One year

Okay, one year and one day. I meant to write this post yesterday, but it just didn't happen. We've been in New Zealand now for one whole year. And a day. It's crazy how fast this year has gone. A year of new beginnings, a year of renewed hope and lives rebuilt. It hasn't always been easy and in some ways, is still ongoing. But a good year. It's really been a good year.

The following are images of the "koru", a Maori word describing the unfurling fern frond. It's also used in describing any spiral shape in Maori art. It is popular in most New Zealand tourist shops. The koru symbolizes new beginnings, growth, peace, strength and harmony.


I did not know the significance of the koru when we lived here 5 years ago. I even bought myself a koru pendant made of paua shell, simply because I thought it was pretty. The significance of Maori culture means a lot more to me now.

About 6 months ago, I planned a "Mother Blessing" for a friend of mine, who was about to have a baby. This wasn't a baby shower. It was a mama shower. It was a time to shower my friend with symbolic gifts that represented our wishes for her as a mother, especially during her labour and birth, and as she began raising her new beautiful child. As I researched how I wanted to bless her, the koru kept coming up. And one thing I read really struck me.

The spiral is so significant, not just for what it symbolizes, but also because it represents life. Life moves in a spiral. Our lives go, not in circles, but around and around, in a spiral, and, whether you plan it or not, you end up in the same "places". Not literally, but, for example, with the trials life throws at us, the point is that when you go through a trial, go around the spiral and come back to the same place, the point is that you have grown. You have dealt with the pain and the trial before and so, in some ways, you have risen above and are wiser and better able to deal with the new trial. And around the spiral again, and again, and again, gaining more and more wisdom and strength, and always growing. Always growing.

Yesterday, on our one year "anniversary", we were invited to a BBQ at some friends' in Levin (where we lived the first time). They are moving in a couple of weeks down to Christchurch. We didn't see them a lot this year, but will still miss them. They were the ones who met us in Wellington a year ago. They fed us and were very forgiving as they drove us up to our new home, while we dozed and were, in general, horrible car-mates. They provided us with a huge box of staples for our kitchen and bathroom. They were our first friends in Levin 5 years ago, and also fed us and provided us with "stuff". They are seriously some of the most giving and loving people we've ever met. I'm so glad we could be with them to say farewell.

And I still couldn't get the koru out of my head. Because I wish its significance into our friends' lives. I wish them peace and harmony as they move into their new beginning.

I haven't worn my koru pendant for awhile. Something about having a little one who likes to pull everything that dangles. But he's getting older and understands "gentle" touch. And so I pulled it out and wore it yesterday for the first time in a long time.

And that, my friends, brings me to the point of this post. Haha, and you thought I was just rambling.

I've decided to share a little bit of my New Year's "goals for growth" with you all. Not resolutions. Nope. Growth. I want to grow this year. I want to grow in my relationships. My relationship with God, first and foremost. I want to delve deeper into how he views me as his "daughter", how he views me as a unique and gifted woman of God. I want to fall in love (again) with my Saviour.

I want to grow in my relationships with my husband and sons. Colin and I will celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary this year. I never could have imagined when I married my best friend in the world, where the years would take us. There have been ecstatic, amazing moments, and moments so dark, I wondered how we'd get through. But we did. And we are strong. We are in our 10th year of marriage and it is strong, by the grace of God. The pastor who married us prayed mercy over us during our pre-marital counselling. I think it's our theme. It's a good one. We need to show each other mercy daily. And we need God. Ultimately.

I want to grow with my sons and as their mother. This is where some of the other aspects of the koru come into place. Peace and harmony. I don't know how or why, but I've become a yeller. I hate it. I hate the way my voice sounds when it gets loud, and I can imagine my kids don't love it, either. So, I am praying for peace. I am praying for peace in my own heart and peace in my home. The days I have with these two precious boys are numbered. Ethan turns 6 this month. Where did those 6 years go? Another two sets of 6 years and my boy is 18. And who knows where he'll be off to. I want the precious, short time I have with the children God has entrusted to me, to be spent in peace. In harmony. I believe we model these things. I believe my boys will also be in harmony with each other when they are in harmony with their mother/parents. Well, most of the time, anyway. I'm not THAT naive to think my boys won't ever fight and argue. But a mother, of all people, has the highest hopes and dreams for her children. ;)

God gave our family a new beginning a year ago. I don't take that for granted. I know for a fact that Colin does not, either. He probably felt our new beginning last year even more acutely than I did.

My prayer is that we will bear much fruit from the gift and the gifts God continues to give us. This is my prayer for 2009. And, if you feel inclined, you can pray for me when you think of me. Pray for all 4 of us. I don't think anyone truly grows without being spurred on and encouraged. And I will also pray for you. I pray you all will know peace and growth and harmony in this new year. Especially the peace that comes from our great God.