Elissa's Website - Memories

	Memories are like snapshots in the virtual photo albums of our minds - portable and translucent. We carry them everywhere we go.
Over the last five years, Eli has collected a myriad of memories - both good and sad, that have brought her to the edge of every available human emotion.
	In writing this page of memories, for the assignment as part of her university course, Elissa has had to search her mind and heart for some happy memories. There are some - but the truth is that she spent four of the last five years nursing and caring for her now late husband before he passed away and went to be with the Lord.
Her happy memories are now tinged with sadness at that loss - howwevverrrr, in saying that, the last year and in particular the last couple of months have seen Elissa back on her feet starting to enjoy life again.
2004
The year of loss, incredible pain, grief, coming to terms with it, ensuing vacancy of the mind, learning to smile again sometimes and the beginning of the re-invention of her life. Some of the nice things that happened in that year........

Best memories - they have to be when you see your little monsters (well, at least they disguise themselves that way during the day sometimes) snuggled up in your bed at night. Eli has been bedless more times than she can count in the last year - and all well worth it. Little cretins turn into angels and the gentle rhythm of snore snore snore has delighted her heart and melted every frustration away.	One of the most beautiful memories of 2004 was the day her eldest daughter stood up before a crowd and sang her heart out, bellowing out her dad's favourite song. What a proud mum Elissa was that day.

- It was the year she learned to dance again! She found her feet and was taken out to a magnificent dinner at the 'Woodchoppers Inn' in local Mudgeeraba on the Goldcoast. It was followed by dancing in a piano bar until some ridiculous time of the morning when she arrived home with her beau with a delirious smile on her face and exhausted to boot ! Her kids watched on in wonder as she fell soundly asleep on the trampoline....ooopsss	-In mid 2004, Elissa did a Business administration and management course that threw her back into the world at ground level. Through that course she met some wonderful people - one famous woman she will only refer to by the name of "Ms C" became infamous in Eli's mind as the woman who snuck in some wine during classes :). oh dearrrrrr............ the poor tutor couldn't stop the chatter and clatter of 18 pie eyed giggling women who should have known better...ha!

2003
A hard year to talk about.... but beautiful in its own right. A year of struggle to accept what no one ever wants to accept - a year of 'fighting the good fight'. 2003 was the year of those 'moments in time' kind of memories.....

A memory in itself - Sitting on the mountain top in the warm sunshine sipping great coffees and chatting about earlier life. Giggles and hoots of laughter filled the air as Elissa and her family recalled earlier times of absolute ridiculousness. The background photo of this website was one of those moments.	A moment in time..... Elissa got stuck in a ditch on the mountain, the wheels of her wagon firmly whizzing around in the red mud whilst she spat and stamped as the neighbours watched on laughing and her kids rolled their eyes. The ditch was the driveway gutter where the postbox used to be .... until she collected it on her way out the driveway...and there she stayed..... ha ha.


2002
What a year! It was the year Eli resigned from ministry, bit off more than she could chew and discovered computers in earnest ! A year of hospitals, healing, reconcilliation and burning bridges, a year of getting back to basics and changing the way she thought about life. The year of trying to unchaos the chaos.

Discovering she could paint - yep, really paint. Eli started the portrait of Michael Beatty in the sunshine with a box of watercolour paints and a fresh brand new block of paper. That painting was taken up and put down too many times to count and it wasn't until mid 2004 that Elissa actually finished it.	Philipe her son won his first soccer game with his dad watching on. There were celebrations all round as the little hero was aflame with glory and feeling very proud of himself ! ( so too were his parents)


The year of the missing toe! Ohhh what a feeling.... Lawnmowers and blondes definitely do NOT mix in Eli's family. She was told that the blended and non existent toe caught between the blades of her Nike shoes and the lawnmower blades would never be resurrected. The docs looked at Eli as with pity for the poor delusional creature she had become as she swore she needed the toe back and it just HAD to grow again!...... ha! guess what - within 6 months it grew back, nail and all :). It was the year of being chuffed. :)	It was also the year where on crutches, she stupidly climbed up the hill in her backyard to get that inevitable tallll weed growing smack bang in the middle of the garden bank. Throwing her crutches aside, she lay on her tummy and reaaaccchhhhed down to get that darn weed.... oopsie.... a quick slide down the hill on her tummy right into the vegetable patch ensured she was covered with homemade tomato puree and vagrant lettuces when she finished her 'trip'! And to top it all off, her knee was twisted in a funny angle. No toe, walking like a crab ... ha ha ha....ahhh memories!

2001
2001 was the year of moving from the Gold Coast to the mountain, the year of chaos and craziness (all well worth it). The year of the height of ministry and Ms popularity, the year of disquieting thoughts and soul searching. It was also the year of laughter and fun, realizing that each day counted like no other.

Travelling down the highway, two blondes in a car, with a box trailer behind, packed up to the hilt........ (YES they packed it themselves, ha ha)....smiling back at all the smiling curious motorists passing by - what a friendly bunch!..... only to discover later when the journey ended, that half their load was missing !. She still wonders why they all smiled so much ..... ummmmm.	Preaching - always and only about Gods love - Elissa had an amazing talent for making people cry when she meant to make them smile and laugh...errr.... there was the day where she thought it was a grand idea to get all the church congregation down the front, in a circle, to pray for and bless eachother. What resulted was people crying on their knees, animated hoots of howling and even the other pastors joining in. Being the brave person that she is..... right in the middle of it all, she scoooooted >>>> and stood outside, puffing a cigarette lamenting and panicky pondering on how the church managed to get so LOUD so quickly. Her escape was made via the back door :)


2000
A year of good vibrations, hope and determining to make a difference.

An old man/young man walking the streets of Sydney with his head bowed down. Shame filled his eyes and touched Eli's soul. In the middle of a christian conference the man Eli refers to as the 'angel with blue eyes' came into her view and her life was changed. That moment began a soul search of her own as she looked at the million dollar church and then at the sadness in the eyes of those left out in the cold. It was at that point she became a 'rebel' in the eyes of some in the church .... (yep, she is not supposed to say that).	This was the year Eli discovered her daughter could sing.... her son had an amazing artistic talent, her lil baby girl was a one woman demolition team and that she was the proudest mother on earth. It was the year of holding dying peoples hands and praying for them.... the year of cancer wards and palliative care... of chaplaincy training and riding with the Ulysses. Many smiles, many 'moments in time'.