She hath wings

Learning to soar above life's storms

  • For 3 months, we have had three queen mattresses in our modest sized, over cluttered house, all in a bid to find support for my chronic back pain, triggered by weak core strength and lifting a 15kg toddler.

    What was meant as a few days on the couch turned into two months for me, and I had almost given up hope. It was so strange to go to bed on the couch Christmas night and know that I didn’t yet have a bed I could comfortably lie in. I began to think of all the times I had complained about having a tiny, ugly bedroom with the khaki coloured “feature wall” and curtains recycled from Mum’s old family room. It seemed trivial. Sleep is all I needed!

    We had bought a new mattress after two weekends of bed shopping and several tries of the one in the show room, only to find that the new one was nothing like it, and intolerable even with a mattress topper. We couldn’t return it, given that Sealy had sent a representative out to check it and decided it wasn’t faulty. We didn’t want to throw away hundreds of dollars either, having replaced THE BEST mattress of 20 years last year and already spent well over $1000.

    In caution, we ordered a Koala mattress which friends had really liked, since their returns policy was generous,  but it didn’t suit my needs and the materials felt overly warm, even on the “Summer” side. Fortunately we could try it for a week then return it. Only my  husband could tolerate more than one day!

    Just when I had no idea what to do, a relative suggested I try her Ikea bed. After Christmas, I spent a long time trying out the equivalent one in our local store, and I felt like I could make a go of it. My husband was able to bring  it home rolled up and leave it for three nights, camping out the backyard in a tent while I stayed on the couch minding the children, and finally I could try it with a mattress pad which made it a little spongier without compromising support. While it isn’t the amazing bed I started with all those years ago, I can finally get up without my back spasming and I even bought a better pillow made from memory foam, to team up with one of the ones I had.

    It seemed like it would be a never ending saga trying to get rid of the two mattresses, but last year’s one went on marketplace for free today and the Sealy mattress was paid for and will be collected later this week. My husband had seemingly broken his toe on Saturday and had been sporting a moon boot having had it xrayed, yet without much pain. With the help of my teen son, he lifted mattresses in and out of house and car the last two days in a bid to give us some space and sanity again.

    You may wonder why I’m sharing all these seemingly superfluous details with you. I want to show you that nothing is impossible and sometimes when it seems like there’s nothing but mountains (or mattresses!) in your way, there is hope.

    Have a great day!

  • Old Lang Syne – a distant refrain,
    Streamers tossed and glasses clinked-
    Happy New Year hugs again;
    Cosy journey home.

    New Years’ resolutions made
    Heartfelt messages sent at Twelve
    Hugs and milos, love and laughter
    Days till I’d be home.

    Mum and Dad stay put and young ‘uns
    Race down to the beach-
    Distant New Year Fireworks crackle,
    Ten minutes from home.

    Backyard New Year party night;
    Quiet celebrations
    Laid back conversations had
    Strange to not be home.

    Party Poppers, coloured glow sticks;
    Back to the beach once more;
    Early family fireworks-
    Family is my home.

    Lockdown fireworks, social distanced;
    Masked we huddle close-
    Grateful to send the old year packing-
    Glad we could leave home.

    No more hugs with Dad at New Year;
    Back we go but it’s not the same-
    Deeper hope will keep us singing,
    In our hearts, that old refrain.

    Family Fireworks in bitter cold;
    Longing to be huddled close;
    Standing somewhat apart from the others-
    Struggle to feel at home.

    Almost midnight while I gather my tablets
    Water toast for one tonight-
    Others in their warm beds, sleeping;
    Wondering where is home?

    New Years’ Day brings opportunities
    Times to love while young;
    May the year see closer ties built
    And the home fires rebegun.

    ©️ M. Patterson 1.1.26

  • Your hand on my back woke my senses,

    Your openness unlocked mine-

    Your kindness made my heart beat again…

    For a chapter in time.

    © M. Patterson 2025

  • The Scent Of Home

    Butterfly remembers the flowers of home
    Flits among shades and familiar scents
    Pauses to drink the loveliness in
    A strong gust blows it away
    Days of confusion, searching- hoping
    Peril and a broken wing-
    Crawling back to comfort once more
    The night turns into dawn

    ©️ M. Patterson 30.11.25

  • Gentle, calming soaking rain;

    Soothing, reassurance comes-

    Running into tiny pools;

    Drought a banished thing.

    Peaceful hearts and minds refreshed;

    Hope unfurls the weary leaf-

    Crumpled saplings rise once more;

    Death a banished thing.

    Upwards grows the tender stem;

    Seeking warmth of midday sun-

    Buds are waiting, hearts receiving;

    Life a chosen thing.

    ©️ M. Patterson 7.11.25

  • In a house with chaos, loud and draining,

    Lives two frazzled parents asking

    For wisdom in droves and abundance of patience,

    Stretched beyond anything they’ve ever known.

    Hard to explain one day to the next;

    Calm for a short time then busy at best;

    Never quite enough hands or love in action-

    Someone always lacking and parents on “empty”.

    Ten minute walk to calm the nerves;

    Bedtime stories punctuated with noise;

    Children one by one, they go to their beds-

    Short respite, then little one screams out again.

    We do not wish them to be fully grown yet-

    Just longing for some peace and relief to recover-

    Never enough sleep and exercise is lacking;

    It’s hard to show up and be the calm anchor.

    Yet what do they have if we can’t be the rudder;

    They’ll be tossed about searching for a beacon;

    Be the serenity then

    Fill up somehow-

    Lives are being built to withstand

    Heavy storms;

    Softly creep into bed once more;

    Tomorrow’s a new day-

    These children will grow.

    ©️ M. Patterson 2025

  • Waves and Wombats

    My family is holidaying at Wilson’s Promontory this week, camping amongst the local bird and wildlife. We are a very short walk from the beach and kookaburras can be heard in the morning and at dusk. Albatross soar overhead while rosellas and wrens can be found in nearby trees and shrubs.  Wombats are so accustomed to campers that they come right up to the tent. As we heated up our pumpkin soup and zucchini slice tonight, a wombat walked past Junior sitting in the stroller and he reached out to give it a pat! We are careful to store all our food in the car boot because we camped here years ago with a Coleman Lakeside 4 and a wombat squeezed under the side of the vestibule of the tent, helping itself to rice bubbles until we finally shooed it out!

    Yesterday we made the most of the sun and took a walk down to the beach. The older two kids and hubby crossed Tidal river to climb on the rocks and I minded Junior on the sand, making a sand castle and collecting beach treasures to decorate it. Later on after lunch, we drove to Squeaky Beach and paddled in the cool water as the waves came in forcefully. The roar of the waves and the frigid water was too much for Junior so he went with Daddy to climb up onto a big rock and I looked after him later on, singing him to sleep for a little power nap to get him through to bedtime.

    The thing I love most about camping here is sharing time with friends. I grew up enjoying holidays at Lakes Entrance with two other families and it is wonderful for my kids to have other kids to play with, all these years later. Also, it’s a chance to have conversations about the everyday, rather than just the big things that come up in our lives.

    It’s a comfort to know that if we look after this beautiful piece of the world, it will be here for our children to bring their children back to and remember some happy times with us, connecting with their past as well as making their own fun memories in years to come.

  • I thought I would share one of my early poems that I wrote to capture the hope I found in Jesus. It shows that the development of faith is not always a straightforward one and that there are tests and struggles which prove it to be genuine. It also illustrates that hope is found through absolute trust in Jesus’ sacrifice and acceptance that the sacrifice of His shed blood is enough to save. You can paste the link below into your browser or click it to read. Hope it encourages you.

    YOU