Have you ever noticed that at times the present is past & the past present?

I know this sounds like an existentialist statement or a conjecture on Sci Fi time travel. But we all face these anomalies in our lives & so today we will be going on the first stage in an exploration of time.

First let us prepare, we need a few essentials for this journey, an all important hot beverage & delicious treat to give us sustenance for the trek. We also need a comfy armchair for this is armchair traveling at its best!

I have my favorite Earl Grey tea & a delicious Almond, blueberry & quinoa muffin… Now we’re ready let’s take off to the lands that time forgot or has it!

The Desert Bad Lands

These areas are hot, dry arid lands with little rainfall, the landscape has over the eons been eroded by desert winds & flash flooding creating the most exquisite sculptured beauty.

My late husband Ed & I toured Australia’s Bad Lands known as the Outback over two annual holiday road trips. We loved it so much we were planning a third road trip the following year across the Nullarbor to Perth.

Our first tour was visiting historic towns, land marks & places of interest such as Birdsville in the Simpson Desert, travelling the famous Strzelecki Track to Cameron’s Corner.

Then to Barcarldine where the first labor Union meeting in Australia was held, under a huge Ghost Gum that became known as The Tree of Knowledge & lived 180 years before it was poisoned by some unhappy voter, the remains can still be seen!

In our second outback tour we traveled to Longreach to see the Stockman’s Hall of Fame. Then to Alice Springs, visiting our iconic Uluru (aka Ayer’s Rock) which has to be seen to be believed, it is the world’s largest monolith & it’s the size of a mountain!

Then driving on down to Coober Pedy where our beautiful opals are mined. And where many residents live underground. In carved ‘dug out homes’ to escape the extremes of the outback desert heat by day & its freezing cold temperatures by night.

Hot, Dry & Arid Seasons

I’m sure all of us at some time have traveled through dry periods in our lives that felt as though we were traveling through a parched land.

Hot, dry & arid seasons where we experience little spiritual rainfall, where our faith is severely tested in situations that leave us wondering, struggling & panting for our spiritual thirst to be quenched.

Where hot searing winds of adversity by day & freezing cold temperatures of heartache by night, whip around our souls causing a flood of pain & confusion.

But through these painful seasons a much deeper force is at work…a powerful presence that can not be ignored.

One such season for me was when Ed & I had not long returned from our second outback tour. My sweet husband who was such a strong, gentle, kind & loving man was not well.

I had noticed subtle changes in his demeanor during that second trip. These subtle changes had become more & more pronounced on our return. Being a professional Clinical Counselor I saw that these changes were worryingly consistent with a progressive neurological decline.

After having an MRI scan, he was diagnosed with the most aggressive form of brain tumor (cancer), a Glioblastoma Multiforme Grade 4. The prognosis was terminal with approximately 6 – 12 months of life left, at best!

Sadly from that diagnosis to his death, was only twelve weeks… Going through those weeks which included his emergency neurosurgery, ushered in for me a spiritual journey through the desert Bad Lands.

You see we had only been married two & half years, when this diagnosis & prognosis was given. I felt this was so unfair, as we had found so much joy, love & happiness together.

A Greater Force At Work

With the hot stinging winds of supporting my husband through a terminal illness while running our 800 acre sheep & wheat farm by day. And in the long cold nights of facing a prognosis of widowhood, I clung to my heavenly Father for His comfort & strength.

But those winds were doing a far greater work then I could possibly have realized during that time.

Those winds of adversity were actually drawing me into a far deeper experience with Him.

And as the soothing rains of God’s grace & mercy fell upon my grieved & distraught soul…I could see the most beautiful wild flowers of His love & beauty sprouting.

This time left the most beautiful sculptures upon my soul that definitely have His signature, ones full of love & strength.

Sculptures…

• Called Trust, for He is always present in any situation I may face in life.
• Another is Love & Compassion, in Him they are all encompassing.
• The last is a beautiful sculpture of Comfort, for He has kept His promise & never left my side.

“God Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. I will not, I will not, I will not in any way leave you…Assuredly not!”

Hebrews 13:5

At this time each year, I find myself traveling back to review the past & present beauty of these sculptures of God’s love for me. As Ed’s diagnosis, emergency neurosurgery & prognosis all happened in the month of May.

Brain Cancer Cure

May is also Brain Cancer Awareness month here in Australia! So, I thought it was time to share a little more of my journey with you, as I have above.

There is still no cure for brain cancer, this insidious disease does not discriminate between age, gender or race…it attacks babies through to seniors in every people group on this planet & its impact is absolutely devastating.

So please consider supporting brain cancer research in your country…so a cure can be found & this disease can no longer take our loved ones!

Here are a few links…if your country isn’t below just search under Cancer Research…

Australia *  The Kids Cancer Research Project

USA *            Brain Tumor Reserach

UK *              Brain Tumour Research

May each of us count the blessings in our lives each day…

Until next time,

Jennifer

You’re most welcome to join me in The Reading Nook

Or in Prayer

---

© 2020 Jennifer M. Ross, teawithjennifer.blog All Rights Reserved. Photos on Pexels.com * Disclaimer: I do not receive any financial gain from these organizations.

Blog Party link ups