ITS SNOWING!!!!

Big feathery flakes of snow falling from the sky, shining in the beam of the outside light in the dark.

I’ve just got back from driving in the snow. We have an old 4×4 farm vehicle that gets us around across fields, in mud and snow and ice. My husband Pete takes his dog out for 2 walks per day, of about an hour per time….otherwise none of us could cope with her. She’s very clever, extremely bouncy and can find mischief in an empty room.

They headed out for a walk this evening…..it’s a really dark murky night. About half an hour in, I got a phone call to go and rescue them….Anya had hurt her leg, please could I go and get them. And ‘please could I take the farm vehicle’. It’s 4 wheel drive, but also has a flat back so we could lay her down if she was very injured.

So I set off, it was tipping down with snow and…..oh my goodness…..the steering has gone! I hauled the steering wheel round every corner, down dark, snowy country roads til I saw my husband with his head torch. We got Anya into the car, she was obviously feeling sorry for herself, and Pete said that she had suddenly stopped being able to walk on one of her back legs.

We’ve got her back home now and checked her over. There is no blood but she won’t put her back paw to the floor. I think she’s sprained it. She can’t boiing at the moment. I think she’s going to need a trip to the vets tomorrow.

I’ve been busy reading for my essay….3000 words by the end of December! Arrrgghhh! Lenny has been snuggling up with me while I have been reading…

Out of my favourite window there are no leaves left on the trees, the air is full of snow and cold. It feels wintery now. There’s so much I want to do that I usually do….baking, wrapping presents, making the Christmas puddings, decorating the Christmas tree, getting the bits and pieces of the Christmas dinner ready and in the freezer….and instead, I am reading about the doctrine of creation and trying to get my head around theology in a kitchen that looks like explosions have happened, cos Lenny and I have to read these books so that I can write my essay!

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Kebra Negast

42. Concerning the Ten Commandments “And hear ye, ISRAEL, that which God commandeth you to keep; He saith, ‘I am the Lord thy God Who hath brought thee out of the land of EGYPT and out of the house of bondage. There shall be no other gods besides Me, and thou shalt not make any god that is graven, and no god that is like what is in the heavens above, or in the earth beneath, or in the water which is under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down to them, and thou shalt not serve them, for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God. [I am He] Who visiteth the sin of the father on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me, and I perform mercy to a thousand (or, ten thousand) generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.

“Thou shalt not swear a false oath in the Name of the Lord thy God, for the Lord will not hold innocent the man who sweareth a false oath in His Name.

“And observe the day of the Sabbath to sanctify it, even as the Lord thy God commanded. Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day, the Sabbath of the Lord thy God, thou shalt do no work at all, neither thyself, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy nor thine ass, nor any beast, nor the stranger that abideth with thee. For in six days God made the heavens and the earth, and the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day, and because of this God blessed the seventh day and declared it free [from work].

“Honour thy father and thy mother so that may be good to thee the many days that thou shalt find in the land which the Lord thy God hath given thee.

“Thou shalt not go with the wife of [another] man.

“Thou shalt not slay a life.

“Thou shalt not commit fornication. Thou shalt not steal.

“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

“Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his house, nor his land, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his cattle, nor his ass, nor any of the beasts that thy neighbour hath acquired.”

This is the word which God hath spoken, His Law and His Ordinance. And those who sin He rebuketh, so that they may not be confirmed in error, and may restrain themselves from the pollution wherewith God is not pleased. And this is the thing with which God is not pleased, and it is right that men should abstain from it.

“No man shall uncover the shame of one with whom he hath kinship; for I am the Lord your God. The shame of thy father and mother thou shalt not uncover, for it is thy mother. Thou shalt not uncover the shame of thy father’s wife, for it is the shame of thy mother. Thou shalt not uncover the shame of thy sister who was begotten by thy father or thy mother. Whether she was born unto him from outside or whether she is a kinswoman of thine thou shalt not uncover her shame. Thou shalt not uncover the shame either of thy son’s daughter, or the shame of the daughter of thy daughter, for it is thine own shame. Thou shalt not uncover the shame of the daughter of thy father’s wife, for she is thy sister, the daughter of thy mother, and thou shalt not uncover her shame. Thou shalt not uncover the shame of thy father’s sister, for she is of thy father’s house. Thou shalt not uncover the shame of thy mother’s sister, for she is of thy mother’s house. Thou shalt not uncover the shame of the wife of thy father’s brother, for she is thy kin[swoman]. Thou shalt not uncover the shame of thy son’s wife, for she is thy son’s wife. Thou shalt not uncover the shame of thy daughter and the wife of thy brother’s son, for it is thine own shame. Thou shalt not uncover the shame of thy brother’s wife, for it is thy brother’s shame as long as thy brother liveth. Thou shalt not uncover the shame of a woman and that of her daughter, nor that of the daughter of her son, nor that of the daughter of her daughter. Thou shalt not cause their shame to be uncovered; it is thy house and it is sin.

“And thou shalt not take to wife a maiden and her sister so as to make them jealous each of the other, and thou shalt not uncover their shame, nor the shame of the one or the other as long as the first sister is alive. Thou shalt not go to a menstruous woman, until she is purified, to uncover her shame whilst she is still unclean. And thou shalt not go to the wife of thy neighbour to lie with her, and thou shalt not let thy seed enter her.

“And thou shalt not vow thy children to MOLOCH to defile the Name of the Holy One, the Name of the Lord. 

“And thou shalt not lie with a man as with a woman, for it is pollution.

“And thou shalt not go to a beast and thou shalt not lie with it so as to make thy seed go out upon it, that thou mayest not be polluted thereby. And a woman shall not go to a beast to lie with it, for it is pollution. And ye shall not pollute yourselves with any of these things, for with them the nations whom I have driven out before you have polluted themselves, and with them ye shall not pollute your bodies.

“And sanctify ye your souls and your bodies to God, for He is the Holy One, and He loveth those who sanctify their souls and their bodies to Him. For He is holy, and to be feared, and He is high, and merciful, and compassionate. And to Him praise is meet for ever and ever. Amen.”

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Reasoning

His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie I enters Ethiopia(Abyssinia) and raises the Ethiopian Flag .”The flag with the green, yellow, and red, with Our seal “the Lion of Judah hath prevailed”(Revelation 5:5) is the symbol of Ethiopia’s independence, it’s a symbol of freedom.” – Girmawi Qedamawi Haile Selassie”The value of a flag springs from the sacrifices made to defend it, as the symbol of Our independence. Otherwise there is no difference between a flag and any other piece of cloth. – Girmawi Qedamawi Haile SelassieOur flag is a source of eternal inspiration, loyalty, and a symbol of the sacred duty and obligation as a soldier – to him it is a moral sentinel.” – Girmawi Qedamawi Haile SelassieEtiyopia lezelalem tinur!!!

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Today, I’ve put a different set of ideas and images for you for the Reasoning, for a change. These are from the ‘Twelve Tribe Order in Rastafari Movement’ website.

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Isaiah 40

It’s approaching Christmas. I know it’s always a bittersweet time of the year for you….another year, away from family and friends. It’s a difficult balance I have to tread. I don’t want to remind you of what is missing but it’s still an important time of the year for me and it’s also difficult to ignore. So, the best I have decided I can do is to share mine with you, in the ways that I can. I will come in on Christmas Eve, hopefully we will be able to have a meeting, I will be shedding more glitter & be wearing more Christmas sparkles than an average Christmas tree (feel free to laugh at me, but only when I can’t hear….I WILL have my bionic ears in!). I think we will probably find a way of making Christmas better than just an ordinary day, even if it can’t be the best.

Here is an advent reading, the first part of Isaiah 40….

40 Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.

² Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.

³ The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

⁴ Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:

⁵ And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

⁶ The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field:

⁷ The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.

⁸ The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

⁹ O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!

¹⁰ Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.

¹¹ He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

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This is going to come to an abrupt stop…sorry! I managed to fall down some slippery steps outside, bang my head really hard (I’ve got a good sized bruise) and hurt my arm, so I had to give up writing this for a few days. I think I gave myself mild concussion and couldn’t do a lot without feeling pretty rough.

So this letter is going to be much shorter than usual, just for this week, I’m really sorry! I will end with a prayer and then get this printed out, so at least you have something, even if it’s not great….and I will see you all tomorrow when I come into Berwyn. I think of the stupid things I’ve done recently, I prefer dyeing myself blue than trying to fly down steps!

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Prayer

THE HOUSE OF RASTAFARI. LET I AND I DWELL IN TOGETHER. LET’S PRAY JAH RASTAFARI TOGETHER. LET HIM ARISE. THE POWAH AND THE GLORY. JAH PEACE AND LOVE. UNITY OF JAH CHILDREN. BOWING TO JAH KNEES. FOR HE IS WORTHY TO BE PRAISED. LET I AND I GIVE THANKS AND HONOR.

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