Race for Life - Stafford - Clare Skelton's last goal

On 12th July 2011 at 7pm many women were 'toes to the line' in Stafford, England, UK at the Race for Life event. These amazingly well supported events run all over the country to raise money for cancer research in the UK.

As you may know from some previous blogs I wrote about Clare Skelton, she finished her physical race and sadly for u,s but awesome for her, she entered eternity on 25th May 2011.

However, her burning passion was to run the Stafford race on 12th July which was her home town, and use the sport of running that she loved so much, to raise money to help find a cure for this awful disease.

Below are some photos of the event - I too was able to run at 11am Pacific Time West Coast of USA in Silverdale, WA at the same time as the event was running in England. It was an amazing feeling knowing I was running in the spirit with all the people who so wanted to honour Clare and her last goal and effort to raise money and finish this race.

Clare's Mum, Son and Sister Emma - finishing the race with Clare in their hearts

Clare's son Luke having fun at the Race for Life - Stafford - 12th July 2011

Luke having a cuddle from Auntie Emma- Also Clares Mum-in-law cuddling Lucy 

Emma, Clares sister made a speech before the race and also did some radio interviews and spoke at schools prior to the event to help raise awareness of this disease.  I am so proud of you Emma - as I wrote to you last week -

'I am so proud of you being able to speak at the start and on radio, given the very personal situation – just like your sister, not thinking of yourself, but making the most out of the situation to turn it around for good, to encourage others. You are such an encourager Emma'

Please continue to pray for Clares family as they all move on with their journey in these early days - I pray in the coming days they will be able to celebrate Clares life more and more above mourning her loss - a hard task but I believe one that is possible with time.

8 Year Old Rhema Marvanne's Inspirational Voice

This little girl and these songs have touched my heart. Her mummy went to heaven when Rhema was 5 years old after a long battle with ovarian cancer. As she moved on without her mum, she found a beautiful voice inside of her that not only helped her overcome her pain, but Rhema's voice now blesses so many people globally. Rhema Marvanne - you are 8 years old now, and you are touching so many lives with you songs - You are Awesome - May your faith in Jesus grow more and more intimate, as you sing with him and your mummy in your heart x

Legally Red

Today is my oldest daughter 'Carly's' graduation in Cardiff, Wales. It was so hard not to be there but watching her walk across the platform in her cap and gown at 4am US Pacific Time after 3 attempts to tune in was awesome... She so deserves her reward BA (Hons) Law

Carly - today in Cardiff, Wales at her graduation ceremony

When Carly was 14 she had two favourite films (movies :)) Never Been Kissed and Legally Blonde. The latter she went on to watch SOOOOOO often it is beyond recalling - I still can not fathom how someone can watch one film over and over again, and still enjoy it - I think she inherited that from her dad for sure!

However, the films character as well as watching the antics of a young women enjoying makeup-shoes-clothes told the story of the making of an excellent Lawyer... Isn't it ironic that Carly is such an amazingly smart young lady, loving all the legally blonde 'girlie' things, yet like legally blonde - she obviously also had the brains to gain a Law degree and potentially become a solicitor/lawyer.

                                           Bend and Snap Scene - always a favourite

                                                           Legally Blonde Case Scene

Carly - Miss Legally Red - Silverdale WA 2010  (photo by Hanah Reed)

Way to go girlie!!!!!

Native Americans, Washington by US History.com

This morning I woke wondering more about the natives, the land and the people of the Kitsap Peninsula where we live. Kitsap is said to be a sub-arm of the larger Olympic Peninsula located west of Seattle. The S'Klallam Tribe is the name of the first people recorded on the peninsula, of which I also found some interesting reading below. This article I found quite informative. More will be coming as I plough through and find some points of interest about the land where we now call home...it seems to me there is need for a me to really look at the history- the native people lost a lot to the europeans who came here - reading this makes me sad but it is important to know our history - so these mistakes can be acknowledges - prayed about - repented of (especially as I am now a Europrean living on the peninsula!

The word S'Klallam means "the strong people." Aboriginal S'Klallam bands inhabited present-day Washington State's northern Olympic Peninsula. Clallam County, whose northern edge is the shoreline of the Olympic Peninsula, is named after the S'Klallam.

The tribe was a distinct group whose villages were unified by intermarriage and language. The S'Klallam tongue is a member of the Salishan family of Indian languages. Village sites existed from the Hoko River on the west to Puget Sound on the east, and villages flanked both shores of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. A S'Klallam village once flourished at what would become downtown Port Angeles.
Like their neighbors, the S'Klallam relied heavily upon the rich Northwest waters to harvest salmon and other finned species, as well as shellfish. The Elwha River was a customary waterway for subsistence, but also for inter-village get-togethers. They moved to upriver villages as they followed the seasons. Families also trekked over the Olympic Mountains to gather plants and berries, and hunt for large game. The S'Klallam venerated the mountains, which they held to be sacred.

Englishman Robert Duffin's arrival on a longboat expedition from the west coast of Vancouver Island in July 1788 marked the first recorded encounter between Europeans and the S'Klallam.
The early explorers were unwitting carriers of smallpox, measles, influenza and tuberculosis, to which the indigenous people had no immunity. Entire villages withered in a massive social dislocation as waves of epidemics swept through.

Carly got a Desmond!

How Beautiful Lady!  Carly - July 2011 in Cardiff. Wales

Quick news report! Carly passed her Law degree she got  a 2.2  also known in the UK as 'a Desmond' after Desmond Tutu. She says quote text ‘It feels surreal, like I’m free with no burdens!’ Long may that feeling continue - you deserve it !!!!!! She has not had an easy path the last few years especially since we left UK in January 2010- and she finished the course with glowing results!

I am so proud of you Carly - not just pleased for the result but that you finished - it would have been so easy to walk away so many times but you stuck at it - Love you SO MUCH and wish I could be there to hug you - will have to wait until end July for a hug now - not long... x

Top Korean doctor reveals why he believes in spiritual healing

Top Korean doctor reveals why he believes in spiritual healing and is now dedicating his life to investigating miracles that cannot be explained medically - by Dan Wooding - www.assistnews.net

Dr. Joonha Hwang, a top South Korean doctor who graduated from medical school in in his homeland, has a medical license as well as a PhD in Neurophysiology, has revealed why he believes in spiritual healing.

Dr. Joonha Hwang

In an interview during the 8th Annual Christian Medical Conference held in Brisbane, Australia, from June 11-12, 2011, he said that he has given up his medical practice to dedicated his life to investigating miracles that cannot be explained medically.
Dr. Hwang, who is vice-president of the World Christian Doctors Network (WCDN), based in Seoul, South Korea, the group who organized the gathering that attracted some 220 doctors and medical professionals from 30 countries, said that it is important that medical data be examined about claimed miracles as quite often medical people are skeptical about whether they are real or not.
“We have uncovered many testimonies of how the power of God has healed patients and when doctors hear this kind of news, they become curious,” he said. “They want to know if it true or just a story that someone has made up.
“So that is why we put on these ‘Spirituality and Medicine’ conferences each year and then present medical data before and after the patient got prayed for. As far as I know, we at WCDN are the only Christian medical organization that invites doctors to come and hear from other doctors and are then able to openly discuss the evidence of divine healing.”
Dr. Hwang is now fulltime in the WCDN ministry and so I asked him about how it began.
“WCDN held its first conference in in Korea in 2004 and since then we have gathered each year in various countries around the world which have included India, the Philippines, the United States, Norway, Ukraine and last year in Italy,” he said.
Why was Australia chosen for the latest conference?
“Australia,” he replied, “is a very westernized and secular country with what we first thought were just a few doctors who were interested in divine healing.

Nations to 'give back territory'

 I just saw this statement on a twitter:

'President Obama wants Israel to return to its 1967 boundaries...isn't that like asking the U.S. to give Texas back to Mexico?'

Map Ref: Click Here

Interesting for me as I just saw in BBC News yesterday that President Obama is pushing for the UK to hold talks with Argentina RE : UK to return sovereignty of the Falklands Islands (Malvinas Islands) to Argentina, to read more  Click Here

Port Stanley - Falkland Islands

In the BBC News report above, I also read this in the comments:

I don't see the USA that keen to hand back Guam to Spain, or any other historical outpost.....do you ?

Humm- similar to the thoughts on Texas above regarding the Israel debate.

I am from the UK and my husband is from Argentina: Some interesting dinner time discussions - coming up :) What is it with the American Nation, that it seems to be ok to demand that other countries give up territory, yet I feel quite sure President Obama would not be told by another nation about which territory America should give up.

I'm not saying the Falklands should remain British. However, if the greater population living there want to remain British, is it not the Islanders choice and right to be governed by the country they vote for, and not the government of the USA or any other nation to decide?

Interesting days ahead I think!