We had a guest this past weekend- one who will now forever be referred to as Australia Nick.
Having two people in the same house with the same name was interesting! About 4 months ago (maybe longer) Tim got an email from a young guy from Australia. He apparently was coming to Canada and wanted to meet Tim and was looking for somewhere to stay for a few days. I was nervous. After all, who was to say the guy wasn't going to murder us in our sleep?
Well, he didn't kill us, obviously, and we had a great time getting to know Nick. People who generally win my heart are ones who seem to enjoy my kids, and Nick was very much a big brother to my two oldest for four days, playing games and putting up with their silliness.
We ended up taking the whole gang to Marineland on Monday. We had a good time, even though I didn't get to feed the whale as I was hoping. We watched the killer whale demonstration, and ended up getting soaked! Michaela was fine through the first two splashes, but we got caught off guard on the third and both of us ended up getting a face full. One unhappy baby. She hates being wet and thankfully I brought a change of clothes. As the wails of toddlers went up around us, I wondered if the trainers kept track of how many children they made cry!
The final ride of the day (and the only ride for me) was a trip up the sky screamer (137.2 m or 450 feet in the air at 96 km an hour or about 60 miles an hour) Australia Nick apparently likes crazy ride. (He also talked my husband into going on the rollercoster. ) Why I did it I'm not sure. I wasn't afraid of dying on the ride, my body just hated the sensation of hurtling 60 miles an hour in the air. The ride let go and as we shot upward a scream ripped from my throat. about 3/4 of the way up I realized that the man sitting next to me was shushing me as one would shush a distraught child. Me, very indignatly "What do you mean Shush!!!!!!" Him, with a French accent "It's better for your brain....." Me. "Better for my brain????" Him "Yes, yes, you know more oxygen, better for your brain to breathe...." huh.... funny I wasn't so worried about my brain as my heart leaping out of my chest... At this point I was so indignant and distracted I had just about forgot about how terrified I was, then they winched us up for the final drop. I told the man I was going to scream again.... and well .... yeah.... both Nick and him assured me at that point the worst was over and it was. I'm not scared of heights- but speed. So my memory of Aussie Nick will forever be etched as that crazy guy who actually enjoyed the Sky Screamer, and I will always remember the Frenchman who made me laugh. I was shaking so hard when I got off the ride I could barely get my shoes on.
We loved having Nick stay with us, and hope if he is ever this way again we can again extend hospitality to him. Have a great trip Nick!
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Faith and Trust.
The story of Job has always been something of of a problem for me. On one hand one has to admire (and ought to strive for) the faith Job has in the face of such extreme trial. On the other hand, the thought of God standing and watching as your entire life is ripped apart is somewhat unsettling. Would I have enough faith to trust God, that all things work for good?
It has been quite a week. Tim and I have been bombarded by hurting people. In seven days no less than four situations have come up in which people are in difficult situations. Each one uniquely different, yet each one causing such pain in the lives of the people in them. None of the people I'm speaking of read this site, and I will not mention specifics, however, when one has so many situations coming at them at once, one can't help but compare the way people are dealing with the situations.
In three of the situations, the people either do not believe in God, or have turned away from Him due to the situation they are in. It has been so hard to watch the bitterness and hardness in these people. I come away from these encounters rattled. On one hand I understand to some extent why they feel as they do. But, it took a comment from a friend to put this in perspective. She said to me, (and this is somewhat paraphrased) "But it is during these times (as a christian) we must shine...." We have to trust. That is the difference I am seeing.
Compared to the other case, where the hurt is still there, but the people are glorifying in God for what He is accomplishing even in their fear and sorrow. Do they still panic? Absolutely. Do they still fear? Yes. But that is in moments of weakness, in the moments of being human, but underlying it all is a sense of peace and trust. They are still able to see God working, and still are content, and still glory in what He is doing.
The comparison is black and white, and has made for some sobering moments for Tim and myself this week. When we are in times of trials, and they will surely come, will we have the faith of Job?
It has been quite a week. Tim and I have been bombarded by hurting people. In seven days no less than four situations have come up in which people are in difficult situations. Each one uniquely different, yet each one causing such pain in the lives of the people in them. None of the people I'm speaking of read this site, and I will not mention specifics, however, when one has so many situations coming at them at once, one can't help but compare the way people are dealing with the situations.
In three of the situations, the people either do not believe in God, or have turned away from Him due to the situation they are in. It has been so hard to watch the bitterness and hardness in these people. I come away from these encounters rattled. On one hand I understand to some extent why they feel as they do. But, it took a comment from a friend to put this in perspective. She said to me, (and this is somewhat paraphrased) "But it is during these times (as a christian) we must shine...." We have to trust. That is the difference I am seeing.
Compared to the other case, where the hurt is still there, but the people are glorifying in God for what He is accomplishing even in their fear and sorrow. Do they still panic? Absolutely. Do they still fear? Yes. But that is in moments of weakness, in the moments of being human, but underlying it all is a sense of peace and trust. They are still able to see God working, and still are content, and still glory in what He is doing.
The comparison is black and white, and has made for some sobering moments for Tim and myself this week. When we are in times of trials, and they will surely come, will we have the faith of Job?
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Quiet
Tim has taken the three kids out. The house is silent except for the hum of the air conditioner. It is raining outside, in sheets. I'm watching the ever growing puddle outside my front door. I'm sitting (obviously) for the first time today it seems. It has been a busy day, full of house and food preparations for guest tomorrow, and birthday parties for kids requiring parental attendance. I'm relishing the quiet.
I feel slightly off kilter, and have been pondering why. It has been quite a week. It feels in some ways like we have been reeling from one set of news only to be hit with another. Tim seems able to just keep moving, but I need to stop and absorb for longer than he. God is in control, nothing surprises Him. He is sovereign over all things.
Michaela has not napped today... again. This worries me. What will I do without any down time during the day? She slept for 11 hours last night, after not napping yesterday as well. Oh how I hope this isn't the end!
Nick was at a birthday party last weekend. A pool party. I went to that one too, as I was less than comfortable with the whole thing... good thing too. My son, who really is a very weak swimmer- close to non-swimmer really, decided that he was quite able to swim in the deep end, thank-you very much. I didn't want to embarrass him, so I let it go, figuring he could manage, put stayed by the edge of the pool. He was holding onto a inflatable raft, which looked like it was going to flip on him. I took off my shoes. Sure enough the thing flips and he pops to the surface with the biggest eyes you have ever seen. He was just out of arms reach really from the side, so I sit down and try to talk him over. I knew it would be better for him to get there himself. I was transported years back to my Life Saving classes when the instructors were telling us what a non-swimmer looked like- clawing a the service and sinking under- The third time he went down, I accepted the inevitable and went in fully clothed and hauled him out. The silly kid hopped out and got right back in the shallow end- thank-goodness I supposed. I was more shaken by the panic I saw, as all he needed to do was flip on his back and float. So much for all the money spent on swimming lessons!!!! So I sat for the next 2 hours in soaking clothes, resolved to get him into a pool and teach him some water survival myself!! Good grief.
I need to go and finish the potato salad and take the chicken out of the oven. Tim will be back soon and the house will once again be filled with little voices. As good as it is to have the peace, I do miss them even when they are gone for only 1 hour.
Blessings.
I feel slightly off kilter, and have been pondering why. It has been quite a week. It feels in some ways like we have been reeling from one set of news only to be hit with another. Tim seems able to just keep moving, but I need to stop and absorb for longer than he. God is in control, nothing surprises Him. He is sovereign over all things.
Michaela has not napped today... again. This worries me. What will I do without any down time during the day? She slept for 11 hours last night, after not napping yesterday as well. Oh how I hope this isn't the end!
Nick was at a birthday party last weekend. A pool party. I went to that one too, as I was less than comfortable with the whole thing... good thing too. My son, who really is a very weak swimmer- close to non-swimmer really, decided that he was quite able to swim in the deep end, thank-you very much. I didn't want to embarrass him, so I let it go, figuring he could manage, put stayed by the edge of the pool. He was holding onto a inflatable raft, which looked like it was going to flip on him. I took off my shoes. Sure enough the thing flips and he pops to the surface with the biggest eyes you have ever seen. He was just out of arms reach really from the side, so I sit down and try to talk him over. I knew it would be better for him to get there himself. I was transported years back to my Life Saving classes when the instructors were telling us what a non-swimmer looked like- clawing a the service and sinking under- The third time he went down, I accepted the inevitable and went in fully clothed and hauled him out. The silly kid hopped out and got right back in the shallow end- thank-goodness I supposed. I was more shaken by the panic I saw, as all he needed to do was flip on his back and float. So much for all the money spent on swimming lessons!!!! So I sat for the next 2 hours in soaking clothes, resolved to get him into a pool and teach him some water survival myself!! Good grief.
I need to go and finish the potato salad and take the chicken out of the oven. Tim will be back soon and the house will once again be filled with little voices. As good as it is to have the peace, I do miss them even when they are gone for only 1 hour.
Blessings.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Liam and Prayer
I haven't had much time to post lately, summer is so busy! I wanted to take a moment today to point you to my friend Kimberly's blog. Kimberly is Liam's mom and she has their prayer request for Liam posted here . They are pasting all of the responses to their prayer requests for Liam into a book he can take to appointments, so if he gets scared he can look at them and remember all the people who are praying for him. If you feel so inclined take a moment to write to them letting them know who you are and where you are from and that you are praying for them. It has been such a wonderful lesson for Liam about the body of Christ, and I'm sure it is ministering to his parents as well.
On a much happier note- My sister-in-law has some beautiful pictures of my newest little niece on her site . Isn't she adorable? And of course her big brother looks so pleased too. Welcome Ellie!
Blessings!
On a much happier note- My sister-in-law has some beautiful pictures of my newest little niece on her site . Isn't she adorable? And of course her big brother looks so pleased too. Welcome Ellie!
Blessings!
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Prayer Request
We had a good day today. We headed out to the Buffalo zoo, and then over to Niagara falls. The kids had a good day, and I had a good time too, despite only having about 4 hours of sleep the night before. God was very gracious, and granted us a strife free day. It even rained, yet despite it all we had a wonderful time.
The zoo was a little different. After visiting the Toronto zoo recently, it was interesting to compare the two experiences. We were one of the first ones in the zoo this morning, and really had the place to ourselves for a good portion of the day. The Toronto zoo tends to try and mimic the animals habitat and give them tons of space. Consequently you feel like you are viewing the animals from afar. At the Buffalo zoo, the animals are so very close to you. The kids got to see first hand some very cool sea lions. The only thing separating us from these animals was a very small waist high wooden fence. Neat, but a little scary too!
The gorillas were a little testy too. We were standing off to the side watching them when the big male decided he didn't like being looked at. He rushed the glass, and slammed his fist into the window to let people know. Thank-goodness I hadn't been standing there, I would have screamed for sure! As it was we were all a little rattled, you could see that he was upset, and he obviously felt like he was being challenged for some reason.
We came home tired but happy. But, we came home to a rather sobering email. Many of you will remember Nick's buddy Liam. Jay (Liam's dad) wrote an email asking for prayer for Liam. The gist of it is as follows. They have asked us to pass along this prayer request to anyone we know who will pray, as such I am asking here. Liam has been suffering from migraine headaches for a while now. He had such a bad one a few weeks ago that Kim and Jay, took him off to the ER where they did a CAT scan as a precaution. They found a mass in the right lateral ventricle of his brain. Now, there is good news. It is not cancerous, and it is not right now putting any pressure on the brain or blood flow to the brain, so there is no threat right now. Liam will be having an MRI to determine a course of treatment, and Kim and Jason are asking that we pray for Liam and for the treatment.
Jason writes this"We would ask that if you are the praying type, you would consider joining us in praying over these next few weeks or months as we seek to determine the next steps. We would also ask that you pray for whatever opportunities God has in mind as we go through these next weeks. We have really been challenged to not dwell on the “why” questions but rather focus on the “what” and “how” questions. Reflecting on Romans 8:28 which reminds us that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him” we are asking that God would open our eyes and hearts to how He is going to use this for good and what He might do in and through this situation and in and through us."
So please pray for their family. We told Nick about Liam, and he asked how he was doing. We explained how Liam has named the mass, "Tubby the tumor" and Nick just cracked up. "That's so Liam!!' says my son and well really, that sums it up. It's amazing how faithful 8 year olds can be. I was worrying he would be so worried, and his attitude was very much, "well, let's pray... God is in control!"
A side note- Michaela is now eating apples and carrots. A fruit and a veg. but we are getting there. We have also cut out her bed time nursing. Three nights now. I feel like I'm the most evil mother around, she gets so sad. But we are working on it!
The zoo was a little different. After visiting the Toronto zoo recently, it was interesting to compare the two experiences. We were one of the first ones in the zoo this morning, and really had the place to ourselves for a good portion of the day. The Toronto zoo tends to try and mimic the animals habitat and give them tons of space. Consequently you feel like you are viewing the animals from afar. At the Buffalo zoo, the animals are so very close to you. The kids got to see first hand some very cool sea lions. The only thing separating us from these animals was a very small waist high wooden fence. Neat, but a little scary too!
The gorillas were a little testy too. We were standing off to the side watching them when the big male decided he didn't like being looked at. He rushed the glass, and slammed his fist into the window to let people know. Thank-goodness I hadn't been standing there, I would have screamed for sure! As it was we were all a little rattled, you could see that he was upset, and he obviously felt like he was being challenged for some reason.
We came home tired but happy. But, we came home to a rather sobering email. Many of you will remember Nick's buddy Liam. Jay (Liam's dad) wrote an email asking for prayer for Liam. The gist of it is as follows. They have asked us to pass along this prayer request to anyone we know who will pray, as such I am asking here. Liam has been suffering from migraine headaches for a while now. He had such a bad one a few weeks ago that Kim and Jay, took him off to the ER where they did a CAT scan as a precaution. They found a mass in the right lateral ventricle of his brain. Now, there is good news. It is not cancerous, and it is not right now putting any pressure on the brain or blood flow to the brain, so there is no threat right now. Liam will be having an MRI to determine a course of treatment, and Kim and Jason are asking that we pray for Liam and for the treatment.
Jason writes this"We would ask that if you are the praying type, you would consider joining us in praying over these next few weeks or months as we seek to determine the next steps. We would also ask that you pray for whatever opportunities God has in mind as we go through these next weeks. We have really been challenged to not dwell on the “why” questions but rather focus on the “what” and “how” questions. Reflecting on Romans 8:28 which reminds us that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him” we are asking that God would open our eyes and hearts to how He is going to use this for good and what He might do in and through this situation and in and through us."
So please pray for their family. We told Nick about Liam, and he asked how he was doing. We explained how Liam has named the mass, "Tubby the tumor" and Nick just cracked up. "That's so Liam!!' says my son and well really, that sums it up. It's amazing how faithful 8 year olds can be. I was worrying he would be so worried, and his attitude was very much, "well, let's pray... God is in control!"
A side note- Michaela is now eating apples and carrots. A fruit and a veg. but we are getting there. We have also cut out her bed time nursing. Three nights now. I feel like I'm the most evil mother around, she gets so sad. But we are working on it!
Thursday, July 3, 2008
The Fruit of my Labour
All right, so that is really cheesy, but I just had to use it! I got into trouble last night, when I told my two friends I made Strawberry Jam a couple of days ago. We were supposed to do it together, but I hadn't heard from them. The one girl said she still had jam left over, and well.... I hate to bug people, so I simply got it into my head to do it myself. Lesson learned!
The jam seems to have turned out well. The kids and Tim seem to like it at any rate! I have pictures, but we still haven't found a good way to get them off the camera onto my computer. The kids insisted that we spend some time actually picking the strawberries. I had no intention of taking three kids into a strawberry patch, but they were so excited! When I saw that it was actually about 1/2 the cost to pick it yourself, my cheap side came roaring out! I remember how much the farmer people hovered when I was a kid, and didn't feel like risking the wrath of an irate farmer. However this experience was good. I did end up talking to the farmers wife, who told me that we had such a drought last year that even with the amount of rain we had, it wasn't until the last rainfall that they saw puddles forming on the ground! The ground has just been soaking the water up!
I promised the girls that I would behave and wait for them to do the salsa, and peaches. Tim is even willing to take a day off work for me to do each.... See.. I just have to bribe his tummy to get him to take some time off!
I'm reading MacArthur's Twelve Extraordinary Women right now. Not that far in yet, just a couple of chapters, but am enjoying it.
Grocery shopping today. And laundry. My two least favorite tasks, but two that are vital to the running of this household. Tim is already hard at work, and Michaela has yet to wake up!
The jam seems to have turned out well. The kids and Tim seem to like it at any rate! I have pictures, but we still haven't found a good way to get them off the camera onto my computer. The kids insisted that we spend some time actually picking the strawberries. I had no intention of taking three kids into a strawberry patch, but they were so excited! When I saw that it was actually about 1/2 the cost to pick it yourself, my cheap side came roaring out! I remember how much the farmer people hovered when I was a kid, and didn't feel like risking the wrath of an irate farmer. However this experience was good. I did end up talking to the farmers wife, who told me that we had such a drought last year that even with the amount of rain we had, it wasn't until the last rainfall that they saw puddles forming on the ground! The ground has just been soaking the water up!
I promised the girls that I would behave and wait for them to do the salsa, and peaches. Tim is even willing to take a day off work for me to do each.... See.. I just have to bribe his tummy to get him to take some time off!
I'm reading MacArthur's Twelve Extraordinary Women right now. Not that far in yet, just a couple of chapters, but am enjoying it.
Grocery shopping today. And laundry. My two least favorite tasks, but two that are vital to the running of this household. Tim is already hard at work, and Michaela has yet to wake up!
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