Don’t let your encounter with God leave you untouched!

Since it is Christmas time, I'd like to share with you one of my favourite poems and discuss the meaning of it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did, and find a little bit of the hope of the Christmas miracle inside this poem. 

Don’t let your encounter with God leave you untouched!

Christmas Comforts: Music to my ears!

Since I can remember, I have associated Christmas with big family get-togethers, laughter and happiness. And of course there was the food. Lots and lots of food, for days on end (the leftovers are the best!). It was also the one time in the year where everybody pulled out all the stops to prepare delectable dishes, never to be repeated until the next year! 

My mom was quite the virtuoso, so she would always have some new and elaborate concoction. Through the years, the dishes changed with the fashion (like all the innovative tasteless microwave dishes of the seventies, the moulded foods of the eighties and the trio’s of anything during the nineties). 

Celebrating Life!

A friend once sarcastically commented that I celebrate everything and anything. Not that she is wrong, but is it really that bad? Why not celebrate everything? I did not realise it up to that point when she actually said it, and then it made me think...

With all the negative things happening in the world and around us, why not celebrate everything good? 

True, we might overdo it a bit, because we don't only celebrate birthdays, Christmas, Easter and anniversaries, we also celebrate the first blossoms of spring, a clear summers day, a very cold winter's night, a new piece of jewellery, old friends, new friends, you name it! Whenever we think of something good, we celebrate! And yes, you can open my fridge anytime of the year and you will find chilled Champagne bottles there.

Keeping our Children safe?

I had breakfast in the mall this morning with my family. On our way back to the car, my dad spotted a van in the parking lot, parked completely skew and with one wheel standing on the curb, leaving the van to lean over.

In South Africa this is not a rare sight, in fact, one might expect this from taxi drivers. The irony here was the writing on the van: Children in transit, please drive safe....

Food, glorious food!

Our family has a long and delightful history in food making and fine dining. My fondest memories of my grandmothers on both sides, revolves around the dining room table!

My granddad use to make brawn and would always give us slivers of it on toast. Sometimes we would heat it up to become runny, and then eat it as a gravy on toast. When my mother and her twin sister decided to get married, my Grandmother B catered the food for the whole wedding!

Anywhere I lay my hat...

"Distant Drumming"
Annemie Odendaal - Charcoal

Will you die for your country?

I always believed that you can only know someone truly, when you have travelled with them. When you are not in your normal surroundings, you might act differently. Values change and gets challenged, the anonymity gives you more freedom, you get tired and fatigued and that can also alter how you cope with the constant change. 

Do you go about making choices the same way you would in your home life? This all contributes to you getting to know yourself better. Maybe that is why some people are scared of travelling or moving.

Count your Blessings

At this moment, there are more than 7 billion people on the earth! It is hard to picture, so if we could reduce the world's population to a village of precisely 100 people, with all existing human ratios remaining the same, the demographics would look something like this*:

- The village would have 60 Asians, 14 Africans, 12 Europeans, 8 Latin Americans, 5 from the USA and Canada, and 1 from the South Pacific

- 51 would be male, 49 would be female

- 82 would be non-white; 18 white

A Journey to Happiness or Heartbreak

My husband and I have always been rather adventurous in life and embracing every challenge that comes our way, but this year we have embarked on the scariest journey of our lives. After seven years of marriage, we were ready to start a new chapter in our lives and start a family. Turns out it is not always the easiest thing to do...

After a few doctor's visits, we have decided to go to a Fertility Clinic, where we started with In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF). For someone as terrified of doctors and needles as I am, it was quite a daunting prospect, but we committed to the process, so off we went with our purple bag full of magical pills, vials, needles, and a crash course in "how to become an overnight nurse", for my husband.

Too much love can kill you...

"Resonance"- Annemie Odendaal
Charcoal & Oil

Let me just start off by saying that I believe in love completely. Especially after my divorce. I am more certain than ever that love really is everything (1 Corinthians 13). I have also learnt that Love can only be Love if it is Freedom. Control is not love. Rules and changing someone is not Love. Compromising until you bleed is not Love. 

Apparently I am not the only one confused about the whole love / marriage thing. Books have been written, movies made and wars fought over Love, and I am still not any closer to understanding the full gravity of it.  After studying the Love Languages I do however grasp a bit clearer why some relationships just work, while others are hard work, frustration, fighting and doomed to fail.

Thy Enemy is My Enemy...

No, it is not from the Bible and definitely not Biblical either, but a true fact of life.

If I introduce you to a friend of mine, you might become acquaintances, or not. You might even become friends at a later stage, or not. 

The opposite however, is not quite so boring. Nothing binds two people as tightly together as a shared enemy. If I introduce you to a friend of mine, and you accidentally find out that you both know and hate my cousin, you will become best of friends in an instant. A bond as thick as can be.

Our very own Thelma and Louise...

We all know the movie. We have laughed, cried, shrieked and identified with this iconic movie about two woman who became best friends and their search for freedom from their mundane, messed up lives.

My mom and her best friend Thelma* was not quite so messed up, but they were always up to something when they were together. On their own, they are quite proper, respectable and age appropriate, but together, they were formidable poster girls for "life begins at 60".

Pushing the Boundaries

If you are seeking creative ideas, go out walking.  Angels whisper to a man when he goes for a walk.  ~Raymond Inmon

It has been years since I went hiking. Even though I used to love it when I was younger, it is just something that unfortunately fell by the wayside. This weekend however, we were invited to go hiking with friends.  I grabbed the opportunity with both hands, but it is my legs I should have asked permission for ...

Celebrating Life!

A friend once sarcastically commented that I celebrate everything and anything. Not that she is wrong, but is it really that bad? Why not celebrate everything? I did not realise it up to that point when she actually said it, and then it made me think...

With all the negative things happening in the world and around us, why not celebrate everything good? 

True, we might overdo it a bit, because we don't only celebrate birthdays, Christmas, Easter and anniversaries, we also celebrate the first blossoms of spring, a clear summers day, a very cold winter's night, a new piece of jewellery, old friends, new friends, you name it! Whenever we think of something good, we celebrate! And yes, you can open my fridge anytime of the year and you will find chilled Champagne bottles there.

Stay Soft Queen

What would I not give to be a home maker for a month!  I know it sounds all but glamorous, but as a working woman, you never get to experience the joys and perils of running your own house. In fact, you are lucky if you get to spend time at all in your own house!

My sister, who lives in Canada, is a home maker and boy, has she perfected it! She runs that operation better than some countries are run! I call her the Sta-soft Queen. This name she acquired over skype. Everytime we talk, she has to excuse herself to go put in some Sta-soft in the washing machine.

City Lights or Roaring Lions?

"The World is a book, and those who do not travel, read only a page."  St. Augustine

Our whole family enjoys to travel the world. It broadens your horizons and stirs something inside of you. Of course, if you refuse to try their food, ignore the customs or avoid the people, you might just as well stay home. New adventures give perspective to our ordinary lives.  It is more than just seeing the sights, it is a change that happens, deep and lasting in our daily living.

A Duchess of Note...

Don't get me wrong, I am NO Kate Middleton fan. I have NEVER come across anybody as boring as her, from her personality to her looks and wardrobe. Her make up makes her look ten years older - especially those raccoon eyes -  and her wedding looked like a boring middle class affair with no imagination, compared to the Monaco wedding shortly after, which - by the way - was the grandest most regal wedding I witnessed since Diana's.

Having said that, it struck me today that she possesses a quality that I can only admire and hope that I get there one day: Regardless of her personal goals and beliefs, she transformed herself to be an ambassador for her country

Lost Luggage Lunar System

A while ago I read a joke in a magazine, where they discovered that the ring around Saturn was really all the world's lost airline luggage! It might not be very scientific, but I am quite certain it is true!

As an avid traveller, I spend a lot of time in airports. It may be that I am bored or sleep deprived, but while waiting for my luggage to arrive on the conveyor belt, I ask myself a lot of questions, like: Who are the people whose suitcases come out firsts? In 30 years that has never happened to me. Statistically it should have, but it hasn't.

A Friendship forged by Food...

“Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art. It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things which give value to survival.” CS Lewis

My wasband and I were very different people. He loved being the life of the party, pleasing people, meeting new people, in short: he is a people's person. Me on the other hand, not quite so much. In fact, I have on many occasions considered buying an island off the coast of Italy, with only me and an Internet connection of course.

There's Just Some Things That Time Cannot Erase...

"Still Haunting me"
Annemie Odendaal - Charcoal

Once while visiting in Washington, I saw a park with statues for unknown fallen soldiers. It stirred something inside of me, not specifically because it was for soldiers, just because of the intense pain I felt when I saw it. It somehow echoed my own pain and loss. I came back home and immediately drew this sketch, to remind me of how moved I was by this incident.

Do you know how much pain you carry inside of you? Can you name it, or does it just drift around in a muddy sea of confusion and grief?

Botox or Detox?

That is the question. 

After years of denial, I am now also a heavily armed warrior, fighting the anti-ageing war. Just because your spirit stays young, doesn't mean that your body kept up. 

What I do know, is that the face in the mirror doesn't exactly resemble how I remember myself. Your body changes, but you don't change, and that, of course, causes great confusion.

A Woman of Great Importance

"Mourning" - 
Charcoal sketch, 
Annemie Odendaal

The most remarkable woman I ever knew, was my grandmother Anna. She was very wise and always gentle and kind. She never judged or spoke ill of anyone. I don't remember her talking much, but when she spoke, we listened.

Despite being a highly intelligent woman, she was content to be an exemplary, supportive wife and mother. 

Travel Spot: Makalai Game Lodge

Freezing! Unfortunately this is what I remember most about the weekend. Not the wonderful animal sightings, which we had, or the annoying guests, which there were, or the wonderful, spacious, romantic room with a fireplace and sightseeing deck. Just the cold...

Other than that, it was an enjoyable, unique adventure for us city-light creatures. No phones, no television, no radio (unless you count the incessant two-way radio chats between the rangers, which I suggested they syndicate out and sell as a full-time radio station), and no civilisation for miles!

A Dangerous Prayer

I know they say "be careful what you wish for", but sometimes it is really good to be kicked out of your comfort zone, to grow and to strengthen your faith and character. A man who really knew what this meant, was St Francis Drake. 

Here is a prayer he wrote, which touches me deeply every time I read it:

Disturb us, Lord,
when We are too well pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we have dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.

Miss Understood

"Pity the Child" - Oil
by Annemie Odendaal

Pity the child who has ambition, Knows what he wants to do
Knows that he'll never fit the system, Others expect him to
Pity the child who knew his parents, Saw their faults
Saw their love die before his eyes
Pity the child that wise
Pity the child but not forever, Not if he stays that way
He can get all he ever wanted, If he's prepared to pay....
from the musical "Chess"

To Regret or not to Regret...

Annemie Odendaal: "More lives than One"
Charcoal

I have always said that I regret nothing I have ever done in my life. Good or bad. It made me who I am today, it taught me lessons and it brought me to where I am at this moment in my life. 

Or did it?

Turns out there is one thing I did in my life, that I will regret forever, and that was getting married. Even though I am single again now, I just cannot shake the uneasy feeling that because of the mistake I made, I might be at the wrong place in my life right now.

Suicide Watch.

The age old question: Can you go to Heaven if you commit suicide?

Charcoal  - Annemie Odendaal
"The Life she longed for"

How will we know? It's not like we can pick up the phone and ask them. Although I cannot conceive that our merciful God will not have any circumstantial clause where we can be forgiven and still go to heaven, I understand that it is a great sin and one the Bible warns us against. 

I also know that a lot of people have been saved by the bell so to speak, like the murderer who hung on the cross next to Jesus. When he realised Jesus was innocent, and took accountability for his own sins with true repentance, God told him that they will be together in Paradise that same day.