The Army of The Kind

When I felt compelled to write about hope at the beginning of this year, little did I know what lay ahead for New Zealand & the terrible events that would unfold in but a moment, one lunch time, last week, in Christchurch; when a massive earthquake demolished much of the Canterbury region, dismantled precious lives & homes & squashed livelihoods.
Now it makes a great deal more sense to me, why the message was:
Carry Hope Close

With the iconic Christchurch Cathedral now destroyed beyond repair..

photo: Mark Mitchell via the NZ Herald

It now seems so fortunate that, just after NewYear, I received a note from my lovely friend Leigh (who shares my passion for vintage loveliness especially Sanderson fabrics) saying

 "Catherine I know that you're very fond of angels and I've attached photos of the new Arch Angels at the Christchurch Cathedral. They are absolutely spectacular and I thought of you as I was standing in the cathedral looking up in awe! Arch Angels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael are all 2.5 metres tall and very life like. They were commissioned specifically for the cathedral and were made by renowned Christchurch artist/designer Caroline Travella and her daughter Carly. They are suspended from the cathedral ceiling from Christmas until mid January. I'm afraid I did not take great photos and I need a longer zoom lens but you get the idea.”

Here are her photos

 Hope Notes can so easily become more than words...fluidly step in to actions of hope. That's something that every one of us can participate in, now, in this time of National disaster & practice on-goingly in our everyday lives until we get really good at it!

When I visited Erin's blog to find the link for her wonderful calendar picture I found the words PRACTICING KINDNESS waiting for me. 

What the world needs is a new kind of army -the army of the kind.

Cleveland Amory
Tenderheartedness goes a long way..

Mary Cicely Barker

I  love this practical generosity.                                      

In the midst of such sorrow & fear it is heart-warming to see such marvelous goodness; our nation pulling together, working together & simply caring.  Anne, in her blog, Ungardened Moments observed these same sorts of things here.
I can but only pray..
Lord come & heal our hearts & our land. Wrap your arms around a hurting people & give us courage & strength to do what must be done.

The National Anthem for Christchurch sung by Cindy Ruakere

I love this woman! She is so power-FULL & truly amazing.

A message:

People of Aotearoa, Cindy Ruakere would like to give you her rendition of our national anthem. Please download it, share it, sing it and pray it. Gather before God and cover our isles and our people in prayer.

Click here for free download.

6/ 3 /11 Post Script..a full search has been completed at the Cathedral in the last few days & it is with relieved & grateful hearts that we now know, that in fact, nobody at all was found in the Cathedral itself..truly a miracle. It was thought for all this time that there could have been 22 trapped there. Very good news amidst so much sadness.

with MUCH

 & tender thoughts to you all.
xoxox