Jozanne's book launch

"In the 4th century Saint John Chrysostom refers to a 'double famine' which impoverishes two groups: the poor who lack provision and the Christians who, in their luxury, lack the mercy of God. 
"Seventeen centuries on..." (Marijke Hoek). 


They knew a thing or two, the old saints. Plus ça change....


Yesterday Jane and I watched a dvd of the launch of I Choose Everything in South Africa, back in the summer. Dave Moss had sent it in the New Year. Inevitably I cried watching Jozanne and her lovely family. She was thin but her smile was luminous. Unfortunately I don't know how to extract stills from it; so I've taken the YouTube picture - not of the event sadly, but of Jozanne when she could still mutter words. Nicole played the piano, Luke the guitar (classical) and Dave gave a moving speech quoting Archbishop Desmond Tutu's foreword. "Jozanne’s Diary in particular lets us see, in painful intimacy, the grievous prospect of losing everything and everyone she holds dear. And yet, everything isn’t lost. That’s the wonderful certainty that God gives his children. We’re all part of his plan. We are all part of his family. Ephesians says, ‘God chose us in Christ to be God’s children before the foundation of the world.’ We didn’t have to do anything. It was given freely and our worth is infinite. We aren’t an after-thought. Isn’t that beautiful?? We aren’t an accident. Some of us might look like accidents. But no, no one is an accident. Isn’t it incredible?"


People sometimes ask me how Jozanne is now. The last time I heard she had lost all independence, was being fed through a PEG line (direct to the stomach) and was having breathing and pain relief. But was still drawing encouragement from the positive reception of her writing and joy from her family. And she's still able to smile.