'Annie Poppins'

On my Christian journey I have learnt that God has a sense of humour, He also likes to show His Grace and Mercy by putting together a team of 'misfits' to serve Him. I love how The Lord spends years gathering His people..'for His purpose to perform' ...

 I was speaking to 'Annie' this morning and she reminded me of her reflections of her part in Willies journey. She had an inkling as you do when The Lord is preparing your heart to follow His plan, but pondered on what that may involve.

She recalls thinking 'I know I will have a part to play in Willies life but Lord I have no idea how I will fit in...she knew she couldn't maintain a hands on approach, and most certainly couldn't take in any lodgers and at the same time remain married...the thought of working alongside me freaked her out...we are poles apart, I'm totally disorganised, messy, too chatty and often away with the fairies. This lady knows me well :) Annie on the other end of the spectrum is minimalistic, no clutter, in mind or home, organised , diligent and an elegant and beautiful lady. The two things we have always had in common are our Christian faith and a son the same age.

Anne and I have had a connection through Church and with our boys for nearly 15 years. We have run Alpha courses together,  house group, supported each other when the need arose, and have been bound in The Love of Christ despite our different characters. Anne loves everything and everyone to be in a 'box'..and is comfortable once she recognises the box they are in....it gets a bit scary therefore when someone or something gets out of their box! As for me I don't stay in one box but move frequently and rapidly between many boxes..usually leaving a trail of clutter leading from one box to the next, .so not the first choice of a comfortable friend for Anne. I thought she was very posh with a lovely warm smile..well she is a bit posh.

However with the Holy Spirit filling Anne to overflowing, by His infinite Grace, God over the years has been building a stronghold between us out of several boxes, bonded together by His Love, using different experiences. Anne no longer flinches if I approach...I can only jest,  and paint this picture of our deep friendship and how it has evolved because we experienced a moment in our lives that was so profound and most definitely not in any box - that we are deemed sisters 'in Christ' for Life. Neither Anne nor I were aware of the significance of this detailed preparation that had been going on for so long - It is a very good job that we do not know what plans God has for each of us..I think if He had sat us both down for a coffee and showed us what was in store, we would have both run very fast in the opposite direction. I will leave you with that thought for a few more blogs, and reveal the mission we took part in as it fits into the bigger story.

A few years ago visiting The model village at Beckonscott with Anne and a few children, she burst into song, reminiscent of Mary Poppins, and sang her way around the mirage of small houses, model fairgrounds and a working train network, any rail company would be proud of. Since that day I renamed her Annie Poppins, which is the name Willie called her.

Over the years of walking with Willie we bumped into Annie lots...in school...or when we popped into her lovely tidy house for a coffee -to  play with Johns toy kitchen and have a chat. Occasionally we would drop into 'Little Quavers' the under fives music group her and her good friend Liz still run regularly. Willie in the latter weeks loved to go into the group, but because he tired easily we would just stay 20 mins. Enough time for Annie to come over and make him giggle. I would sit on the floor, cuddling him between my legs and he would lie still with a contented smile on his face. It didn't matter to Willie where or when we saw Annie Poppins, he adored her. Anne has a gentle soothing voice whether speaking or singing. She also has a great imagination and a witty sense of humour. All of these parcelled into one lovely 'angel' - placed her high on Willies top ten list. I keep saying top ten, but there were so many lovely souls that walked the walk with Willie, it may be a top 20. Julia Winfield, Amy Cope, Kerry to name but a few that I also want to share about.

Anne also walked closely with Zoe, helping her to organise her cluttered house. Zoe didn't have much time or inclination through weariness to sort and tidy. Anne would go round for a few hours with gentle patience to help cajol Zoe to give the less used toys to charity, box up those with sentimental value for the loft and throw out all those 'bits' that don't appear to belong to anything but you hang on to 'just in case' you may need it or manage to pair up a small nut with the original screw. It was an emotionally exhausting time - but really helped Zoe's lounge turn from stacked chaos to appealing toy room.


Here is a a poignant photo of the crazy pair, in the park just weeks before Willie got his wings. As Anne said if she had known this was going to be the last cuddle, she wouldn't have let him go. The heart of this little soul ensnared us all, with his angelic face, cherub curls and wicked giggle! Anne had attained 'best buddy' status long before this cuddle, and I'm so very glad we bumped into her that sunny day. Apparently the little monkey was busy putting cut grass down the back of Annie's jeans with the hand you can't see!

If The Lord puts someone in your path and you cannot imagine ever being friends with them. - prepare to be overwhelmed with how it pans out...I thank God on behalf of Willie for the wonderful 'Annie Poppins'.