Happy Birthday ACW! (and ACW Birthday Scavenger Hunt)

by Anne Hamilton

Birthdays, like New Year’s Day, celebrate and memorialise appointed times. They stand out in the roll of weeks and months, giving us a chance to reflect on the joys and sorrows of the past, but also on our hopes for the future.

ACW group at 2013 CALEB Conference, Left to Right: Catherine Hudson, Rose Dee, Kerry-Lee Harney, Narelle Atkins, Jo-Anne Berthelsen, Anne Hamilton, Jenny O’Hagan, Iola Goulton, Ray Hawkins, Mary Hawkins, Dorothy Adamek

They give us a chance to pause in our busy schedules and honour another. So, since it seems strange to honour an organisation, let’s honour those involved:

• The founders: Narelle, Jenny and Dorothy (Dotti)
• The writers who’ve blogged
• The visitors who’ve commented
• The authors who’ve been interviewed
• The story-tellers whose books have been reviewed
• The gift-givers who’ve offered prizes
• The publishers who have taken so many risks on books in this difficult time of transition

Most of all, let’s honour God and give thanks to Him for the favour He’s shown to us in the past year. He’s been awesome!

The sheer delight of birthdays has never been captured better, at least in my view, than in Christina Rosetti’s A Birthday

My heart is like a singing bird
               Whose nest is in a water'd shoot;
My heart is like an apple-tree
               Whose boughs are bent with thickset fruit;
My heart is like a rainbow shell
               That paddles in a halcyon sea;
My heart is gladder than all these
               Because my love is come to me.

Raise me a dais of silk and down;
               Hang it with vair and purple dyes;
Carve it in doves and pomegranates,
               And peacocks with a hundred eyes;
Work it in gold and silver grapes,
               In leaves and silver fleurs-de-lys;
Because the birthday of my life
               Is come, my love is come to me.

May Love Himself come abide with you this birthday!

Anne Hamilton is a big fan of Christina Rossetti. Several of her books, including Many-Coloured Realm and God’s Panoply have extensive quotes from Rossetti's poetry.





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ACW SCAVENGER HUNT CLUES FOR THURSDAY:

Clue 10 from Anne Hamilton: What is the essential meaning of submit in Hebrew? 

http://fire-of-roses.com/wp/ 

Clue 11 from Ray Hawkins: What book title am I holding in my hand on my Home page? http://rayhawkinsauthor.blogspot.com.au 

Clue 12: from Andrea Grigg: Which city and country was I born in? http://www.andreagrigg.com/   

We hope you're enjoying the hunt and locating the answers to the clues. The contest rules are listed in Monday's post. Please remember to comment on Monday's post, complete the online form and your Rafflecopter entry. Rafflecopter lists all the options for gaining extra entries in the drawing, including commenting on the posts this week. 

The Scavenger Hunt closes at 2pm on Sunday, September 7 (AEST). The winner will be announced on Tuesday, September 9. Good luck!