What if "Until Next Time" means "See you in Heaven"?

Sorry, emotional release here...

I had to say goodbye to a friend today. She's moving just about as far away as she can without leaving the country.

I say goodbye to lots of friends here. Living long term in a largely transient town means that every year there are friends working for mines that close who get shuffled off to the next location, defence friends come and go with sad frequency, many others "do their time" so they can earn their return to the "big city"... it's jus the way it is. Some you get really close to, others you don't. I don't form many tight close friendships so usually the goodbyes are just the regular kind of rough... this one wasn't. Not long after they moved here N, her husband (P) and their 1 year old son (A) came along to our church and N & A came to our playgroup. We clicked... we were so different, but so much the same. I feel like that's kind of the basis of most good friendships. She needed a friend who would take her as she was (ups and downs related to a past injury), I needed a friend who would take me as I was (scatterbrained and messy). We fit well together. She didn't judge me for the state of my housekeeping, in fact she offered to help me out (folding seems more fun with a friend, after all). I didn't mind if she had to cancel plans at the last minute or rearrange plans to fit with her health, I'd just go with the flow.

Do you ever wonder what our heavenly reunions will be like?

Today we had to say goodbye. They leave on Sunday for their new posting in Hobart. HOBART! There were tears. Both of us realise that even though I am desperate for a Tasmanian holiday (I was telling A (now 4yo) how lovely it will be that it's so green there since we are in drought here and he said "No, it's WHITE there because it SNOWS!!") and even though she has a brother up here who she may possibly come and visit or they may possibly by posted back here by the army at some point, it's all "what if" and "maybe". The only assurance we have that we will see each other again is the faith we both have that Jesus has promised that those who love him will one day be in Heaven.

Whenever I consider that day I'm never really sure what that meeting will be like. Will we seek out a reunion of our earthly relationships? Will all else pale in comparison to being in Christ's glory? I don't know. But I know that sometimes, "Until next time" is very likely to mean "See you in Heaven". 

Conversations with Confusion.

mmmm, vanilla cupcake

Lion: "Mum, my shirt, It's not green!"

Mummy: "You're right sweetie, it's not green is more khaki."

Dragon: "Our car has khaki!"

Mummy:  "what? No our car is silver."

Dragon replies in an exasperated voice, and starts speaking slowly for silly Mummy to understand.

"No. Muuuuum. It's HAS khaki! Hur-umm" (last bit is his frustrated noise)

Mummy: "What part of our car is khaki?"

Lion: "Mum he is saying our car has CAR-KEYS, you know to start the car."

(In Australia we pronounce that muddy green colour "kar-kee" (with a soft 'r' sound... I'm not good at all those phoneticy explanations)

a reecacino for Dragon (named after one of their kids, I think)

I just walked into the toilet to find Lion standing there pants around his ankles covering his mouth, nose and ears with his hands.

Mummy: "What are you doing?"

Lion: "I'm breathing through my butt"

Mummy: Stares in stunned silence.

Lion "I can you know, I can breathe through my butt".

Mummy: Turns away still in stunned silence but now pondering why on earth he needed to cover his ears too... can he breathe through them as well?

the best babycino I have ever seen

We went out for morning tea this morning with a very pregnant friend and her little guy.  It was a lovely morning, at a very child friendly cafe.  There were none of those "looks" that you get that are filled with daggers if your child so much as lifts their backside off the seat. They must want them to suffocate.  Instead there was a whole stack of highchairs in one corner all in good working condition.  Half the tables were black... With chalk containers on each table for the kids to draw ON THE TABLE!  There was a big set of shelves with plenty of toys.  There was a whole kids menu with a great variety, not just a little section in the main menu with a couple of things like frozen chicken nuggets and fish fingers.  It was FANTASTIC.  The best thing was that Dragon didn't like the vanilla cupcake I bought for him so I got to eat that too!  The following "conversation" was partly in my head and partly Monkey's own words.

my orange cake with lime syrup and cream

(I think this is the most 'homemade' tasting thing I have ever had in a cafe,

the good kind of homemade, it was delicious!)

The kids are all getting tired, we put away all the toys and do a quick tidy of our table and start to leave.  I turn around and while we were tidying Monkey has lay down on the floor too worn out to carry on, he looks up at me...

Monkey: waving "Buh" General translation: "Bye". My translation: "go on without me"

Mummy: "It's time to go"

Monkey: waving/shooing me away "Buh".  My translation: "I'll only slow you down, just leave me here"

Mummy: "hop up, it's time to head home"

Monkey: looking up at me tired and defeated he waves me on... "Buh" My translation: "you've got to leave me here, I'll be fine, you go on without me"

Mummy: scooping up the poor defeated soul... "come on kid, you know our rule 'no one left behind' "

Monkey: waving to all in the cafe as we head out the door "Buh". Translation: "Bye"

I think he just wanted to stay and get some more of that good food!

the aftermath.

The name of the place we went was "Betty Blue and the Lemon Tart".  Dragon asked me 50 times on the way there what it was called.  In the end he just started calling it "The Lemon Tart and the Blue Balloon"... I think that's going to stick.

The really scary thing about these conversations is that I just went to a public meeting with a bunch of adults getting up and having their say and I did occasionally have the thought cross my mind that talking with my kids makes more sense than what some of them were saying... I also had the though cross my mind that some of them were talking out of their... well, anyway, that's all for today.

"Buh"

PRAISE GOD

Benn has been found and is okay!!!

He was found late this afternoon and was dehydrated but okay. The rescue helicopter spotted him and he was airlifted to hospital.

God was absolutely looking after him. He was found so late in the afternoon that there was probably an hour of light left for searching today. The rescue helicopter spotted him which they doubted would happen because of the incredibly dense canopy in the area. Disorientation and dehydration seem to be the biggest problems he had.

The area he was lost in has drop offs that just creep up on you. The tracks are rough enough to walk along, the ground off the track is a cobweb of hidden tree roots and rocks and vines to get you an injury quick smart. It's quite an elevated area so it's a lot cooler there than in town here and he spent two nights out there wearing shorts, shirt and a jumper (I'm assuming it wasn't anything particularly warm since no one round here actually owns anything particularly warm).

Thank you for your prayers for Benn and Michelle. Please also pray that Benn's mum will see God's hand in the protection of her son and will open her heart to the Son of God.

Please Pray.

Please pray for this guy.

Search on for Man Missing in North Queensland

His name is Benn, he is the husband of a friend Michelle. They were married in January and Wolf and I attended their wedding. Michelle and her sister volunteered in our bookshop about 6 years ago and she has also sold Tupperware with me for a short time. Michelle's mum was my midwife at the start of my labour with Lion.

I'm not sure what sort of updates I'll hear, probably through the news and through facebook friends so it may be bits and pieces here and there. I'll be sure to update if I know anything more.

*The ABC website was down for maintenance over night so if you tried to read the article you probably only got some piece on Gordon Nuttall's dramas come up. The article is back now.