DON'T JUDGE A POODLE BY IT'S HAIRCUT!

So I am totally thrilled and astonished that anyone read my first blog, and beyond ecstatic that your comments were so positive. Thank you!! I type at the speed of drying paint, and a qwerty keyboard is a whole new world to discover. I thought I had conquered the 21st century when I learned predictive text on my faithful Nokia, but Cheslyn Techno Barbie Hemsley has dragged me, kicking and screaming all the way, to qwerty, so all I can hope (I'm not even going to say "pray") is that eventually new channels will form in my brain and my two fingers will learn where to go. The fact that I am typing this straight onto my laptop instead of ballpointing onto exam pad and handing it to Charlene to decipher my handwriting and type for me, is a quantum leap forward.

The big lesson to learn from this is that fear is a foul inhibitor of potential, and if someone cares enough to force us to confront and overcome our limitations, we should be VERY grateful. If you are the one coaxing someone else into unknown and terrifying new fields of endeavour, keep up the pressure. (I hesitate to use the word "nagging" because I really DO love Ches despite her relentless...er..PRESSURE!) Perseverance pays, and some day your victim will thank you. (Thank you Ches.)

Why the title of this blog? I'm glad you asked. We are so quick to make judgments on people without adequate knowledge that we risk missing precious qualities that are there to be discovered and enjoyed. Something that I have been intensely thankful for is having eyes to see potential in people when it is still embryonic. It has been thrilling to see, blossoming in front of my eyes, gifts that people didn't know were there. Encouraging someone to believe that they CAN actually do something will motivate them to try and often succeed at an activity they thought was beyond their ability. That's what God does with us. He takes us from the ash heap, the psalmist says, and seats us with the princes of His people.He entrusts us with the privilege of sharing our faith with a not-yet believer, so that they can step into eternal life as a result of a little while spent chatting to us. We think we can't do it, but He keeps up the pressure, and shows us that it's just a qwerty keyboard, and all we have to do is try.

And poodles? If you have read this far you are about to find out! Poodles are an object lesson in not judging a book by its cover, a person by their tattoos, or a dog by its haircut. When I tell people that I own two poodles (who will feature in a future blog about an audio book), I see them re-booting their brains with reference to who I am. I hear their inner voice loud and clear. "POODLES! You can't be serious? Fiona, the demon-caster-outer, likes POODLES! Shame! She really does have a few issues left over from her psychiatric days."

WRONG!! Poodles have had very bad press and, like many other victims of prejudice, it's totally undeserved. They are actually duck retrievers and their insane hairdos were originally functional. They were bred in Germany, not France,and were bred to swim out into icy rivers and lakes to retrieve ducks and other water birds shot by hunters. The hunters I know are screaming at this point. Keep quiet! Poodle hairdos are your fault! The lower part of the body was shaved to facilitate easy swimming while the top was kept full to keep the dog buoyant. The ridiculous looking pompoms actually cover the joints to protect them from developing arthritis in the freezing water. These intelligent and athletic animals have been perceived as pampered pooches, but it is not their fault that humans give them embarrassing hairstyles.

Aren't you glad that God looks past YOUR hairdo? So am I, with bells on.

Till next time, blessings in abundance.
Fiona