May God Bless Always,
Created and Photo by Katie Robinson
Tuesday 24 January 2023
Our Mother the Shepherd.
As a mother I am a shepherd, shepherding my
little flock, teaching them, feeding them, and loving them with all my heart
and soul. This is my vocation to be a mother who loves her children
unconditionally, without any conditions or limitations. If there is anything I
can teach my children, I would teach them and help them to know the true
meaning of love. This is from one of my favorite verses or chapters in 1
Corinthians 13:4-8, 13. Love is always, patient and kind; it is never jealous;
love is never boastful or conceited; it is never rude or selfish; it does not take
offence, and it is not resentful. Love takes no pleasure in other people’s sins
but delights in the truth; it is always ready to excuse, to trust, to hope, and
to endure whatever comes. Love does not come to an end.
Before I share 1 Corinthians 13:13, I wanted
to say that Love does not come to an end, I believe it is one big circle we go
around and around again. Every day I wake up and I have the chance and
opportunity to fall in love repeatedly. I had a dream, and my dream came true because
I see that dream in my children.
“In short, there are three things that last,
faith, hope and love and the greatest of these is love” 1 Corinthians 13:13.
And that is for sure my love will always
remain with my children for the rest of their lives. Love is a gift from God I
am still imperfect but it’s something I am working on and practicing each day
of my life and one day I will say that I am perfect in love. Until then I
trust, hope, and endure whatever comes because I am destined to be a mother and
destined to share love.
Happy Valentine’s Day! Let me leave you with a
quote.
“In raising my children, I have lost my mind,
but found my soul.” Author Lisa T. Shepherd.
May God Bless Always,
Written, photo and created by Katie Robinson
Our Shepherd.
As we progress on our journey, I wanted to share how important and significant a shepherd is. We are all aware a shepherd is someone who looks after sheep and apparently it is one of the oldest jobs in the world. In Asian Minor, sheep were kept for their milk, meat and especially their wool and for the next thousand years, becoming a shepherd or shepherding sheep spread throughout Eurasia and other parts of the world. It is said that a shepherd carries quite a few items including a rod, a rod with a knob that sometimes has nails to be used as a weapon to protect the sheep from wild animals or threats.
So, what does
the bible say about being a shepherd? Well, in the bible we know that a
shepherd is someone who tends and looks after the sheep and that is what we
have learnt so far, but a shepherd is also someone who leads people, who guides
and protects all people of this world.
So, why are
we called sheep? We are called sheep because we need a shepherd to guide and
protect us. How many of us would stray from the herd because we don’t like the
thought of being told what to do? I know I would’ve but as I grow and learn on
my journey, I understand how blessed I am because as I grow in love my shepherd
grows in love too. Remember we are God’s people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Over the next
few weeks, I will share some beautiful verses from the bible and, a fun video
for children from YouTube explaining the parable of “The Lost Sheep.”
May God Bless
Always.
Written and
created by Katie Robinson
Friday 20 January 2023
Reflections From my Pilgrimage Walk with Saint Mary MacKillop.
The Powerhouse Brisbane
The Customs House Brisbane
The Story Bridge Brisbane
We arrived, parked the car, and strolled through the market
area. Before we reached The Powerhouse, we stopped to listen to music, and
brought some honey. After that we kept on walking where we brought some
sourdough bread rolls and a pkt of strawberries to have on a picnic lunch.
Then we arrived and as I stood on the jetty I looked up and
saw The Brisbane City Council Powerhouse building and I froze but I needed to
capture the moment. I was standing where Mary Mackillop and five other sisters
stood or walked on the 31st of December 1869 after traveling twenty-four
days from Adelaide.
After capturing the moment, I pulled out my map that I printed
off and tried to find where we took our next steps. However, I struggled to
find where we were on the map but luckily enough, we had our phones, so we used Google to guide us. I suppose you could say, times have changed and it’s so
much easier to be a pilgrim. It makes me wonder where Mary Mackillop got all
that courage and confidence without the assistance of Google maps.
Our feet were pointed in the right direction, and we set forth
with our hearts opened on a journey of faith and hope we asked for Saint Joseph
and Saint Mary Mackillop, to pray for us and we asked for God to bless us with strength,
guidance, and patience. However, patience and guidance weren’t a virtue for
some today it was quite the opposite. I am glad though that we took our beach trolley,
and our children are light enough to still pull along and I am also very thankful
for our phones.
We walked through the streets of New Farm and found our way to
the Story Bridge, where I once climbed. As we stood in front of the story bridge,
I could see in the distance the custom house and by this stage my feet were so
sore, but I pushed on and we went down a lift and walked along the New Farm
River Walk.
After stopping and starting
we finally arrived at The Customs House and standing out the front I was
overwhelmed, it was quite daunting, but I remembered reading this remark made
by Saint Mary Mackillop, 1867, “With God’s aid we shall get on and gain fresh strength
and energy for the work.” Believe me that is what we did, we turned around and
went back because after hearing “I am hungry,” “when is lunch.” I knew it was
time to head back and reflect on our walk, our time together as a family and what
I could do differently next time I walk the streets of Brisbane where Saint Mary
Mackillop walked?
May God Bless Always.
Written, Photos and created by Katie Robinson
First Steps with Saint Mary Mackillop
Today I begun walking the streets of Brisbane where Saint Mary
Mackillop walked.
I love this quote from Saint Mary Mackillop, 1867, “We are but
travelers here.” This quote reminds me that our lives are journeys, and we are
to move around making differences in people's lives by the way we are called to
do so. We are also called to make changes and a difference within ourselves by
growing and rediscovering who we are and what our purpose is.
This pilgrimage is something I have been wanting to do for a
long time now. I journeyed with my family and together we decided to use the frangipani
as a symbol and reminder that “God is so very good to us all” Saint Mary
Mackillop, 1872. And God is very good to us even when we doubt, feel anxious, afraid,
frustrated, or angry.
I am going to break the walk up and do a little bit at a time hopefully
doing it once a month. We started the pilgrimage at The Powerhouse, and we made
our way to The Custom House here in Brisbane Queensland. Overall, it took my
family and I 4 hours to do, it was quite challenging to do a walk that big with
my children, but we persevered and kept on going.
My hope at the end of this pilgrimage is for my family and I to
have grown closer together and closer to God. Another hope is to be the
traveler who sees much beyond the surface of things meaning there is lots to discover,
and I hope I can become more knowledgeable and familiar with Brisbane.
Well, I will leave it there until next time I walk the streets
of Brisbane.
May God Bless Always,
Written, created and photos by Katie Robinson.
Friday 6 January 2023
A Spirit Who Gives Us Gifts.
May God Bless Always, Women of Faith and Hope by My Mother Rose
Created by Katie Robinson
A Spirit Who Unites Us.
May God Bless Always, Women of Faith and Hope by My Mother Rose.
Created by Katie Robinson
A Spirit Who Renews Us.
May God Bless Always, Women of Faith and Hope by My Mother Rose.
Created by Katie Robinson
A Spirit Who Brings Us Freedom.
May God Bless Always, Women of Faith and Hope by My Mother Rose
Created by Katie Robinson
A Spirit Who Brings Us Joy.
May God Bless Always, Women of Faith and Hope by My Mother Rose.
Created by Katie Robinson
A Spirit Who Lives In Us.
May God Bless Always, Women of Faith and Hope by My Mother Rose.
Created by Katie Robinson
Wednesday 4 January 2023
A Spirit Who Strengthens Us.
May God Bless Always, Women of Faith and Hope by My Mother Rose.
Created by Katie Robinson
A Spirit Who Fills Us
May God Bless Always, Women of Faith and Hope by My Mother Rose.
Created by Katie Robinson
Tuesday 3 January 2023
A Spirit Who Teaches Us.
May God Bless Always, Women of Faith and Hope by My Mother Rose.
Created by Katie Robinson
A Spirit who guides us.
May God Bless Always, Women of Faith and Hope by My Mother Rose.
Created by Katie Robinson
A Spirit who helps and prays with us.
May God Bless Always, Women of Faith and Hope by My Mother Rose.
Created by Katie Robinson
The Spirit.
Throughout Advent, I joined a connect group and we would read the Gospel and reflect with some questions. Overall, I concluded and now understand more fully that God is always with us. Like any person or pet we have loved and has passed away we can sometimes feel them, or we may have a sense that they are around. It could be a familiar smell, yellow butterflies, or something random your child might say to you.
Well, I feel it’s the same I can feel God, Jesus, the Hoy
Spirit through a gentle breeze, a breeze that makes me feel safe and at home. I
see God’s love and presence in my dreams, in another person’s eyes and what I
mean by that is when our eyes meet it’s like two spirits recognizing each other.
It is also when little birds fly down from the sky as I lay on the trampoline while
my children jump for joy around me.
Our journey through Advent taught me that God liberates and
saves us by sending us Jesus who sends an Advocate. An Advocate we call the Holy
Spirit, a Spirit who helps in prayer and in general, a Spirit who guides,
teaches, fills, and strengthens us. A Spirit who lives, brings us joy, freedom
and unites us to a Spirit who gives gifts of healing and preaching with wisdom.
As we journey this year, remember our journey never ends it is a lifelong
adventure with God, family, friends, and those we love dearly.
Psalm 31:8, I will instruct you and teach you the way you
should go; I will give you counsel with my eyes upon you.
So, over the next couple of days I will share verses with
you on the Spirit who guides, teaches, and unites us I also would like to ask that
you carry like treasure in your mind, heart, and spirit that God is always with
you.
Matthew 28:20
And teach them to observe all the commands I gave you; And
know that I am with you always, yes, to the end of time.
May God Bless Always, Women of Faith and Hope by My Mother
Rose.
Written and created by Katie Robinson
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