challenge

Letter to a character

Jo, , , , 2 Comments

imagesCAWWRLJNI have to apologise for neglecting this letter writing challenge over the summer but I am now jumping back on the horse to try and complete these fun tasks Jenny in Neverland suggested, http://jennyinneverland.wordpress.com/.

So I’m onto number 4 – Write a letter to a character in a book. I found this challenge quite difficult but I’m going to give it a go and write a letter to the fictional Hermione Granger from J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, post Deathly Hallows. I felt it was only right I wrote to one of these characters as they were pretty much my life as a child!

Dear Hermione,

hermioneHoping you are well,

It must feel incredible to now be living in the wizarding world where darkness has been defeated. This must have seemed impossible just a few short months ago. So much pain and loss has been caused by He-who-must-not-be-named but you were all brave enough to stand against him, united and strong.

You deserve to feel proud as it is because of you and the courage of your friends at Hogwarts who changed this society into a safer, more peaceful place. Though I am sure you are aware that your friend Harry, could not have reached the end of his journey to destroy evil without your wisdom and love.

Through that darkness you found light and love, you came together with those who might not have liked you for being muggle-born and you had perhaps the hardest time out of all wizards – for it was you who erased your parents’ memories so that they forgot who you were. To protect your family, they lost you and you chose to battle on without their support. A true Gryffindor.

I was a big fan of yours growing up and I think your story gives children courage and hope, all over the world.

Kindest regards,
Jody x

Letter to a character

Journey of Love

Jo, , , , , , , , 2 Comments

IMG_2423We are all on our own personal journeys, fuelled by our gut instincts powering on inside of us. We might see and do things that we don’t agree with, that we regret, but these things can’t always be changed.

All experiences should be accepted and valued for what they are, and you should accept and value yourself for who you are.

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” (Matthew 7:3, NIV). Let us not be hypocrites. Do not judge other people as you do not want to be judged. You might recognise other people’s problems but sort out your own first. It is not your role to judge other people – that is for God to do, just as you should pay no attention to people judging you, it is what God thinks and says that is important.

I believe that faith is a very personal journey which is why I generally don’t preach to people about the religion I follow. However, I do use this blog to express and explore my own thoughts and how I see the world and I’m starting to re-evaluate what I think it means to be a Christian.

“I may be able to speak the languages of human beings and even of angels, but if I have no love, my speech is no more than a noisy gong or a clanging bell… I may have all knowledge and understand all secrets; I may have all the faith needed to move mountains- but if I have no love, I am nothing..” (1 Corinthians 13:1-2 Good News Bible)

Christians were called to love, to accept all people into our family, to welcome everyone in and turn no body away. Some Christians disagree with this. I know a number of Christians who have turned individuals away due to their disabilities, sexualities, class and occupation. This is wrong and a disgrace to God when what we should be doing is honouring him and loving one another.

The bible teaches us to be patient and kind, not jealous, conceited or proud, not selfish, judgemental or evil. You might feel that some people are sinners but you yourself are a sinner who Jesus sacrificed himself for. He wiped away your sins with his pain. We believe that if you believe this man is the son of God, born to save you, then you have eternal life and love through him.

No sin is greater or smaller than the next. We are equal. Do not feel greater or smaller than the next person. We are all loved by him as we are all his children.

footinsandAre you guilty of doing or feeling something you think is ‘wrong’? Is there a can of worms laying around that you’re not ready to open? Stand unfazed. You were created by God and this might be a test you have been given, to battle for and against your gut instinct. We don’t always have a choice. Take each step as it comes on this journey of your life. The only one who needs to know about your ‘problems’ is God who is our only rightful judge, It is for him to decide what happens next.

Despite all the madness of pointing fingers that has become the general trend of our society, we should simply love.

Journey of Love

Letter to an Alien

Jo, , , , , , 1 Comment

Jenny in Neverland- http://jennyinneverland.wordpress.com/2014/06/17/letter-challenge-1/ – has presented an interesting writing challenge, for which I have to write 10 individual letters over a period of time. Number one on the list is to write a letter to an alien. I loved the angle Jenny chose to take for her letter to an alien and was trying to think of something different. This is what I’ve written:

et

To whom it may concern,

I would just like to apologise in advance for any mistreatment or discrimination you may receive on account of us humans. The majority of us do not like it when others are different. Humans have tried to embrace diversity over the years and appreciate everyone’s differences.

We have different sexes – male and female (females carry our young). Although we might all look the same to you, humans are different sizes and colours and our face differ in shape, depending upon where around planet Earth we have originated from.

Some humans cannot walk or see or hear, or they may have trouble understanding and fulfilling their daily lives independently. Our very young cannot speak because their vocal chords have not yet developed, nor their cognitive understanding skills, whereas the very old of us may have trouble with speech as well, they have wrinkled skin and move more slowly, sometimes with sticks or wheels, because their bodies have grown weaker and more painful with age.

A lot of humans dislike other humans and treat them very unfairly because of these few distinct differences. If we do this to our own kind then please be wary of how they might treat you – who is not even from planet Earth.

I am not writing this letter to alarm you, but seeking to protect you. Despite any powers you may have and even though you may come in peace, you may not be treated with such respect.

Avoid us at all costs!

Yours faithfully,

Jody

Letter to an Alien

Sloth – Carrie Page Writing Challenge

Jo, , , , , 2 Comments

Seven-Deadly-Sins-620x320Lovely fellow blogger Carrie came up with the idea to focus on the 7 deadly sins this week and the first one is, sloth. This refers to laziness and neglecting what God has asked of us, not being active either physically or emotionally. Being idle is definitely frowned upon but what I sometimes mix up is laziness with lack of motivation. Sometimes I leave the washing up for a couple of days or don’t feel like I have the energy to go out or am struggling to concentrate on my essay. Other people with similar problems however, I feel A three-toed tree sloth hangs from the trunk of a tree in the jungle on the bank of the Panama Canalcrazily frustrated with. Why can’t you do your share of cleaning or meet up when we agreed or get your work done on time when everyone else seems to be managing fine? I also get frustrated at myself for these reasons. 

Many of us believe that there is a purpose why we are here. We are all on journeys to lead us somewhere, and during these journeys we should be working hard, enjoying ourselves but nevertheless be listening to our gut feelings, doing what we feel are the ethically right actions to take, being there when people need you. I believe in working hard for your pleasure, earning your rewards, being available emotionally and physically for any friend laziness2or relative who needs you, day or night, for doing your job well and keeping your mind and environment clean. Even just typing this, I can feel stress boiling up inside me. 

Actually, sometimes we need to be a bit lazy, relax, let our bodies rest, refresh our minds, read fiction instead of the news, watch silly chick flicks instead of heavy documentaries, get some takeaways instead of spending time cooking. It’s taking care of ourselves that’s important, before the world swallows us up in the most stressful of situations. You might feel lazy but if you work hard 7 days a week, are always there when your friends need you, are always on top of your chores and present at family events then there’s nothing wrong with putting your feet up every so often. If you can’t remember the last time when you took a break was, then take a break! You probably deserve it. After all, there’s nothing wrong with being laid back sometimes as long as we remember our priorities. download (8)

Sloth – Carrie Page Writing Challenge