot that I wasnt wearing any makeup that day!

Im trying to concentrate on making my order when I just couldnt concentrate any longer because I was tearing so much that I decided to excuse myself as I couldnt put two sentences together. Sure enough the staff member behind the counter eventually spoke to me and said “madam, its the onions…they are what is making you cry”.

What was hilarious was that I hadnt smelt the onions, nor did I see them anywhere in the  bain-marie so I thought I was just having some emotional random break down at the age of 25…

I honestly had to laugh at myself…because I felt like a bit of a ditz not even putting two and two together and realising why my eyes were tearing but there is always a lesson to be learned by stupid circumstances and that’s what I did. I learnt something.

One – onions dont always make you cry and dont always smell
Two – Remember whether  you are wearing make up or not
Three – Something things in life aren’t obvious but still give you signs.

 

I love that scene in Bruce almighty where Jim Carey asked God for some kind of sign and sure enough, there were signs in front of him but he never chose to look what was straight ahead of him.

Sometimes what you need to know, should notice, need to be aware of or just have been asking for is staring you right in front of your face. Don’t be like me where you play process of elimination to find out what that is. And don’t draw back when you could ask a question.

When you get bugged by something dont stop searching, dont stop asking questions, dont rest until youve either prayed it all out or exhausted all YOUR options and start asking for someone elses.

Using my little story as an example, there is always a reason for why someone cries, but  the timing may be inexplainable until later…

Keep your eyes peeled for the onions, you never know how they might change you..

Luv annapoppins xx

 

 

For anybody who knows me, they would know I am fascinated by older people…Im talking about the priceless people who often get left in the nursing homes. Today I had the privilege of hanging out with some of them and it was awesome!

This morning I decided to go for a drive with my mum down to Wollongong to get some yummy fresh loaves of bread. Yes, I will travel and hour and half for yummy bread. Anyway on my way back my mum noticed there was a Fete on at a church on the corner of one of the roads we were heading back on. So we pulled in and found some treasures. But the treasures I didnt expect to find were 3 older gentleman who shared their lives with me in the half an hour I spent with them and treated me like only a true gentleman would.

My 3 stooges were selling their books and CD’s at the Fete. Now Ive been to lots of Fetes in my time and you could tell that the books on the table meant something to the people who were selling them. One moment which took my breath away was when I bought a book called “Century” which was square and the thickness of two of your bed pillows stuck together! It was huge! When I looked inside the book it was filled with a Century of travesties that have occurred across time but the photography captured is insane. But what blessed me was that the 85 year old man who sold it to me used to own it and had been a part of some of the photographs in that book. And before he sold it to me he warned me about the content (bless his soul) so I didn’t get a shock when I took it home to read. Not only that, but he shed a tear as he gave it to me.

The other two stooges were so lovely. One wanted to give everything to me for so cheap and the other – his name was Lorry. At 90 years of age he was living the life onwards and upwards and by the end of our chat, he wanted to be my chauffeur and take the goodies I bought to the car.

As older people do, they love to share their stories. He told me about the loss of his 4 month old and his 5 year old child whilst he shed a tear for his loss. To think at 90 he still carried such heartache kinda stunned me a little. But the hug he gave me at the end gave me reassurance that he was going to be ok.

At the end of my chat with my stooges, I inadvertently called them all “awesome” to which they just laughed because no one had ever called them that before. But that half an hour in my day, in the little detail I have given you, changed my world and reminded me of how awesome people can be!

Maybe your story will never be told in the pages of a book, but never think that someone wont benefit from hearing it. I know the stories that came from the 3 lives I met today have impacted my life forever…

Love you Lorry and my two other stooges…

xxannapoppins

How often do you get given something for free?
When was the last time you’ve been given something for free for no purpose? It wasnt a marketing campaign…it wasnt payback for something you had given earlier…and it wasn’t necessarily from someone you already knew…it was just for free!

Well, it would seem my week has been full of those of those scenarios. I have turned up like literally just turned up to some places and have been offered free things or items or opportunities. If you know me, you know I dont give two hoots about “stuff” that people give me. In saying that, I wont reject something thats given with heart but Im not interested in accumulating things for the ‘sake of’ if you get my drift.

Anyhow, what I loved about this week was meeting the people who were behind the giving. I love it that there are some people who can give millions away and we recognise them for their generosity that they’ve probably worked hard for (even though Im sure most of them never want the accolades). But I also love the peeps that give things away for free day to day without any recognition at all. I love watching the business owner’s who after years of sowing into other people’s lives and being somewhat of a ‘nobody’ hold their first free event and lots of people rock up that they weren’t expecting. I love it that a guy who doesnt know a girl walks up to her and politely offers her not one, but two drinks of orange juice at a bar all at once. I love it when a cafe decides to give you extra food that you haven’t paid for all because you asked for your order with a smile.

Ironically, something that you receive for free still costed someone else something…I guess thats why I find it hard to receive sometimes. Don’ t get me wrong, I love being surprised by peoples generosity but sometimes I cant help thinking what it cost them to give what they gave to me…Some may say that thinking like that is unnecessary but at the same time, when I look back in the history books and find out what people gave for free, I wonder what life would be like without their generosity (and Im not just talking about money).

Someone might freely give their life for another, some people freely give their time. Some people freely give their shelter and some people freely give their money. What I love about real generosity, is that you cant compare the method of generosity with the impact that it has on that persons life.

So thank you to the guy who bought me two oranges juices and gave them to me freely. Thank you to the cafe for giving me a free salad with my meal. Thank you to the business owner who gave me free entrance to your event. You are not WOW because you gave to me…you are just WOW because you gave.

So thank you…you wont be forgotten

Luv annapoppins xxx

How beautiful you made the day wake
On such a morn
When all I was thinking of doing
Was taking aside time to yawn.
I was grumpy and frustrated
At the day that just went past
Little did I know
That yesterdays short coming was not to last.
I pulled in to the petrol station
Your home for too many hours of the day
I was ready to buy my two 2litres of milk
When you reached across to say:
“Have this pretty lady…
This flower is for you”
If my face didnt say it enough, my mouth was supposed to say:
Thank you!
So I dedicate this poem to you Mr Petrol Man
Even if the price of the petrol was high
I hope the kind gesture you bestowed upon me
Will one day make another girl happily cry…

Luv An xx

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