Cathy Le Feuvre

A Thought for New Year

Happy New Year!

I pray blessings on you all this coming year ... may it be a peaceful, healthy, and happy 2024 for you!

It's interesting, isn't it ... how we put so much store in the passing of this one day into another?

Is there anything 'special' about January 1st really? After all, it IS just another day. The sun rises every day and every day we are presented with another 24 hours and we may decide to either spend it well and wisely, or not.

Of course, there IS something significant about the start of a New Year because it allows us an opportunity to stop, and think, if only for a moment in the midst of the mayhem of partying (if that's your thing).

We may think on the year that has passed, the people we have been blessed with, the kindnesses we have experiences, the loved ones we have lost not just in the past 12 months but before that ... people who were once part of our New Year, and who like us, once started their year with hope and happiness and yearnings, and laughter and tears.

At New Year we may take time to give thanks for all the blessings we have. As a person of Christian faith, I give thanks to the Almighty for everything I've been granted in this life and pray that I may be aware of His presence and guidance in the unfolding days.

But then, I ask myself ... surely I should be doing that EVERY morning? That sort of gratitude should be for every day.

I have a calendar which is full of helpful mindfulness thoughts - some religious, most not - which I have in my kitchen and which I find inspirational. Having walked through last year with it, this morning (on January 1st), I have turned it back to the start of the year. I will travel with it again in 2024 ... perhaps gaining new insights from every daily thought the second time around.

And before this year really gets underway, I am reminded about the importance of greeting each new day, not just New Year's Day, with that sense of gratitude for the time we are given on this earth. And to make EACH day a blessed day full of opportunities, love and gratitude, kindness, wellbeing and success and happiness and contentment ... and whatever we wish for ourselves, dream of and pray for.

In the words of the philosopher poet Ralph Waldo Emerson ... whose wise words were the thought for Dec 31st on my calendar.

'Write it on your heart ... that every day is the best day of the year'

Be blessed everyone!

 

A Life of Duty

Sixty years ago today, Queen Elizabeth II was crowned Queen of the United Kingdom. 

It was June 2 1953 and the country, and the wider world,  was buzzing with the excitement of the occasion. An estimated 11 million people listened into the Coronation Ceremony on the radio and a further 27 million people in Britain watched on TV. This in the days when TV sets were still a rarity, many many people used the Coronation as the excuse to buy their very first TV and those who did not do so gathered in neighbours' or family sitting rooms to watch the ceremony live on the strange little box with the black and white pictures which took centre stage in the home for that day. 

When Elizabeth took her oath of consecration, was crowned and invested with all the regalia and titles that come with being the British monarch, she didn't just become Queen of the UK but of many other nations including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan and Ceylon.

What an overwhelming responsibility for someone aged just 25!

Admittedly she had been raised as a Royal and would have been aware from her earliest moments that she lived in a world where duty was an overwhelming principle. Elizabeth Alexandra Mary was the grandaugher of King George V and Queen Mary, but her father, Prince Albert Duke of  York,  was second-in-line to the throne, so Elizabeth and younger sister Margaret were not born as certain front runners for the eventual job of monarch.

That was until Elizabeth was 10, when her Uncle David (King Edward VIII) , who had succeeded to the throne after the death of George V in January 1936, decided in December that year to abdicate the throne so he could marry Wallis Simpson, a twice divorced American with whom he had fallen in love.

From the moment her father ascended the British throne (he took the regnal name George VI), the young Princess Elizabeth would be groomed for a life as monarch. Her duty to her country would have been quietly processing in her mind and heart, her at-home private education would have prepared her for the eventuality of a life of service, where her own wishes and desires would need to be suppressed. From that moment it was not about her - Elizabeth the private individual, the woman, the wife, the mother - but about the greater good, her people.

By the time her father passed away when she was 24 - George VI sadly died of lung cancer on 6 Feburary 1952 - Elizabeth had married her third cousin, Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh -  had two young children and had enjoyed something of a private life, albeit wrapped up in all the responsibilities which came with being Heir to the Throne.

But was she prepared for monarchy? Her background would certainly suggest so, although the loss of her beloved father aged just 56 would have been a tremendous shock and propelled her into the role of Queen many years before she might have expected, and certainly many many years before she would have wanted.

S0, on June 2 1953, she processed through the packed streets of London and the cheers of the crowds to Wesminster Abbey in Central London and amid much pomp and historical ceremony swore the sacred oath of allegiance to her country and its laws. Much as kings and queens of England had done down many centuries, during this solemn Coronation Ceremony, this beautiful, sincere and dutiful young woman took on responsibilities which you and I can only imagine. Apart from being monarch of the United Kingdom and all those other aforementioned countries and dominions, Elizabeth II also became Head of the Commonwealth, and  Supreme Governor of the Church of England.

Down the years, through good times and bad, Queen Elizabeth has 'ruled' with grace and determination. She has weathered the storms of public disapproval and bathed in the love of her people.  She has held her head high during family grief and trial, and shown her compassion and care to the grieving. She has rejoiced with us and mourned with us. She has been the best example of a 'working mum' before that creature became popularised. Although undoubtedly she had lots of help, she has raised 4 children and worked tirelessly, giving of herself absolutely every day.

There have been those who have speculated whether she might one day abdicate in favour of her son Charles, but many commentators have suggested that Her Majesty's sense of duty to the role and to her nation would never allow that. Even now, aged 87, she still remains dedicated to her life of devotion and duty and keeps going, undertaking public duties and always looking immaculate, when many elderly women would be happy to sit at home in their slippers drinking tea and quietly nodding off in the corner of the room.

This second Elizabethan era has stretched entirely across my life and the lives of most of the people I know. For us it's always been Elizabeth and although she is not yet the longest reigning British monarch - Queen Victoria reigned for nearly 64 years from 20 June 1837 to 22 January 1901 -  our Queen Elizabeth is coming close.

Whether you like the idea of the monarchy or would rather see the UK as a republic, there's no doubting this woman has been a wonderful example of dutiful service. She is something for us to be proud of.

So I, for one, think of her today and wish her many more happy years of life and service. I thank her for her life of duty to her people and to her sacred 'calling' as Queen,which was sealed on this day sixty years ago.

And I say, with many many millions more and with true sincerity  .... 'God Save the Queen'.

(Thanks also to http://www.thediamondjubilee.org)

 

 

Finally Climbing My Tree

As a freelance writer, pr, journalist and much more I'm getting to work on SO many interesting projects. But sometimes they're not just interesting, they are inspirational and I also get to mix work with pleasure!

I've known Lisa and Jeremy Davis for years and years - I first met Lisa probably 30-odd years ago through The Salvation Army in the Channel Islands (she's from Guernsey and a LOT younger than me, I'm Jersey!) and then I had the pleasure of making friends with Jeremy!

I saw them in May this year at a big Salvation Army event in London and I had quite a shock - Jeremy seemed to have halved in size!

He's always been a big, cuddly, smiling, friendly kind of guy .... and he was still smiling, friendly and happy but he had also lost an amazing amount of weight.  I, and apparently many more of his friends, were intrigued as to how he'd managed to shed so many pounds and, a few months later when the three of us met over a cup of tea in a hotel overlooking the harbour in Jersey, Jeremy told me that SO many people had asked for the secret of his weight loss that he'd started to write down his story.

What has followed is a few astonishing months in which the ever enthusiastic, massively hardworking and creatively positive Jeremy has not only completed the book but has now had it published!!! It's called Finally Climbing My Tree - Lost 70lbs Found Myself.

Throughout  this period Jeremy has learnt much more than how to write a book. He's also got a handle on all the (many) complicated things needed to get it to press. 

 

Here's the proof. If you've ever wanted to know what 1,000 paperbacks look like, this is it!

Now before you all start yelling  'OH NO, Not ANOTHER diet book!' let me stop you! 

Finally Climbing My Tree is NOT a diet book - Hallelujah! - and it's not even just about losing weight, although that's an amazing story in itself. It's not simply the tale of how Jeremy finally, after years of struggle, took control of his weight, but also the narrative of how this led to much more control over many more areas of his life.

As Jeremy INTENTIONALLY decided to change his attitude to food, exercise and life, he altered not just his waistline but also his entire outlook on life. Although he's always been a strategic thinking, well planned and resourceful positive person, his weight loss journey has sparked a whole new way of thinking for Jeremy which has left him more self confident, determined and intentional.

You'll note that word again - Intentional - and apart from the book, this past few months has also resulted in the creation of 'Intentional Group', a new company which will come alongside people to help THEM become more 'intentional' in many areas of their lives and 'to help make the unbelievable believable'.

I love the concept of 'Intentional' because I guess it's where I have come from in many aspects of my own life. Although along the way I've sometimes prevaricated, I'm definitely a believer that if you want something to happen, you can make it so! If you want to be happy then thinking and acting positively can help. If you are determined on a particular career path then working hard and taking the opportunities can lead to open doors. It may take sacrifices and the cards might not always fall the way you want them to, but determining to be intentional in your life is far better than just ambling along and hoping for the best. Conversely,  if you think the worst will happen then it probably will. I know life is much  more complicated than that but I've proved many times that when I've intentionally planned and have worked towards an aim, I'm much more likely to achieve it!

I've been privileged to walk this last few months with Jeremy and Lisa and other friends as we've worked on getting the book to print, the website created and so much more. I've absolutely loved working on the text with him, and I thank Jeremy for getting me involved. I'd like to thank Jeremy for this inspirational book and concept. And I look forward to the Intentional Resources future!

So, Finally Climbing My Tree - Lost 70lbs Found Myself is  now available.  I've read it (several times) and am trying to implement part of the system which I hope will also make an impact on my own expanding waistline. I'll keep you informed.

If you're interested in getting hold of the book, Finally Climbing My Tree - Lost 70lbs Found Myself is on Amazon here and also available through the Intentional Resources website here

 

 

New Year Resolutions?

I don't know about you but it's been a long time since I made a New Year's resolution. I used to do it regularly in past times but in those days most of the pledges I made to myself were either unrealistic or I failed at the first hurdle. I got to about the third week in January and depriving myself of chocolate and all the other delightful things in life, or forcing myself to exercise for an hour a day, or creating a 'perfect life' just didn't happen. They seemed good ideas, but were largely unattainable in the timescale I'd set myself. We humans are like that - we set ourselves goals and expect immedite results, forgetting that sometimes good things take longer to happen.

I know what you're thinking - she's got no sticking power. Give it more time. Work harder. You're right, of course, but let's be honest - how many of us make a New Year's resolution and then say to ourselves 'and we'll reach this goal in the next five years' ?  We want our dreams and we want them NOW and when we don't get them immediately we lose heart and fall off whatever wagon we've hitched ourselves to. We forget that the 'resolutions' we make at New Year, if we truly want them, should be made every day - not just once a year.

But the idea of making some personal committments, setting some 'do-able' targets for my ambition and creativity and being realistic about time-scales still intrigues me. These days, though, I'd rather resolve first to daily create better relationships, build a more positive and optimistic mindset, and to ensure I grow my faith rather than chasing unrealistic and rather selfish and unobtainable goals. If the blessings I hope for and dream of come that'll be wonderful. And hopefully, if I keep alert and remain grateful for what I am given every day, I'll even recognise them when they arrive! 

Please feel free to read my 'Don't forget to....Say Thanks!' Daily blog  and also link to the 'Don't forget to ...Say Thanks!' Facebook page to join a community of Thanksgivers.