Big catch-up
It’s been a fascinating week. First of all, I was turned down for the job of my dreams, the job I’ve been chasing and wanting since I was 22. They invited me to interview before I’d even applied, and I was told I was one of the two frontrunners. I found out on Wednesday that I didn’t get it, and while I was briefly completely gutted, now I’m quite excited. Before the interview I prayed very hard that if it wasn’t for me, and if there was something else God had for me to do, no matter what a good candidate I was, they wouldn’t choose me. (That sounds a bit conceited, but when the first thing an interviewer says to you is “When I heard you were interested I thought ‘Whoopee!’” you kind of think you might get the job.) So anyway, I didn’t get it and am really excited about what might be next.
Secondly, the noise from behind the house has reached the levels of insanity. So much so that when I came home on Friday night and heard inhuman screaming and yelling coming from next door, my only thought was “Thank goodness they’re not playing the music.” Of course, that didn’t last long and they turned on the music at 11pm, when Steve and I were too exhausted to get up and go through the whole noise control rigmarole. They went until EIGHT AM. I woke up at 12, at 3, at 5 and then finally at 7:45, too angry to try and get back to sleep. There was only one thing for it. I got up, leaving Steve to try and sleep some more, and went to the Rotary book sale. There was the usual rubbish, and everything on the rare books table (where I went first) was TENDER only! What’s more, the only stuff on the rare table was books with lovely old gilt covers which, while beautiful, are ten a penny at Hard to Find. Apart from one old Kipling volume none of it was especially valuable. So I dutifully bought a few interesting-looking things off the $4 table, then saw a nice old copy of Gone with the Wind. I bought everything, moseyed back to the car and looked at the imprint page. And freaked out. I kid you not, I had unwittingly bought a 1937 first edition (albeit 9th printing) British edition of Gone with the Wind for two dollars. Talk about my day improving.
The day before was almost better though. On Friday I received in the mail a creamy white Crown Lynn swan which I’d bought off Trademe for $30. On the way home that day I went to the Salvation Army op shop, because I’d just bought the most gorgeous forties-looking pencil skirt for $8 a couple of weeks before and was deliberating over the matching jacket. (It’s ugly as sin so I left it there.) I walked in, looked at the ceramic shelf and my heart just about stopped. I saw a black Crown Lynn Swan, bigger than the one I just bought and rarer…for $5. I was at that shelf so fast I’m amazed I didn’t knock anyone down. I took it to the counter almost apologetically, and paid my $5 feeling guilty for ripping them off. (There’s one on Trademe at the moment for a starting bid of $100.) Out of the corner of my eye I saw a lovely little telephone table for $20, and as an afterthought added it to the bill. I took it to the car without looking at it (still hyperventilating over my swan), and only when I got it home did I see that it’s solid rimu with hand-cut dovetails on the drawers. It’s like God was saying “I know life is hard, but here’s some cheap junk to cheer you up.”
But then yesterday God really did speak. We were at church, exhausted and Steve sick from the noise, so I went up to get prayer for us about the situation. After the guy had prayed for us he looked at Steve and said “Do we need to pray for healing for you?”
“I have a cold,” said Steve, puzzled.
“It’s just that God’s saying something to me about arms?” the guy said, still looking at Steve.
“Oh, that’s me!” I said. (I’ve got really bad RSI in my forearms that has just developed in the last two months or so.) Now, I hadn’t said a word about it to anyone, and we didn’t know these people at all. And although they prayed for me and although the pain’s still there, the most wonderful thing for me was knowing that God really is with me, watching over me and knowing the issues in my life. It’s not often that I really see him speak in an amazing way so yesterday was pretty cool for me. I’m also grateful for the swan.
Secondly, the noise from behind the house has reached the levels of insanity. So much so that when I came home on Friday night and heard inhuman screaming and yelling coming from next door, my only thought was “Thank goodness they’re not playing the music.” Of course, that didn’t last long and they turned on the music at 11pm, when Steve and I were too exhausted to get up and go through the whole noise control rigmarole. They went until EIGHT AM. I woke up at 12, at 3, at 5 and then finally at 7:45, too angry to try and get back to sleep. There was only one thing for it. I got up, leaving Steve to try and sleep some more, and went to the Rotary book sale. There was the usual rubbish, and everything on the rare books table (where I went first) was TENDER only! What’s more, the only stuff on the rare table was books with lovely old gilt covers which, while beautiful, are ten a penny at Hard to Find. Apart from one old Kipling volume none of it was especially valuable. So I dutifully bought a few interesting-looking things off the $4 table, then saw a nice old copy of Gone with the Wind. I bought everything, moseyed back to the car and looked at the imprint page. And freaked out. I kid you not, I had unwittingly bought a 1937 first edition (albeit 9th printing) British edition of Gone with the Wind for two dollars. Talk about my day improving.
The day before was almost better though. On Friday I received in the mail a creamy white Crown Lynn swan which I’d bought off Trademe for $30. On the way home that day I went to the Salvation Army op shop, because I’d just bought the most gorgeous forties-looking pencil skirt for $8 a couple of weeks before and was deliberating over the matching jacket. (It’s ugly as sin so I left it there.) I walked in, looked at the ceramic shelf and my heart just about stopped. I saw a black Crown Lynn Swan, bigger than the one I just bought and rarer…for $5. I was at that shelf so fast I’m amazed I didn’t knock anyone down. I took it to the counter almost apologetically, and paid my $5 feeling guilty for ripping them off. (There’s one on Trademe at the moment for a starting bid of $100.) Out of the corner of my eye I saw a lovely little telephone table for $20, and as an afterthought added it to the bill. I took it to the car without looking at it (still hyperventilating over my swan), and only when I got it home did I see that it’s solid rimu with hand-cut dovetails on the drawers. It’s like God was saying “I know life is hard, but here’s some cheap junk to cheer you up.”
But then yesterday God really did speak. We were at church, exhausted and Steve sick from the noise, so I went up to get prayer for us about the situation. After the guy had prayed for us he looked at Steve and said “Do we need to pray for healing for you?”
“I have a cold,” said Steve, puzzled.
“It’s just that God’s saying something to me about arms?” the guy said, still looking at Steve.
“Oh, that’s me!” I said. (I’ve got really bad RSI in my forearms that has just developed in the last two months or so.) Now, I hadn’t said a word about it to anyone, and we didn’t know these people at all. And although they prayed for me and although the pain’s still there, the most wonderful thing for me was knowing that God really is with me, watching over me and knowing the issues in my life. It’s not often that I really see him speak in an amazing way so yesterday was pretty cool for me. I’m also grateful for the swan.