I have mentioned a handful of times the lovely young woman that I met out in Australia last year. We have kept in touch since. Last August at her recommendation, I travelled to the other side of London to attend a conference attended by around 10,000. It was called “LOVE NEVER FAILS!”…and it was very special.
In fact it was very shortly after that event that I received a phone call from Jack, after which, he and I made peace. I often think I needed to hear the program at that conference which discussed what love really means, in order to prepare my heart for Jack’s contact.
Well…this year, my Australian friend told me that to ensure the safety of the many millions who want to be educated to live under a much better way of this earth being governed, the conferences they normally hold will not be at arenas or stadiums. They are online. When she told me the theme I was surprised at first. The theme is about happiness. Millions will be learning what brings true happiness, and how to cope when stress and challenges threaten our happiness.
That’s something I am enthusiastic about. I know some who view life on earth as a trial. I view life on earth as a gift. I see some (not all) of what man has made as a threat to that gift. I was not designed to be trapped in an office or stuck behind a counter. I was designed for so much more.
But to me, despite challenges (often human-made), life on earth offers a wide range of satisfying work, meaningful relationships, beauty and inspiration from nature, pleasure from all the good food, music and colour that enhance life and make it vibrant. (I know that some people live in areas where man’s government has been so utterly disastrous that squalour exists.)
On Tuesday, Jack and I listened to part of the conference, including a beautiful section about the joy of creation around us…it was very special. But it made me realize, this is real education. It’s so wonderfully constructive. It is so uniting, so encouraging, so inspiring. These conferences are exceptional, whether at a physical arena or within a virtual arena.
Often at dinner parties (before the you know…do you remember dinner parties?) my friends would start debating all the issues in this world (as in the political-economic system) and they would go round and round in circles. Layers upon layers of problems humans have caused themselves. The short term remedies that did not work…you know, like putting a band-aid over the puncture in a tyre.
When I used to talk with Goldfinch (who is keenly aware of some of the injustices in the world and industrial practices which pollute our beautiful home) about some of the big issues that mankind face, it was clear we felt the same way about those issues, but we were not always on exactly the same page when it came to the solutions.
I have felt for years that the earth needed a change on an enormous scale. However, for centuries (probably longer) the cycle of revolt against oppression and the establishment of a new form of human rulership has been a temporary short-term solution. I see the need for more major long-term solutions. But to pre-empt that turning point, I realized that preparation, training, education would be needed. You would need a significant number of people spread throughout the earth, who would be ready for that change, as a firm foundation. Others would learn from their example. Regardless of their natural tongue, they would have to be united in a language of love and peace. They would have to have been tested to ensure they would not crumble at the first challenges they faced, but would be enduring.
I suspect that has been occuring. I can see something quite remarkable. The online resources my friend has pointed me to give readers the option of learning how to be a better person, have a happier family life, a balanced attitude to money, possessions and recreation, and a satisfying life…in hundreds of languages. I can see an enormous international education has been in progress. For a long time, people have been learning to love, and now this year, they are learning what true happiness means (in all probability they already know a lot about happiness, but effective education includes reminders and repetition so that values are not just theoretical, but become woven into somebody’s nature, the inclination of the heart).
Jack said he would happily listen to some more of the conference with me. I am glad he liked it. It means a lot to be able to talk positively about the wonderful future ahead for the earth and for all who want to see a clean earth and to live a way of love, a way of joy and a way of peace.
Last year, when Gary, Jeanne and I were working on the 2019 BAKE-OFF, I was recovering from a sad loss. It cheered me up immensely to have lovely occupation for my mind. I had also been writing “ditties”…some WordPress viewers were kind enough to call them “poems”, but they were more me putting down words from my heart without following any rules. It was good for me to have that avenue to grieve.
My friend helped me to publish a collection of ditties I wrote when I lost my little apricot. I was very pleased to have a paperback copy of the finished result. But I was not really sure about the cover.
I have been working and working and working, hardly spending any waking time at home through the past six months, but my friends who were working from home or who had lost their jobs, all say they have been very stressed and are so glad now that they can start to socialize again and be with people..jpg)
…so although the content of this post is just based on what my friend showed me is already on line, I guess the most important person to credit with making a lot of us chuckle is Matt Evuns. If you were asked to describe 2020 in eleven seconds, could you do it? Well, Matt Evuns has nailed it!…with the help of Olivia Colman.
WHERE? If I have to wait, it’s not the timing that matters to me, it’s the comfort factor and having something to distract me. I can wait in the warm, sat in a comfy chair, and preferably with a book…for as long as you need me to.
I was wearing stilettos, a pretty dress and a thin coat. Guys were leering at me and asking me if wanted to go home with them. I did not know that area at all. I was shivering. I bought a hot tea from a kiosk outside the station. I drank it to warm myself up. Then I needed to go to the bathroom. But they would not let me back into the station to use the ladies unless I swiped my ticket. That meant going home and giving up on him coming to take me to the restaurant where he claimed he had a table booked.
I also think that being sure that the person or event you are waiting for is DEFINITELY ON THE WAY makes a difference. But if you start to doubt, or lose hope then you start to feel like giving up. That’s what happened with Jack. I was battling to keep my belief in him. Others were telling me to give up on him. The passing of time for me was torture. I wanted to believe that eventually we would be at peace. In hindsight, we needed that time to heal and grow before we could move forward.
a bottle of sugar free lemonade
two packets of vegan cheese
two red onions
If I am going to be trapped in an elevator…which could potentially be for hours, I would choose the dogs. Wet dog is a horrendous smell. I love the way a wet dog does not realize the stench it is emitting, and they bound up to you all like, “Come on, don’t you want to play with me?” But as they dry off, the smell lessens. As a housekeeper, the worst of smells was wet football boots, which we always described as intense eau d’wet dog.
It has been a hard year for so many of us. In one way or another, we have all been anxious, stressed, confused and afraid by the events of this year.
And you really do need to visit Sheree’s post…there are so many amazing PICNIC snacks…I did not know which to show in this post! I hope you had chance to see Sheree’s STAR BAKER (2019) interview. If not, head on over, it is great!
In addition I would like to thank our special guest contributors who both wrote stunning poems for this weekend. Our special guests were Puman, the creator of 
We would also like to thank Jim Adams, the creator of 
And then there is Jack! Now…I have two reasons to thank Jack. First of all because all weekend he has been looking after me! He has been making me drinks (he went out and bought a watermelon so he could make Ribana’s watermelon cocktail!) and he made me a summer fruits salad too! He injured himself trying to recreate a Choco Lava Mug Cake, so I had to play nurse yesterday afternoon. (Hee hee, in a wholesome way!) I am so glad he has been willing to keep me company while I was glued to my laptop all weekend.
Caramel 