A bit about me

I have lived almost all of my life in Devon England. It's very green here, that's because it tends to rain a lot. But when the sun is shining it's gorgeous.
I was born here in 1947. Just in time, two days later a bad winter set in and the midwife would not have reached us.
My Dad was a farm worker and we lived in a cottage tied to the job. Dad was a bit unstable and tended to fall out with his employers. Mum was fed up with having to move house every time he lost a job. One day she heard of a place which was a caretaker's cottage for a Baptist chapel. They could settle there and Dad could work his way around the farmers in the area. By the time he had done that the first farmer would be ready to give him another try. It worked well and they lived there from 1949 till 1974.

The cottage beside the chapel was situated in a graveyard with large gardens and an orchard. It was idyllic. Brought up with the graveyard it held no terrors for us and we never saw a ghost! There was plenty of room to play in, with playmates just down the road, at the farm and more farther down the lane, past a little bubbling stream and up the hill where an Italian family lived. School was a mile away and we walked there, and then one day as a bus passed through anyway we were allowed on it. I was quite a timid child at first and quite anxious.
We attended chapel three times each Sunday. When I was seven I had a conversion experience when I asked Jesus to forgive my sins and come into my life. This helped me not to be so anxious. My anxiety probably stemmed from when I was 3 and the little girl at the farm who was younger than myself was killed in an accident. That has stayed with me all my life. That was when death first intruded into my life.(See a poem about it in Poems of Loss, shown below)

As you see life was idyllic. Or was it? As I grew up times were sometimes difficult when my father was unwell. He was bi-polar. It caused a lot of tension in my life. As the youngest child I stayed at home longer than my brother and sister so it affected me more.

I settled down to married life and soon my husband and I had two children, a boy and a girl nearly nine years apart. I taught violin and piano on a part time basis and enjoyed it very much, but depression was never very far away. The black clouds would roll in and I would be grounded by depression. Fortunately one day, a new doctor came on the scene and diagnosed mild bi-polar illness and put me on lithium and I haven't looked back, except for the time a stopped taking my medication!! It has done me nothing but good. It hasn't stopped me being creative or dulled anything. Did you know the explorer Ranulph Fiennes is bi-polar. Before he sues me it is a joke, he's been to the South and North Poles.
Having spent all my childhood in the lovely place above I then went to live there again with my husband and family, as my parents had moved into the village in a bungalow.It was a lovely place to bring up a family, with plenty of space. At that time I did most of the work in our vegetable garden, which has since been neglected as you will see, if you look in the lens about My Mum shown below.

Life went on and the children grew up. I had continued to be a committed christian, as was my husband. And then something awful happened. I decided to go and live with another man. Call it a midlife crisis event if you like. Whatever, it was wrong.I eventually married the other man and lived quite happily with him for some time. Then everything fell apart in our relationship and we divorced. I'm telling this because I want you to realise that if you have gotten involved in wrong things there is still a way back and forgiveness in Jesus. I was a christian who knew better than to do these things, but you know we christians are not better than others, we have the same temptations. So now I live happily on my own in a very nice apartment in a village with wonderful views around me.My original husband is a good friend now. And now I am training to be a local preacher with the Methodist Church. I hope my experiences will keep me down - to - earth and give me an insight into other people's problems, and stop me being pompous or looking down on others.

Have you seen my Inspirational Meditations lens? Well, how did I come to be writing all this spiritual stuff, you may ask? I gave you a little hint further back in my story, when I was seven. Whatever we believe, life moulds us and takes us along paths we sometimes don't want to go along, but it is those twisting paths that teach us so much. There is much to be learnt about God, and we will never stop finding out. The subject is indeed vast. I have come to know God better by going through times of depression. Debilitating times. It is only in our weakness that we truly find Him. Although sin is never meant to be embraced even in sin we find Him, because it is then that we find His grace and forgiveness. So when problems hit you, look up and look for your God. He is waiting in love to teach you something.

I continued to teach violin and piano to children and adults.I decided that with the way things are run in families nowadays the Mum's would be eternally grateful if I went to them, instead of them having yet another journey coming to me. This also meant that I wouldn't have any problems with my neighbours and noise, especially with violin lessons.
You have to build up a practice slowly and word of mouth from satisfied clients is the best way. It is also good to go to your local music store, as people often ask them if they know of a teacher, so they keep a list of teachers. They are happy to promote you because you are then going to send trade their way. Of course doing this you have to charge for car running costs, but there is no problem because the families are only too grateful not to have to get their car out yet again.
In summer it is wonderful to be driving through the countryside and then taking a few lessons. Winter is not so great.

Some advice on the starting age of a pupil

You are unlikely to have a genius on your hands so starting much earlier than eight is likely to try your patience and use up the child's enthusiam before they can make much progress. There is a theory that violinists should start at six. If you have a genius it will be obvious, other six year olds will lose heart rapidly. I took up the violin at 14. Just circumstances. Anyone who will work hard at that age can learn well enough to enjoy playing in an amateur orchestra.
Going to the pupils' homes is great because you get to know the whole family. Also you can impress on the parents the need for regular practice. Teaching was a good experience.

I started my christian life in the Baptist church. Later in life I behaved badly and I didn't feel I should stay a member of that church. Some other churches refused to give me communion. It was at this time that the Methodist church came to my rescue and made me welcome. They felt that it was their job to be alongside me as I made my journey of life no matter what.

As a teenager, still in the Baptist church, I had a habit of walking up the hill, standing in a gateway, and looking down on the village and praying for revival. One day I prayed that if God did not want to use us Baptist's that he would use the Methodists.
Last summer(2008) I remembered that prayer and thought it was most significant as I was now a member of that very same Methodist church. I feel God is going to honour that prayer and also make me a part of this revival. This led me to believe that I should train to be a local preacher.My sense of call has increased since then and I feel a great joy in leading worship and delivering sermons. I have now(2011) finished my training and am a Local Preacher.

So now you know something about Elizabeth Mackay