Falling Plates

This video was shared with us at church today.

 

 

 

I wanted to share it with you.

I am thankful for the relationship that I have with Jesus Christ and that He has never let go of me through some of the most difficult times in my life. In fact, not only has He walked the path with me, He has, at times, carried me along it.

 

All you have to do to have a personal relationship with Him is open your hearts, confess the sin in your life, ask for forgiveness and receive Him into your life.

That doesn't mean tomorrow we won't slip up and sin again...we all do! But by His grace we receive forgiveness and the opportunity to start anew each day.

It doesn't make us perfect...I am far from it! But I can promise you, that a relationship with Him offers completeness that you never knew you needed...We all have a 'Jesus shaped' hole in our life that we fill with so many things that bring us temporary pleasure or happiness but ultimately we never find what we are really looking for...until we find Him.

 

Pray, talk to Him. He is interested in you, He wants to hear from you. He loves you.

 

John 3:16 says
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

John 14:6 says

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

Puppy love

   We have a new addition to the family. A puppy called Mylo!

If I am being honest, I have never had much interest in dogs and certainly never thought I'd own one!

But a few months ago now, back in the Autumn, I remember watching a programme about Battersea Dogs home.
I watched with interest as we were introduced to all different breeds of dog, each with it's own sad story as to why it had ended up at the home.
People from all different walks of life and backgrounds came to look at the dogs to see if they could offer them a good home and some of the stories relating to this were quite emotional. To see dogs that had been neglected or mistreated going to a good home was so heartwarming and the dogs were so happy as well as their new owners!

The same night as I had watched the Battersea Dogs home programme, the girls and I ended up watching another programme about dog owners who walked their dogs on Wimbledon Common.
It was so interesting as each owner had a story to tell about their lives and also what the dog meant to them.
I was fascinated about the relationship that each owner had with their dog and how in tune they were with each other.
One woman had become homeless but the dog remained with her as she lived in a hostel and she shared that if it wasn't for the dog she didn't know how she'd get through the day.
Another couple had lost their son and taken on a dog because they knew it would be a focus for them, to help them through their grief and again they shared how the dog brought them happiness in what was a very difficult time.

Of course, the girls then started with their usual plea of 'Please can we get a dog...it will be no bother...we'll look after it!" and so on.
But this time, instead of fobbing them off and giving them all the usual excuses I felt that perhaps I was meant to watch those programmes that particular night and that night as I said the bedtime prayers with the girls, I prayed that if a dog was meant to be part of our family then so be it!

Some time later, my sister shared with me about a lady that comes in the bank where she works, The lady had a dog with her and when Donna admired the dog, the lady shared that she had suffered from extreme anxiety and nerves and was fearful of going out but since having the dog, her life had changed dramatically.
She shared how the dog was a great comfort to her and helped sooth her anxiety and fears and also helped her to get out the house because she felt she had a little helper with her all of the time.

As some of you may know, my middle daughter has been suffering with anxiety and fear and struggles to get out but the idea that a dog might help made me seriously consider it.
Could a dog be the therapy Laura needed? On the other hand would I be able to cope?!

Last year I bumped into an old friend and she was walking her new dog. He was a medium size black dog with soft curls and was so cute!
I asked her what breed he was and she told me he was a Cockapoo, a Cocker Spaniel and Poodle cross breed.

She told me how he didn't shed hair and was good for people with allergies and that he was house trained really quickly.
I saw her a few times after that whilst she was out walking him and always admired her lovely dog.

So, after seeing the programmes on television and then hearing Donna's story about the lady who came in the bank, it got me thinking about a Cockapoo...would that be the right dog for us?
And I would have to convince Phil... He wasn't too keen on the idea when I'd mentioned it previously.
But he didn't take too much convincing! Whilst we were watching a film at new year he admired a dog in the film 'I bought a Zoo' and said how nice it would be to have a little dog sat next to him as he watched the film...I sold him the idea of a dog quick smart! His heart softened and he opened his mind to the idea and agreed it might be a good thing for our family and for Laura.

I came home from work one day to find Laura had been looking up Cockapoos on the Internet and she had come across a breeder near Burnley in Lancashire who bred not only Cockapoos but Labradoodles too. They are Labradors crossed with a Poodle.
The website stated that they had a litter of Cockapoos, 4 boys and 2 girls, ready to go to their new homes from the 5th of February.
There was a link on the website to a video taken of the puppies at around 6 weeks.





When we looked at the video we really liked the look of a little golden, boy pup who was very lively at the front of the litter, peering into the camera! And so I sent an email to the breeder and she confirmed the same day that he was available for us to reserve with a £50 deposit... and so we did!

I knew in my heart that it was meant to be. I had prayed about it and felt like the jigsaw puzzle of stories, programmes and bumping into old friends all told me something...Get the pup!

The girls were so excited and started thinking of names for him. They scrolled through pages of dogs names on the Internet and jotted the ones down that they liked.
It was Sarah that came up with the name Mylo. The girls love the band 'Coldplay' and their latest album is called 'Mylo Xyloto' and so Mylo was added to the list. It didn't take long for them to all agree that Mylo was the name they all wanted to call him and so Mylo it is! And I think he really suits his name.

The breeders lived on a farm in Nelson near Burnley and we planned to go to see our pup on Saturday, 2nd of February.
We got some things in ready for our new arrival. A dog bed, a puppy crate and some food, bowls and a few toys.
That Friday, Phil my husband rang me to say he was really unwell and there was no way he could come home that weekend...
The girls were desperate to go and meet Mylo and so I decided I would have to make the journey down the motorway even though I'm not keen on motorway driving! There was no way the girls were going to wait until the following weekend!
However, my very kind brother in law, on hearing that Phil was ill, offered to drive us down there and I must admit to feeling relief at that!

On the Saturday morning we all woke pretty early, unheard of when it comes to my girls and excitedly got ready to meet our new puppy! It was a beautiful sunny day and I felt peace with the decision we had made to get a dog.
Sadly, Laura didn't feel able to come with us. Her anxiety was too much that day, even though she couldn't wait to meet Mylo, so she stayed at home with my sister, her Auntie Donna.
So, me, my brother in law, his youngest son (my nephew) and my girls, Sarah and Eleanor all travelled down  the motorway, eager to meet Mylo.

The journey went well and we found the farm easily with the directions we'd been given.
Funnily enough, a good friend of mine was born and raised in Nelson, small world!
The farm was high up, looking over the town below. The houses below were terraced and were stone built and you just knew you were in Lancashire.
The farm was surrounded by fields and the sound of barking and horses neighing greeted us as we parked up. As well as breeding dogs, the farm owners owned stables and a saddlery and a horse and its owner were standing in the lane as we parked up.
There was a court yard and behind the gates a few dogs were roaming about. They came up to the gate and barked loudly which sent the owner to the front door.
She welcomed us in and asked if we'd had a good journey and if we'd found them with no bother, which we did.
We stood in a large open plan  kitchen/sitting room with tile floors and an open fireplace.
She opened a door off of the kitchen and in ran Mylo!

Oh, he was so cute and I knew that everything was just right. The breeder had said that if the connection wasn't right on meeting him or if we changed our mind then she would refund our deposit no problem. But our first meeting with our little pup couldn't have gone any better!
He was a little shy but playful too and the girls held him and stroked him whilst I had a look at the rest of the litter who were kept in a small building/barn attached to the main farmhouse. The rest of the litter were very sweet too but I know Mylo was the pup for us.
We also met Mylo's mum, a beautiful cocker spaniel with a brown and cream wavy coat and his dad, a black miniature poodle with a tight curly coat. It was obvious that Mylo looked more spaniel than poodle but as they grow their coat can change so I guess we will have to wait and see what he will eventually look like!

The breeder was very professional and gave us Mylo's family tree, details of his vaccination and when the next one was due and and she told us to get in touch if there were any problems.
It was good to see that Mylo had been well cared for and brought up on a lovely farm for the first 7 weeks and 4 days of his life.

He was great on the journey home and fell asleep on a puppy pad on Sarah's lap for most of the journey...that is until we were 8 miles from home. He suddenly got travel sick! But he was ok and thankfully we were almost home.
The sun shone brightly through the window of the car and Eleanor took a photo of him as he lay on Sarah's lap.
The suns rays shone around his head like an angel...our little blessing from Heaven...and he most certainly is. I felt so peaceful about bringing him into our home and just knew that he was meant to be for us!

As we arrived home, Laura met us outside. She had the widest smile and her cheeks were rosy with excitement. Her eyes were fixed on him and she smiled and laughed as she held him in her arms...I felt a bit emotional knowing that, for Laura, little Mylo could be the breakthrough she needs...
We got Mylo for the whole family but it was Laura that got us thinking of the idea to get a dog and the idea had come to fruition. Mylo was here now, with us, forever.

We all went inside and Mylo went into the kitchen and did a little wee on the kitchen floor! We laughed as he sniffed about and looked around.
My sister Donna and my brother in law were there with their boys plus me and the girls and so Mylo must have felt quite overwhelmed! And then my mum and dad came to see him too! So it was a day of meeting new people and settling into his new home.

A very tired Mylo!

 

Mylo at 9 weeks.

 

That night we put him in his new bed inside his puppy crate, with a blanket and a cuddly toy and he did cry for a good 20 minutes but settled after a while. We had been advised not to go into him when he cried, otherwise, just like a baby, he would cry and expect us to go into him all the time. It was hard leaving him to cry knowing he must miss his mum and siblings but he settled into a bedtime routine really quickly with lots of love and cuddles from us.

Phil was home the weekend after and he loves Mylo just as much as we do! Phil's good at rolling around on the floor playing with Mylo and runs him around the garden on his lead. Every weekend when Phil comes home he remarks how much Mylo has grown! He does seem to grow overnight sometimes. And now when Phil leaves on a Sunday he has one more member of the family to miss!

Mylo learnt to toilet outside really quickly and we only used puppy pads by the patio doors for a week just in case he didn't make it in time!

Mylo has four small meals a day at the moment of dry puppy food, which is what he was started off on but he is also partial to a scrambled egg! He knows when it's being made and it's coming...he stands by the microwave waiting for the 'ping' and gets very excited, wagging his tail and letting out a little bark!

He has already learnt to 'sit' and this week is learning 'paw' where he gives us his paw. He is adorable and if you are friends with me on Facebook you will have seen how I can't resist updating 'my status' about him, usually with a photo...or two!
He will have his second vaccination in less than two weeks and will be able to go out for walks a week after that.
I can't wait to take him 'walkies'! He has been practising on the lead in our back garden and is already getting used to it.
He loves walking in the borders and playings in and out of the heathers!

 

He also had fun when it snowed!

 

He loves the fuss and attention he gets from everyone and I think that he really is the cutest dog in the World!


I'd love to know if you have a dog and what your relationship is like with him or her or perhaps you had a dog growing up that meant the world to you...
Please share your doggy stories, it would be so lovely to hear about them!

I will no doubt write more about Mylo's adventures on this blog from time to time so you will get to know how he's doing and what he's been up to...hopefully nothing too mischevious!


And finally, a video of the Barron Knights singing, 'The Sit Song'. A spoof song about Barbara Woodhouse's methods of dog training from her days on the television back in the 1980's

My sister, Donna, thought it was was funny and shared it with me...It really made me laugh and I'm sure it will make you smile too!

For Valentines day: How we met...A true love story!

Let me tell you the story of how Phil and I met...

Well, it's not the way I thought I would meet my husband!
As many of you know, I was married before and sadly it ended unexpectedly for me. I really was heartbroken for a long time. I thought I would never be able to trust again, love again or feel love for someone again. And more to the point....would anyone love me? A single mum with 3 young children.

In 2007, three years after my first marriage ended, I was sat on the sofa one night enjoying a glass of wine, watching a movie and felt very alone. I felt overwhelming sadness that I was on my own. I loved my girls with all my heart and had so much love to give them but I knew that I also felt there was love in me to love another. What a waste it would be to go through life knowing that not only could I receive love but also give love and share love with another if only I would risk it...and it was a risk. I had been hurt, badly.
Did I want to put myself in that situation again? But then if I didn't I would never know.

But where would I find love? They say you find love when you are least expecting it but for me I wasn't out there to find it. My time was taken up with looking after the girls, the home and going to work. It was only rarely that I would go for a night out with friends.

So, my mind pondered all of this and I decided I had to be pro-active. If love wasn't going to find me, I was going to find it!

One afternoon I opened up Google on the Internet and typed in Christian Dating sites. As a christian, it was important to me that I found someone who shared my faith. But ultimately, as long as that person was kind, loving and caring and accepted my beliefs that was all I  wanted. He didn't have to be going to church every week,  just have good moral values and a kind and loving heart.
I wasn't looking for a husband, just friendship and romance and was happy to see if things would develop into more...little did I know!

A site came up called Link Christians. It told me it was free for the first month and how much success the site had had. It looked promising as I put in my details and it found matches for the criteria I had selected.

A few photos and details appeared but one photo and profile in particular really stood out to me.

His face was kind and he had a twinkle in his blue eyes. I found him attractive and as I read his profile felt that I should send him a 'smile'. This was the way you let someone know you had viewed their profile and liked what you saw!

His name was Phil and he was in the Army. He shared a little bit about his hobbies and interests and mentioned that he had worked in a special needs school for about 6 years before changing careers and joining the Army.
I am a teaching assistant and so this interested me. It would be a talking point and it was obvious that he liked children which is what I was looking for in a  partner.
He also said that although he was brought up as a christian he hadn't been actively going to church anywhere for quite some time but the foundations were there and he still held onto his beliefs.
I felt ok with that and could understand that army life isn't perhaps the easiest place to be a christian.
He was also from the North west of England, although based in Suffolk with the Army but I thought it might be easy to meet up when he was home. To be honest, I had been on my own for so long, I felt that if he was working away during the week and we saw each other on the weekend, that would be fine for me!

I checked in on the site the next day...and the next day, expecting him to have responded to my 'smile'. But nothing.
The more I looked at his photo and profile I had this feeling that I needed to contact him so that we could establish if there was any interest on his part because there certainly was on mine!
God spoke to me through this strong feeling that Phil was going to come into my life in a big way so I wasn't going to let this opportunity go!

So, I told my twin sister Donna what I was up to.
I had Donna help me put a message together something along the lines of I thought that we had a few things in common and how much I liked his profile. In fact I think Donna typed it for me and sent it because I felt a bit nervous.

Well, I kept checking in on the web site for a few more days but still nothing.
I did receive a few 'smiles' and messages from others though, which helped my confidence and gave me hope that there were actually men out there, that after reading my profile, were interested...even with me having 3 children!

But the guys who got in touch, although very nice, didn't 'float by boat' the same as Phil!

Finally, after nearly a week I checked in on the website and found that Phil had left me a message!
I can't tell you how excited I felt! I had butterflies in my tummy and felt a bit giddy that he'd responded but what did his message say...?

I opened the message and was relieved to find that he liked the look of my profile too and had decided to leave me his email address so that we could exchange a bit more information about ourselves.

I can't quite remember but I'm sure I will have hurried off to tell Donna my big news! She is always the first to know when anything good or bad happens in my life!

We sent each other a few emails and Phil shared with me why he'd taken so long to respond.
He had signed up for the months free membership like me but when I had sent my 'smile' his free membership had expired and he would then have to pay the £12.00 a month to access the site.
He'd received my 'smile' but couldn't see my details and so debated whether or not to sign up again so he could view my profile. Eventually, he paid the £12 and accessed my profile. I'm so glad he did!

We exchanged emails and went on online messenger and chatted for a bit and then after about a week decided we should phone each other.
We decided on a day and convenient time. I remember the excitement I felt at the prospect of hearing his voice....

The girls were tucked up in bed when the phone rang. I answered it.
'Hello Marie, It's Phil',  I heard on the other end of the line. How exciting! He sounded very nice, well spoken and he sounded pleased to hear my voice too.

We must have spoken for a few hours! He was so easy to talk to and I remember liking the way he said 'because' ...more like 'becorrs' and he said my voice was deeper than he expected and not so northern...well I guess I have my southern parents to thank for that!

In that conversation we must have covered nearly every aspect of our lives. Our childhoods, family, relationships and ...Cillit Bang!

Yes, very strange I know! But we must have gotten on to talking about cleaning ( I know, what the heck?) and we must have mentioned products we use and ended up talking about the latest product on the market at the time, which was Cillit Bang! I don't even use it...perhaps I tried it, but honestly, what a thing to talk about!

But it didn't put him off! We phoned each other a few more times and then decided to meet.

The date was set, Saturday 30th June 2007.
I couldn't wait to meet him. I woke up that morning feeling quite peaceful about it all not nervous as I had expected.
Phil drove up the motorway that morning to meet us. I say us because it wasn't about just meeting me, it was about meeting the girls too.
I had asked them if they wanted to meet my new friend who I had been emailing and they said they were fine with it. I explained that his name was Phil and he was in the Army and I was excited to meet him. It was important to me that the girls were all ok with it and I would have waited a bit longer to meet him if necessary. But there was no point him just meeting me alone without the girls beacause if the relationship was to develop, the girls were going to be a big part of his life along with me.

I got a phone call  to say he'd set off and then I got another phone call when he was only a few minutes away. He rang to check the directions to the house.

So, knowing he was only a few minutes away I waited by the front door.
My middle daughter, Laura, was playing out in the street with a friend and Phil slowed the car down and spoke out of the car window to her telling her that he was Phil and recognised that she was Laura. They smiled and passed a few words between each other and then he pulled on to the driveway.
I felt excited. He was smiling at me and his blue eyes were twinkling, just like they did in the photo I had seen of him.
As he got out the car and walked towards me, my youngest Eleanor got passed me to say hello first and asked if he did piggy backs!
Phil obliged and Eleanor climbed onto his back! He was stood in the hallway saying hello to us all but with the girls there, I didn't give him a hug or a kiss...not until later!

Looking back it must have been quite overwhelming for him! But he coped very well.
I guess I was very aware of how the girls would react to him and so was careful not to show too much affection but I knew that even prior to meeting him, I had given him a little piece of my heart!
What I did notice was that he didn't hold much eye contact with me. He kept looking down or away when he was talking. I was a little unsure why but he told me a while later that he felt 'overwhelmed by my beauty' and thought 'how am I going to impress her?!'
Ha ha! Honestly, he needn't have worried...I was worried he would think I wasn't what he thought I was in the photograph!
He looked just as I'd expected him to but was a little shorter than I'd thought. He'd said he was 5"11 on his profile when in fact he's probably more like 5"9 and half!
He also commented that I was taller than he thought but I'd been accurate and said I was 5"6, it was just that he was shorter!
I remember he smelt of coconuts too! It was the scent of the toiletries he was using at the time but I liked it.

He also met my twin sister Donna that day...It was important he passed that test, which he did!

And so we all went out together to have lunch and then went to the cinema to watch Shrek.
I sat next to Phil and we sneekily held hands and whispered to each other how glad we were to have met one another. And we had a little kiss too when the girls weren't looking!

At the end of that afternoon, we were very keen to meet again and we arranged to meet the following week because he was on leave. This time, whilst the girls were spending time with their dad, I shared some time with Phil, just the two of us...and love blossomed.

Within a few weeks we were saying I love you to one another...in fact it I think it was Phil that said it first!
Later that summer I met Phil's family.
It was lovely to meet them and I didn't underestimate how they may have been slightly apprehensive about Phil finding love with a divorcee with 3 children but they seemed to accept me and the girls and showed me much love and kindness. In fact it was Phil's brother and sister in law who had encouraged him to go on the dating website to begin with so I have a lot to thank them for!

He was at a point in his life where he had had some long term relationships but none of them had worked out and he was starting to wonder if he'd ever find love and get married.
Phil has said, that he was looking for love in all the wrong places... until I came along!

Phil started coming along to the church I attend. He had been honest with me at the start and said how he'd not been to church for a long time. I'm glad he was open to coming along to my church and before long he was coming every Sunday, getting to know new friends and enjoying the fellowship.
I know since we have been together that his faith has grown as a result of this and my faith has grown in that time also.

Things were going really well and we were very careful to include the girls in all our decisions.
It became obvious that we were meant to be together and we did ask the girls how they would feel if we got married and they didn't have any objections. They got on with Phil so well and he was great with them.
Phil would come up from Suffolk every weekend, driving the 600 mile round trip to spend time with us.
And in March 2008 Phil proposed marriage and I said yes!

I never thought I would marry again after the heartbreak I had been through in my past but I did. I trusted Phil, I loved him and knew it was God's plan for us to be together.
On a beautiful, sunny day, on the 31st of July 2009, just over 2 years after we first met, we became husband and wife and got married at the church we both attend.

It was such a very special day which we celebrated with friends and family.
Sarah, my eldest daughter, walked me down the aisle that day with Laura and Eleanor walking ahead of us. I felt thankful that I'd had a second chance at love, that I could share my life with someone and know true love.

I know for sure God played a part in bringing us together.There is no way we would have met under ordinary circumstances. I lived miles away from Phil and he had no reason to come to my part of the country.
Phil was an answer to prayer. I would never have met him if it wasn't for the internet! How it has made the world a smaller place and a place I now share with Phil.

My Mum and Dad recently celebrated 55 years of marriage...something I aspire to even if that will mean Phil and I will be 90 when and if we get there! But I have seen the way their love for one another has changed, grown and deepened over the years. They really have worked at their marriage and been there for one another in the good times and bad. They are a real inspiration.

Phil and I celebrate 4 years of marriage in July and we have shared many happy times together and created some beautiful memories but I will be honest and say at times it's not been easy. Every marriage has it's ups and downs and we have certainly shared some tough times together along the way, especially during long periods of separation, when Phil has been away in Afghanistan but our love and God's love has brought us this far and I pray it continues to.

I dedicate this blog post to you Phil.

Phil, you are a wonderful, caring, kind and loving husband who is always there for me and I am blessed to have you in my life.


I love you! xxxxx

It's a Twin thing: Part 2

Being a twin means you always have someone in your life to share the good times with but also someone to turn to when the going gets tough and Donna has been the most supportive, loving and caring sister I could ever wish for through the bad times.

When I was around the age of 14 I became quite ill. It was Donna that urged mum to get me to the doctors to get some tests done. She is the one who observed me and spent time with me almost 24 hours a day and she could see that I was unwell. I was eating us out of house and home but losing weight. I was sweating and had a tremor and my heart would race and I'd have palpitations. The blood tests I had revealed an overactive thyroid gland which was affecting my heart and metabolism.
Thankfully, I was quickly put on tablets to help me to feel well again but throughout those teenage years I was quite unwell at times and I was thankful to have had a loving and caring twin sister to support me through it all.
The doctors were concerned that Donna would develop the same problem being my twin but she was ok until after the birth of her first son when she started with similar symptoms and ended up receiving treatment.

Ultimately, my thyroid never stabilised and I ended up having it removed at the age of 20. I remember feelings of relief to get it removed but I know Donna was so worried about me and must have felt quite nervous on the day of my operation. Thankfully there was no 'twin thing' going on that day when the surgeons cut into my neck to remove the gland! I looked like Frankenstein afterwards with about 15 staples in my neck which has left me with a scar to this day but after the operation, Donna spent lots of time with me and helped me on my road to recovery.

The teenage years saw us becoming more individual although remaining close.

We both met our first boyfriends at a similar age, aged 17-18 and by that time, although we still remained very close it felt right to embark on our own journeys of love and later, marriage. Yes, we both married our first boyfriend...
In fact, Donna married a twin! Her wedding photos were great...Donna and her new husband and me stood next to his brother! I always thing they look very alike, although like Donna and I, you can see differences.

Sadly, after 9 years of marriage and the birth of our 3 daughters my husband decided to leave to start a new chapter in his life with someone else. We had been together from the age of 17. I was now 30 and had spent 13 years of my life with him.

Devastated and heartbroken I could not have come through this time without my twin sister Donna.
It seemed so unreal to me. The future I had always thought of was suddenly taken from me. I had no idea who I was as a person.
I had grown up with Donna and then met my first husband at the age of 17 so had always lived my life with someone. Never on my own. I was a young wife and mother, never just 'Marie'.
The months that followed the separation left me feeling emotionally and physically exhausted. The girls were 7, 5 and nearly 3 when their dad left.
I fell into a deep depression and felt so much anxiety about how I would manage to cope with 3 little girls and run a house on my own.
And I felt the pain of rejection. I was no longer loved...not by him anyway.
But I was loved by so many others and Donna most of all.
She helped me every single day to get out of bed and live another day. I remember I used to say,
"I can't do this anymore" and she would say, "But you are doing it Marie, you are doing it and you can do it."

I struggled on...but aswell as Donna being there for me, God was there for me.
He never, ever let go of me throughout it all.
It is when you are in the deepest of pits and in the darkness, when you can't see any light that God shines His light into the darkness and reaches His hand into the pit and lifts you up.
I really felt His protection over me.

He never took my struggles away or the pain I felt but He did use it to mould and shape me into the person I am now. And I completely and utterly put all my faith and trust in Him, always.

My faith grew stronger because of my experience and my relationship with Donna was made stronger too.
I remember talking about my problems over and over...and over again with her but she would just listen and listen and help me some more.
She must have been saturated in my problems but was always there for me even when she had her own things going on and probably had nothing left to give. She not only supported me emotionally but physically and practically too. She looked after the girls if I was having a particularly bad day. She would give me a break when I needed it most. She was the 'cavalry' arriving at my front door when I had no energy or motivation to carry on. She helped carry the load when I felt I couldn't any more.

God and Donna made a great team and helped me through one of the most difficult times of my life.
In fact, I feel God used Donna as a vessel to speak His words directly to me at times and to extend His love and compassion through her. It was no mistake I was born a twin.

Facing this new chapter in my life, I needed to establish a new career as I needed to support my girls financially as well as emotionally and physically.

Donna and I both gained good exam results on leaving school and both did work experience in banks which later led us to a career in banking.
Donna is still working for Barclays bank nearly 22 years later but after having my girls I left banking and with the change of circumstances in my life I decided to train as a teaching assistant, a job I knew I would love. I now also do the administration at school too and enjoy the balance of working with the children and working in the office.

We both work part time and more recently Donna completed a Humanities degree specialising in Literature and gained a First Class Honours Degree! I can't even begin to tell you how proud I am of Donna's achievement! She obviously got more brain cells when the egg split! I cried when she told me her results and she so deserved it after 6 years of hard work, dedication and determination to succeed.

Donna has 2 sons and I have 3 daughters. Donna is so good with my girls and is more than an auntie to them...especially as we both live in the same street and the cousins are often getting together in our houses.
We both moved to the same new housing estate within 6 months of each other but lived in different streets. However, as Donna's family grew she decided to look for a larger house and found one in my street that suited!

And we aren't always in each others houses...I promise! But we do see a lot of each other. And I wouldn't have it any other way. Our husbands are very understanding!

As I have said before. I know why God gave me a twin sister because I couldn't go through life with out her. It is such a special relationship that we have. She truly is a blessing in my life and has never stopped being there for me, through the good times and bad.
We often joke about being old ladies together and the things we will get up to!

Just recently we shared a birthday and bought each other the same birthday present, an owl cushion! We hadn't even mentioned owls or cushions and just happened to buy the same thing.
Yet another 'twin thing'. Even we were a little freaked out by how weird it was!

It still amazes me now when I see another set of twins. I try looking for the differences and wonder what sort of relationship they have. I look at young twins and fondly remember our unique and special childhood and the happy times that we shared.

We will forever be sisters with a special bond.