Have a look at THIS!

Apologies that all my blogs are cut and paste lately - I have hols soon, so will have headspace for deep and meaningful reflection, but in the meantime, have a little think, if YOU have the time, about this article from the Children and Young People NOW daily mailing I receive.

( Italic comments are mine by the way!)

'Acne lights' used to stop young people gathering.

The lights, put up in two underpasses in the town, are the same kind used by dermatologists to show up pimples and acne blemishes.
The project, championed by Layton Burroughs Residents' Association following consultation with Nottinghamshire Police, is set to be extended to a third site.

A spokesman for The National Youth Agency said the use of pink lights was equivalent to treating young people as the enemy. (I know big groups of young people are intimidating but I kind of feel the same way actually)

"Lighting like this does not offer the prospect of a long-term solution to a community problem," he said. "We should be looking to help young people thrive not hurt or humiliate them." ( I really do agree with this, while knowing that some groups of young people will be really difficult to help)

Tony Gelsthorpe, chair of the association, said the intention of the project was never to show up spots, rather utilise the fact pink is seen as "uncool" by some young men. ( Yeah, right)

A member ( name with held) of the association, said: "We used to have quite a problem with large groups of young people hanging around in the underpasses drinking, which felt quite intimidating, but the pink lights have really made a difference. ( ...and I'll bet it's her favourite colur too)
"The groups aren't there as much and it feels safer walking through there now, particularly at night."

Notwithstanding the fact that the Leyton Burroughs Resident Association might all be middle aged folks with families ( like me...ouch!) I wonder how the would feel if a light that showed up wrinkles, grey hair and age spots was utilised around areas when they meet up and 'tut tut' and how I wish that light was not in my bathroom!

Listen Up People!

Are you overwhelmed? Hmmmm.
Do you feel inadequate? Hmmmm and nodding a bit.
Are you ready to blow at any moment? NO COMMENT!

You can't love others in a godly way when you're at the end of your emotional rope. How many relationships have been ripped apart because the people involved failed to take care of themselves emotionally?

God's Word gives us three habits that can help us recharge emotionally when we have nothing left to give.

1. Solitude. Mark 6:31 says, "So many people were coming and going...[Jesus] said to them [the disciples], 'Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest'" (NIV). Jesus understood that your emotions are like a battery. If you plug one lightbulb into a battery, it will last for a fairly long time. If you plug in 100 lights, the battery will drain very quickly. Many of you have so many lights plugged in, your battery is shot. ( OUCH!) You can't recharge anybody else—you can't give love—if your own battery is drained. You recharge when you get away by yourself.

2. Play. The Bible says, "Jesus came enjoying life" (Matthew 11:19 PH). He was the most people-focused, ministry-intensive person who ever lived, yet he took the time to have fun. Certain activities recharge you emotionally; they literally re-create your energy and enthusiasm for life. We all have different activities that recharge us because we're all made differently. Find out what recharges you emotionally and make time for it.

3. Laughter. Proverbs 17:22 says, "Being cheerful keeps you healthy" (GNT). Studies prove that when you laugh, it increases your number of T-cells, which raises your immunity level. Laughter is good for your health. Humor is God's gift to us. Remember, God has a sense of humor—he made you! To be emotionally balanced, take God very seriously but don't take yourself seriously. Learn to laugh at your limitations. There is plenty of material. If you only laugh and enjoy life when your problems are all solved, you'll never enjoy life.

It only takes a minute.......

Getting ready for school this morning was quite stessful as it's Red Nose Day and there is a list of 'unfair' rules and regs for dressing down that must be adhered to :

• No Red Noses incase you can't breathe
• No dyed hair
• No trainers unless thay have red on them
• etc

So we had a constant rant of complaints which getting dressed and then the phone rang (8:25am)

Joe - I have left my phone on a bus, the 252 and the reg number is.....can you ring and find out where it is please - see ya!

Internet assists me in finding the phone number and E and T are edgey now as they have a fear of being late for school, so cries of 'Please can you ring as we are walking along' echo through my head!

We are walking along, I ring the number and then E panics and says she has left something at home which she needs, so while explaining to the woman on the phone what the issue is, I give E the house keys so that she can go back and get her 'thing'.

The woman on the phone explains that I need another number - do I have a pen and paper? I am walking along the road so no, but I have good memory, so she gives the number and I file it in my brain, where upon T then tells me that E needs a key to get in the house! Um she has the key.

I run back to find that she has got the key stuck in the door and is quite literally trying to knock the door down to get in. I calm her down and open the door, but she then tells me she has her thing - FINE.

We walk along again and I ring the other number, which amazingly I have remembered and a kind guy tells me that they will 'get on the handsets' and see what they can do and will ring me back on my phone which is now running low on battery!

On the way to school we see lots of kids with Red Hair, Trainers and Red Noses which is very annoying to three already highly strung people.

I now have to go to the office to get change for a £5 so the kids can have their donation for the day and go to the Mothers Day Sale which I know nothing about. Also, there will be a cake sale and other fun things which put a strain on the the £2.50 they both now have.

I try to ring Keith to tell him my woes and what to do about Js phone, but my phone now has no image on the screen - trying to save the battery I guess. He then rings me back, but as Ihave no image on the screen I don;t know where to press, so I try him again....and he rings me back and I stab at the screen - lucky guess and we talk.

I have just got into my house and slid down the wall in the hallway in a surrendering kind of way and then decided that the only way to empty my head of this stuff before going to do my job ( yes, ladies and gentlemen, this is just my life - I don't even get paid for this stuff) is to blog it.

Here's to a good day!

The Mom Song.......with the words, but you know them already. You've said them 1000 times !