I’ve been truly dreadful at blogging recently, the school holidays are really knocking me off balance!  I think because the start of the holidays was the start of a new and temporary routine until I start working in August that it’s been harder to find my feet if that makes sense?!

Anyway, it’s SALT challenge day and this week we’ve been set a challenge on prayer by Mona.  I chose to focus on the verses from Psalm 116 which are the journalling on my layout, “I love the lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy.  Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live”.  (Psalm 116:1-2)

SALT prayer

I decided to use two images which immediately come to mind when I think about prayer, particularly if I’m praying at home.  The Willow Tree angel of prayer is one of a small collection of Willow Tree figures that I have in the house.  I love their simplicity and the meaning behind each of the figures.  The other image is of praying hands.  Bryan has one of these ornaments in his study, as do several of our friends.  I’ve kept the layout extremely simple (when do I not?!) and have tried to focus on the verse as much as the images which is why they are quite small.  Supplies used are: Bazzill cardstock, Basic Grey Periphery patterned papers, rub on from a Summer Survival Kit from last year so I’m not sure of the make, a Basic Grey chipboard swirl which I coloured with a gel pen to fit in the colourscheme and the same gel pen was then used to draw on the border.  Not sure about the border now it’s done but the layout was very very plain and looked like I had made virtually no effort!

As a family we’ve had a difficult week with an appointment with the local Child and Families team.  For about a year and a half we’ve been trying to access some support for behavioural difficulties that Iona has with the suspicion that she’s got ADHD.  This was confirmed by the paediatrician we saw in November but it’s taken until now to see the Child and Families team.  Unfortunately it was not the most productive of meetings and it left us all feeling very let down.  We’re not very sure what happens now because they’ve said they want to contact the nursery she’s just finished at and also the psychologist who visited Iona at nursery.  Of course the school holidays mean that there is yet another hold up!  It’s very frustrating when you want to do your best for your child but feel as though you’re shouting into the wind.  The prayer challenge was very timely because it helped me refocus on the fact that God does hear our cries for help and we can always call on him.  So thank you Mona for a thought provoking challenge.

Hopefully I will be updating the blog over the next few weeks – I’ve got layouts to add to the flickr gallery and various updates I should have added in before now!