Spring is in the air

Well, truthfully its not, we have only just started winter in our part of the Southern Hemisphere, And in Durban winter is not really harsh, not at all. its a little unpredictable. One day can be a high temperature of 27 C/ 80.6  F with blue skies and the next day it can drop down to a high temperature of 19C/66.2 F and grey skies with slight rain.

For us Durban people this 19C/66.2F might as well be below freezing, suddenly winter jackets and gloves and scarves are donned and we get the typical winter grumbling attitude of freezing people. its quite fun to watch, once you have been exposed to true winter in another nation. Yesterday was a public holiday in South Africa, marking Youth day. It actually commemorates a very sad day in my nation. During apartheid, in 1976, the youth rose up in protest against a decision the government had made to teach them at school in their non native tongue. It ended tragically with much bloodshed, a truly sad event.

The last two years, without intention, I somehow spent this holiday doing the same thing, in the same location, with the pretty much the same people, except for one major difference...

THE WEATHER!
yes, as i mentioned the beauty of Durban winters, from one extreme to what feels like an extreme. So much has changed in the natural, my hair is darker, my body is heavier, my job has changed, a lot has happened. We just never know when change will throw us a curve-ball. but we know that it will. It might be a good curve ball, or it might be tragic. One of my closest friends tragically lost her parents on Sunday in a car accident. I saw her at church, happy and content with life looking like it always does, but half an hour late her phone rang and her life tipped upside down and was permanently altered.

We just never know. Between Dec 2014 and Dec 2015 i had moved 9 times. This included moving house, and moving countries and staying in multiple venues till i found a place to settle. 1 January 2016 i found a physical location to rest in, and thankfully haven't moved since then, but you never know if/when that might change.

The only constant we truly have is Jesus Christ. I know the old expression that only death and taxes are constant. It isn't true, taxes increase and get added to things and are never a set rate, yes being charged tax seems to be set, but not the amount. And death, death is a doorway, and there are many people who defy death, come back from dead and even at least three that i know of who didn't taste death. [Enoch, Elijah and Jesus]. For many of us death is a stepping stone into eternal life, and we continue on from there.

so the only one safe, and true consistent is: Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever! Thank God! [literally].

so why all this talk about winter and change? well i had a random thought,,,,because i want to improve my writing and also because often my writing is something i neglect. I am setting myself a goal. I want to do a blog-a-day for the next 77 days.

Why 77? because 40 days doesn't land on any specific day. and 100 days seems overwhelming long. But from today the morning of the 77 day will be the first official day of Spring in South Africa. i could pretend to look deeper for the spiritual meaning of "7". its not why i chose it, but it does work. so if you need it to work for you, YES its all about completion, about winter being done with and spring beginning. Personally i liked that it was the same two numbers, next to each other. I like my numbers neat. When putting petrol in, i like it to end on a set multiple of 10, it just makes it easier to pay, and not have to fuss with coins. and so to my eye 77 looks good, and neat and matching.

so here is blog number one. its a goal not a promise, but i am going to try my hardest.
until tomorrow i leave you with a quote i have hanging on my wall . . .
"Never stop believing in Hope because miracles happen every day"