It’s the throb throb throb of music we have been hearing for most of the afternoon and into the evening. Where exactly it is coming from we do not know. Some say it’s the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. Why this Irish tradition is celebrated with some enthusiasm her in South Africa, I’m still trying to figure out.
In the UK it’s of course, a big thing. The most memorable St. Patrick’s Day I ever remember was in the UK in 2011. We were staying in Hither Green in London. Julian had just arrived and we were a day or two away from going on a bus tour around Europe. We needed dinner and so caught a bus into Lewisham. It was at this time that I learned how hard it is to choose a restaurant. We were looking for a place to eat. It was the evening and already dark. Many, many St. Patrick’s day events were underway. Pubs throbbed with people and the streets were alive with revelers
We didn’t really want to join them. After wandering pretty aimlessly around for a while, I prayed. “Lord, we really need a place to eat, please help us find somewhere.” Within minutes we spotted a restaurant up a quiet street. It was almost empty. It turned out to be a Turkish restaurant and we had a memorable meal.
It’s still there today. This is from street view….
That’s where we were 7 years ago this evening. I realised I told this story last year. Oh well. Good reminder. 🙂
# 601 of my 1000 thanks is that we serve a God who answers prayer…for the big things and the small. He cares about you.
Today has been quite a chilled day. We met Julian for breakfast. When I got home, I changed and headed for the gym. I decided to spend an hour on the treadmill. I eventually covered 8km in the hour. I decided to try to pace myself. I ran for 10 minutes, then walked 2, ran to 20 minutes, walked 2, ran to 30 minutes, walked 2, ran to 40 minutes and walked 5. I was really tired. By the time I got to just over 50 minutes, I realised if I hurried a bit, I would be able to get to 8km in the hour, so I upped the pace a bit and managed to get to 8k in the alloted time. Then I went to swim, but I was kaput, so I only swam about 14 lengths.
The rest of the day I recovered! I have been reading an Agatha Christie novel that Julian got me onto. One of AC’s most popular is the Murder of Roger Ackroyd. I’m trying to get off my technology and get into reading something (apart from my Bible) off a printed page! It’s quite entertaining. This evening, Mike made spagboll and Julian had dinner with a friend and her kids.
If you have been going through a rough time lately, this is for you:
1 Peter 5:10
The God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.
Wonderful words of encouragement.
These are the days.
Keep the smile going. (I did today. Do you know that you can smile under water?)
God bless you.
In His Grip,
Helga xx 🙂