I go about my day to day life and I don’t even give it a thought.
Get the odd twinge, when I hear of pregnancies but in general, not having children doesn’t often cause me much pain anymore. Usually I’m just so delighted that there’ll another little person in my life that the joy outweighs the sadness.
But today it’s tough. Today it is painful. Today it feels REALLY unfair and the whole world feels upside down. Mainly because of an article I read in the online version of the Telegraph [1]
248 human foetuses were found in a Russian forest. 248 little tiny people whose lives ended or were ended. When I read the article it was almost crushing.
I’m not going to rant about abortion or stem cell research. I disagree with abortion, anyone who know s me would know that. But I don’t have a fight in me at the moment. All I have is a pressing sadness that for some reason I don’t have a child and 248 tiny humans were packed into plastic containers and dumped in a forest.
LORD, I don’t understand. Help me not to despair about the total upside down nature of this situation. Which is mild and could be thought as nothing compared to a lot of other imbalanced and unjust situations in the world.
Now it’s a bad day when I start commenting on politics but I’m not a little irked at Eamon Gilmore’s comments over the weekend.
So let me rant for a bit… my faith is not a handbag that vaguely matches what I’m wearing on a particular day. It is at the centre of my life. Being a Christian is not a badge. It means to follow Jesus on a journey to be Christlike. (I haven’t gotten very far but that’s what some of the other blog posts are for!)
I really don’t like public representatives deciding and proclaiming that the most important thing in MY life should be pushed to one side so that this country can be governed without matters of faith being in any way taken into consideration.
I know we live in a democracy! I know that lots of people feel differently to the way I do. I also know that referenda will be voted on and things will change.
But I don’t believe that Eamon Gilmore and the Labour party have the right to move faith to one side. He mentions the “the interconnectedness of the views of one Church, with the laws of the country”. I’m not Roman Catholic, so if and when this disconnect comes how are the things that I hold dear taken into consideration?
He talked about “a positive vision of society – one where every person, regardless of background, gender or creed, is free to flourish.” I don’t believe I will be free to flourish if the foundation priniciples of my life are considered irrelevant and ignored when decisions that affect my life are taken at a national level.
It has long been unacceptable to ignore the voice of the minority. If that’s where believing practising Chrstians are then thats where we are, but we’d like to be extended a similar courtesy.
Now before I get started let me make one thing clear. I think the Green Army are (as the
Who says I don’t adore the Green Army!
young folk would say) AMAZEBALLS. The stories of people who took the time and money (neither of which anyone has) to follow the team to Poland are fantastic.
I’ve never seen anything like last night! 1 nil, 2 nil, in my lady’s chamber nil….. the singing just got louder! They never stopped. At one stage I thought to mysef.. “WHY are the Spanish fans singing The Fields of Athenry?” I just couldn’t imagine that the Irish fans were still singing.
Unbelievable loyalty and commitment.
But really…. (and here’s where I might get in to trouble – remember my opening statement now!)
Was no one just a LITTLE bit scarleh that the Irish just kept singing….?
I wonder if it’s time to concede that our Euro glory days are over – in every way.
I lived in the UK from 1999 to 2007 and I remember the disdain for most things Europe that was around. The impression I got was that Britons didn’t want Europe! They didn’t want the currency, the ‘Brussels bureaucrats’ and they didn’t want their money either.
I just laughed it off… What I was hearing from home was…we’ll take their money AND their currency thank you! We’ll have their grants and if the farmers have to reduce the production milk, butter n beef well they’ll just have to buck up their ideas and get on board or get out of the way!!!!
And I was all… YEAH!!! and while we’re at it… no dissing the Eurovision thanks very much… we haven’t won it as much as usual but Europe still loves us. The mention of Jonny Logan and Niamh Kavanagh still get us into the Eurovision VIP lounges. and anyway…. any group with a good fiddler can claim to be PRACTICALLY Irish!!!
Man alive are those days over!
And football….? well I know we throw our eyes to heaven and tut like disgruntled teenagers when the English mention 1966, but it’s recent enough to feel totally justified in using Italia ’90 to hope for glory days to come back again!
Isn’t it?
Now don’t get me wrong. I ‘m not agreeing with Roy Keane. (Heaven forefend the arrival of THAT day.) I don’t think we need to change our attitude to the fans and their making a celebration of it all no matter what! (remember my opening statement now!) But I think we the fans, need to change our attitude. (Don’t even get me started on the photo of the so called “HERO” and and Croatian boob!)
Can I suggest we need to change our attitude to the team? I think the team are very lucky not to have been BOO’d off the pitch! They don’t actually deserve the response they got last night. It was great to see on Twitter all the reposonses to the Irish fans singing. But it was mainly from Irish people. The non Irish were kinda bewildered at the reaction.
“Do they think Ireland are WINNING 4-0????”
“That’s what happens to the Irish after a week on the beer”
You know it actually kinda reminded me of my concerns about the Irish mindset when we voted Bertie back in, in the middle of a tribunal?!?!?!!?!!?!? Olé Olé Olé Olé Ber-teeeeee Ber-teeeee. But as I don’t vote (well not often and here’s why…) I have been told I have no right to comment on politics. #apparantly
It doesn’t matter anyway cos I know precious little about politics; or football. I claim limited knowledge of Euro-pop… But I am Irish and I think I recognise things I can be proud of.
And last night’s football match just didn’t do it for me!
Having said that I’m immensely proud of the Green Army…. remember my opening statement now!!
I’m watching the Diamond Jubilee stuff on telly. Being married to one of QEII’s subjects, I have gotten used to listening to the Christmas day address. And over the years I’ve watched the Golden Jubilee, coverage the Queen’s mum’s funeral, Prince Charles 2nd wedding, Will and Kate’s wedding and now this!
It’s a long long time since Ireland had a King. And when the British monarchy assumed authority over Ireland we didn’t love him/her like the Britons do. To be honest I went from years of not knowing or caring about British monarchy, to the more recent years of just not getting it.
I don’t get it. I don’t get the pomp, the grandeur, the guys on the horses with the big hats, the carriages, the gilt edged everything, the ceremonies. I don’t hate it or resent it. I just don’t understand it. I suppose it is because I’ve never been a ‘subject’!
To be honest I got a bit jealous today. Not that I’d love to have a monarchy, or a queen. It’s just that on a day like today no one talks about how rubbish the government is, or how crap the Euro is. No one has mentioned how dismal the economic outlook is. I can’t imagine how much money was spent on this week’s festivities but no one is talking about that. And I bet in Prime Minister’s Questions next week it won’t be either. Even the weather which is atrocious and has been mentioned (ruining some of the planned events), refuses to put a dampener on this day.
Someone mentioned that our hopeful success in this years European championships might do the trick. But that depends on our performance, so it could go either way. The trials and tribulations of the British monarchy don’t often suggest a change of management. And no matter what… look at them. They love her!
Enjoy the celebrations my British friends n fam. And enjoy your extra day off; which I think is where my real jealousy stems from 😀
Anyway, I’m off to see if I can muster up the love for mini Michael D. Well he’s the nearest thing we have to ‘one who lives in the big house up the end of the mall…’
Well I finally did it! I voted in a general election for the first time.
I can hear you all, crying ‘SHAME’ Yes I know that people died for my right to vote. But they also died for so that Irish people could be governed with integrity. That doesn’t always happen either!
I have to say, I haven’t ‘not voted’ from apathy. I don’t sit at home thinking, ‘ah stuff it, I couldn’t be bothered.’ I haven’t voted before cos I haven’t thought it mattered, or that it would make a difference. If I see a local counsellor in Tallaght working hard, serving the people with integrity I’m loathed to do anything that might help him to get to the Dáil. The nearer they get to the top the less they can fight for local issues and the more they have to fight for countrywide issues AND more importantly the more they have to compromise on the one thing that makes them worthy of my vote – integrity.
Having said all that, I didn’t vote with enthusiasm last Friday. I am not sure that any party would have done any better. Who’s to say that they would not have been drunk on the same wine as Fianna Fáil? Are you sure they wouldn’t have been blinded by the money and the lure of the bankers and property developers? I’m not.
I acutally kinda like Micheál Martin. But there’s no way they could be allowed back in, I just felt I had to do my part to stop them… even though I hate the fact that now they can sit in opposition and criticise away to their hearts content.
Lastly, I need to clear up the whole nonsense of the , ‘if you don’t vote you don’t have the right to complain.’ Eh actually yes I do! No matter who we vote for or not, the government should govern for us all. The taosieach is our taoiseach whether we voted for him, the other guy or no one at all. He’s supposed to lead a government that rules the country for our good.
So give up yer grousing.
But as I voted this time, it should keep yiz quiet on that one!!!!
Well the thaw has set in. The weather man said it had started but only when I saw that our snowman’s head had fallen off was I convinced…!
As I looked out at the view which yesterday was dazzling and now just look cold and wet…. something occured to me….
The ‘thaw’ in Narnia wasn’t like this!
There wasn’t horrible dirty slushiness. It went straight from Winter to Springtime. From snow covered pine trees and a frozen river to Apple blossom on trees and streams of clean running water.
Not a headless snowman in sight.
I suppose we’ll just have to put up with the ugly mess for a while.
Like a lot of people on the East coast of Ireland, I was stranded in my home today. I didn’t even try to get the car out of the drive, cos I didn’t think I’d be able to go to get it out of the estate or up the hill. The news said there was trouble on the N7, the M50 and the N3. Basically my route to work!!!
So I stayed in my pjs, looked out at the snow, logged in remotely and did some work, made the smallest snowman in history and listened to Christmas FM! It was lovely.
Problem is… this weather might also stop me from flying to Wales this weekend. In the last 2 days, the airport has been closed twice for a number of hours at a time. The airport may well be open tomorrow… but how will we get there? I mean we could try to get the car out of the drive, and then get out of the estate and then up the hill, then on to the N7 and on to the M50….. not looking good is it!
What is it about this weather?! ‘Ohhhhh I’d love to be snowed in!!!’ We love the idea of it and when it arrives we still love it… for about 24 hours! Then it just isn’t funny any more. People trying to get to work, and get home again, old people stranded in their homes, essential services disrupted, public transport at a stand still and I’m running out of milk!!!!!
So after my day of encapsulation what what have I learned?
1. Uggboot slippers are definitely the way to go
2. Working from home is something to aspire to
3. Snow is a bit like a giant cream cake; looks gorgeous but eventually you’ll get sick of it!
4. Building a snowman is harder than it looks
5. Being snowed in the definitely one of those, ‘be careful what you wish for….’ things
6. My husband is a saint!
7. No matter where I want to get to I need to get my car of the drive, out of the estate, up a hill……
Working for a charity as i have done for almost 10 years now; I really believe in the concept that ‘Every Little helps’.
I know that Tesco have commandeered the phrase. But they are right.
Coming up to Christmas, this is a time when charitable giving seems to come of the fore. Children in Need will be on soon, lots of charities will send out their Christmas appeal and you won’t be able to get down a high street without someone shaking a collecting tin at you.
If you’ve ever sat in a bath of baked beans to raise money for Children in Need or shaved your head for Tsunami survivors or just thrown a couple of quid in a collection bucket for the NSPCC… you really have done a worthwhile thing.
All those fivers and euros and tenners and fifties when put together can make REAL difference!!!
If your heart hurts for whales, endangered animals, sick childdren or viictims of global disasters you CAN be a small of the solution.
I know in these financially difficult times that it’s hard to give to everything, In fact for a lot of us it’s hard to give to ANYTHING; but I would encourage to find the cause that you feel strongly about and help someone or some ‘body’ that is working to help in that area.
Stuck for ideas of who to give to?
I doubt it but just in case… the charity I work for supports family life in Ireland, TearFund work all over the work helping to fight poverty and injustice, I’ve a friend in the UK who works for the Marine Conservation Society and in January one of my nephews will take the Art O’Neill challenge to raise money for 3Ts (Turn the Tide on Suicide) http://www.mycharity.ie/event/mick_bretts_event?ref=nf
As the saying goes…. Give a little; it’ll help a lot!
Just another Christian woman... 