Vicki Wall

today i celebrate the love in action which manifests in the form of Vicki Wall

i met Vicki about 15 years ago when we were being employed together at a Psychiatric hospital in the service for people with Disabilities.

My first impression is that she never shut up.

She doesn't.

She also doesn't give up.

She also doesn't do anything without love.

ANYTHING.

She is the living example of love in action.

I can't list all the amazing things this one tiny woman has done in her life. But i will list some of the things that inspire me

She has raised 4 children, all educated in Steiner schools - seen them all develop into incredibly diverse and interesting people (and is awaiting her first Grandchild with much excitement and knitting!)

She worked tirelessly to gain her Masters of Nursing (graduated last week) largely in an effort to prove that nursing work was valuable in the lives of people with disabities.

She took clients that no other service wanted (the too hard basketeers) and created 4 residential services which are outstanding in terms of the quality of the service they provide and the sheer goodness which hits you when you walk in the door.

The Trust she established gifted 300 daffodil bulbs to their local council in an unused council plot as a gift of joy to the city.

She is generous in a way that my grandparents practised but i seldom see these days... contributing to the community is just what you do. And being there for people is not an optional extra.

She has a will of iron wrapped up in homespun wool. She is kind hearted and giggly and thought-full and courageous and tender and a possiblitiarian.

She is also living with secondaries from breast cancer discovered about 6 years ago.

And she still doesn't shut up.

Please join me in celebrating the choosing love Vicki does every minute of her day and wishing her a little more self love as part of her life....

loving kindness

my 9 year old is having a hard time

she has been very fortunate in her school years to have found teachers who connect with her

who have seen the strengths in her and worked with those

i went to her most loved teacher recently

needing some help

and the teacher came and took my 9yearold to her house on a Sunday

fed the horses

baked some biscuits

played with the kittens

and filled my daughter up

i can't tell you what that choice of love has meant to our family

helping homesickness

i have a lovely friend who is English

She is in NZ because she is madly in love with a New Zealander and has been long enough to make 4 babies with him, raise them here into lovely little New Zealanders.

She fits into Ag day

She likes to walk on our beaches

She has many friends

But her heart yearns for England

for the soft green curving hills

the ancient graceful buildings

the literature and erudition

and at this time of year

she misses the bluebells

she told me about them with tears in her eyes

and so i wanted to try and fix that ...

here is my effort....

love made this happen

I have come here and spoken about Elizabeth Cunningham's generosity in sending my friends and i cds on the promise of a good night out when she comes to Whangarei...

that was love in action

also love in action was her gift of writing those words and telling that story... following the trail of thoughts and feelings Maeve left Elizabeth into the world that she created in her books

and then having the courage to go through the publishing and the book tours and all of that to bring Maeve to the world

that gift of love has changed my life

and inspired my art

and so i made these for her - they are Maeve Jesus and their daughter Sarah

they now live with Elizabeth as is right and proper....

and just as Elizabeth is changing the world by resonation with her words and her voice

i wish to change the world by making beauty

i could have kept my ideas to myself buried under piles of "i am not good enough", and "who do i think i am"...

but i didn't

i took courage and made them in all their imperfect glory...

that is an expression of love being chosen

the way...

(for Eila to celebrate her mental health day)

you haven't been sleeping til late.



often climbing into bed with me and holding my hand until you fall asleep.



the way you said, this morning, you felt sick.

and added non visible complaint after non visible complaint to a list to prove it.



The way i knew you were tired



and when i asked you what was really wrong,



while i stroked your hair, still full of chlorine and salt water,



and your eyes filled up



You took the risk

and you told me

about it all



and you opened your sad heart to me



you chose love



and i hope to live up to that choice.

ELIZABETH CUNNINGHAM

(this is inspired by the bright dark madonna)

I was in a bit of a dark place





i felt lonely a lot - my few friends - actually they are my tribe members - had very full lives and we don't often get together





and as i find solace in books, stories, the written word, i rely on the angels that live in the Whangarei library to deliver me what i need...





sometimes those celestial book deliverers are so on the money it is scary





and that day they must have put their best team on the job, because i found myself walking out with a book written by a woman with the same surname as me... it had a sumptious cover and a good hefty weight...





the book is called Magdalen Rising and is by Elizabeth Cunningham





i was only a few pages through when i found a new part of my heart opened up and i have not been the same since





i devoured all of Elizabeth's books in the library - the Passion of Mary Magdalen and the bright dark madonna





i stalked her - finding her blog, twitter, facebook, emailing her and telling everyone who would listen about these remarkable-soul-opening-heart-filling-story-uncovering-passionate-rich-alive-books.








Now before you dismiss me as a creepy loon let me explain a bit more...





Elizabeth's words make me laugh and cry and feel like i have come home (which is a bit weird because the stories are set in Christ's time)





i feel like i have found another branch of my tribe (albeit an educated and erudite and gifted one)





i feel more alive to myself since Elizabeth and Maeve have come to live in my heart.





She has inspired almost each new peice of artwork i have made since i encountered her.





i have a new relationship with Jesus since i read those books - since i was reminded that he was a man, with dirty feet and feelings...





my friends and i are passionate carriers of the flame of these books and have each been moved in very different and yet all profound ways by them





and Elizabeth has been a gracious stalkee... she has sent loving messages and laughter - she was the one who alerted me to the tsunami...





Then when i read that Elizabeth was singing the songs she had created for the books i couldn't wait to hear (this is my favourite for some deep deep unknown reason) she created a CD called Maevensong (listen you will be moved if you have a spirit like mine - ie: alive, seeking nourishment)





i wanted to buy Maevensong for myself and my friends and wanted Elizabeth to sign them so contacted her...





not to rant about the american banking system but it was very very complicated to organise this





and guess what





she addressed 5 cds to myself and my beloved friends and sent them free - on the proviso that we take her out to dinner when she comes to New Zealand (which i am shamelessy pimping to her in the hope that she will)








that is love in action





she didn't dismiss me as a creepy stalker (tho God knows she has grounds!) she opened her heart and she has blessed a small community of women in a country literally on the other side of the world with a gift of her heart's songs and spirit which is immeasurable..





i honour that Elizabeth chose love

and my eyes are full of wetgratitude for her place in my life and my heart

loving friendship

love in action this time is about mollie

mollie comes here and reads

actually as per the first entry here she is the reason this blog exists in the first place...

one of mollie's best friends has been seriously ill recently

every day mollie went to her bedside

everyday - even for a very short time when her friend was most unwell - she sat and gave her friend comfort

she had to walk along way and take the bus to get there... through inclement weather

she had to put up with not being next of kin, not having access to information or to answers to her questions

she even fed her friend's cat

each step, each turn of the bus wheels, each prayer, each drip of the essence of love that flowed out of mollie

was love being chosen