Suffering in Silence: The Migraine of Life?

This is an MRI image of a migraine.

Migraines can't be seen or heard and, unless you are suffering from one, they can't be felt.

Without three tiny tablets a day I get frequent severe migraines, which means feeling like my head is about to implode, having to be in a quiet & darkened room, violent sickness and can be paralysed for a few hours.


So many people suffer in silence, in many ways, throughout life. It's like they are in a dark, isolated, place with no way of getting away from it.

There is no prevention for this and no miracle tablets. There is, however, an abundance of people around to give support and guidance. All you have to do is ask.

Actions Spoke Louder than Words?

I've recently been doing a lot of thinking about one of the verses in the Gospels - John 11:35, "Jesus wept"
and came up with a 'zone' about it for a Sunday Cafe session a month or so ago.

Sunday Cafe is a group for 15-25s and is a cafe style group which also looks at various issues.
a "Zones" evening consists of a theme being chosen a few weeks before - in this instance it was, "Jesus said..."
The various leaders of the group then plan something based around this - it could involve video, painting, thinking, etc
The young people are then free to go round to them in any order and take however long they want at each.
The zones are created to encourage the young people to think through different things from an angle which they may not have approached them before.

Because the leaders don't plan the zones together, it also means that we get the chance to be involved on this journey alongside the young people, rather than just doing something 'for them'

I was trying to figure out how best to describe this particular zone to you, but have decided just to upload the file for you, should you wish to read it.

Word Document: "Jesus Wept"

The Pen is Mightier than the Sword

It used to be said that

'The pen is mightier than the sword'


When was the last time you picked up a real pen & paper and wrote a real heart-felt letter using real spelling and grammar to a real person delivered by a real 'postie'?

Or do msn&txts make u 4get how2 do dat 4eva? :-p

Oh, That I Could

I saw this video on Sunday Papers.



It looks totally awesome - something I wish I had the guts (and money) to do! I think - like it says at some point in the video - that this would help me live out those amazing dreams where I am able to fly. I'd also like to go into space. The closest I'll get to weightlessness, though, while I'm alive is probably diving - I would well recommend it, it's so peaceful and relaxing.

Indifference

Indifference won't ever really achieve

anything apart from lethargy

It's better to keep grappling with some of the big issues and know that you are passionately for or against something rather than continually & passionately sitting on the fence

Clearing out the Cupboard

This afternoon, helped by Nick & Jo, I cleared out the toddlers cupboard at church. It was completely fully of absolute rubbish. It included old bits of paper, incomplete jigsaws, mouldy paint, and other pointless stuff taking up space.

After the almost two hours and four full bin-bags, it looked almost empty compared to when we began.
If only sorting my own stuff at home could be like this - Claire would certainly be less frustrated with me! The difference? There was nothing in the cupboard at church which held any sentimentality for me what-so-ever.

So why do I, and countless others, apply so much significance to what others would only see as junk that is wasting space? If I had the answer I reckon I'd have far less 'stuff'. It's quite annoying for me, too, because as much as I don't like to get rid of certain things because of cost, sentimentality or because "It will be useful one day" I also hate being surrounded by 'stuff'! I just have to work out what's got the greater value: sentimentality or a clearer house. When I look at the newly cleaned cupboard, I definitely sway towards the clearer house. Not just because it looks better, but also because in looking at the cupboard now, it has order to it, it makes much more sense. I believe that the amount of clutter that surrounds a person has an impact on how cluttered and disorganised their mindset for life can be.

To Block or Not to Block?

If you use MSN Messenger, or other such internet chat facilities, you will know of that great ability to be able to 'block' individual people so that they can't see you are online.

It's quite useful at times I find - although I've learned more and more just to say 'sorry, can't talk now - I'm a bit busy' or even just plain old don't bother going online!

I wonder what life would be like if we had the ability to 'block' others from seeing or speaking to us. Or maybe I don't need to wonder; could it possibly be that many of humankind already do this. Let's take that age old question of, "How are you?" and the typical reply of "Fine" or "Okay". It seems to be that the 'blocking culture' is one that has been around for many, many, years. In the everyday physical world we prevent people from truly seeing us - that is, the real us, as we are, with all the complexities of thoughts and struggles in life. The difference between that and the cyber-world? In the latter, people may not even know you are sat at a computer; in the physical world, other people at least get the chance to see another's face, and are given the opportunity to react and respond to what might be a face crying out for help; even though words may say otherwise.

Round the U-Bend: The Fix-It-Quick Culture

Since Claire & I moved into our apartment in February there is one task which I have constantly failed at trying to achieve:
Getting rid of the smell form the sink, which sends the occasional stagnant waft around the open plan room. It's like the Ambi-Pur plug in freshener from hell.
I've tried various things, but to no avail.
The question is, has my latest attempt fixed the problem for good?
Yes, armed with not much more than a container to catch the excess water, some plughole smell remover and a toothbrush I decided to take the piping underneath the sink to bits and look inside.

First off: the u-bend - what a stink!
Then slowly I took bits off of other bits and saw more and more dark brown/grey ikky, smelly, mess.
I think I may have now located the problem, but at the moment the smell in the open plan kitchen/lounge/dining room is worse than it was before. So having opened windows and sprayed a good load of Oust, it's just time to wait to determine whether our life had been smelled out by possibly years of rotting 'stuff'.

I wonder, now, why I didn't think to go straight to cleaning out the pipes in the first place rather than many futile attempts to just make the smell go away using chemicals.
Maybe it's because I'm so caught up in an instant-fix world that my brain doesn't always allow me to think with proper reason.

Maybe this is the same reason so many friendships, marriages, families, etc. break down - because the instant fix of putting on brave faces, happy smiles and saying, 'I'm fine, thanks!' whilst pushing the crap so far down that it becomes hidden in a dark place and forgotten means that the intricate depths of truth are never really confronted; The things which need taking apart bit by bit and examining, before carefully working together to get rid of the stale remnants of past or recent things which will never be dealt with unless we risk facing a worse smell for a short time.