Better Late than Never

After almost all of the grands have had a fifth birthday date to Build-a-Bear

it came to our attention that the two who missed out still wanted their turn. 

Why not?

We picked up Tehya and Natalie on a Monday after school

and headed into the city to the store in Metrotown Mall. 

Their excitement was contagious! 

I really thought that our trip in with Jack was our last ...

so this was a bonus, 

observing these teen girls do the back and forth walk looking at options.

At this age, choosing a character, an outfit and accessories really is an event. 

Natalie had her sixteenth birthday last month.

She is a sweet teenager! 

Oh, the memories that come back of after school dates 

and how she always bubbled over with stories.

This was no exception. 

Frog and Bear were stuffed with love, dressed and given a birth certificate.

Meet Kevin and Macey! 

And the way out followed a certain tradition as well.

All eleven now have their special memory. 

We headed to a favorite restaurant

and enjoyed a very tasty meal together! 

Why did we wait so long? 

And yet, I wouldn't have it any other way now.

It was so good to listen to what's happening in their lives,

even good old fashioned dreams of young ladies with all of life ahead of them.

Our oldest two granddaughters, paving the way

and making us so proud and thankful!

We dream with them and pray. 

Mother's Day Bits and Pieces

Mother's Day has a way of bringing me back to one of life's blessings ...

that of being a mom. 

I've asked the question before, had I known the cost of it, would I have signed up?

Did I know that these children would become part of my very breath 

for the rest of my life? 

It's a mystery, this love that comes with those tiny helpless babes,

a love that keeps going through all the learning curves and challenges,

no matter the years that go by. 

Life just keeps building on those first years.

first steps, first flower picked and given ... 

to the bouquet brought to the door by a tall and handsome.

Every flower from him has always melted my heart.

Add to the picture, two beautiful young women,

at a place now where they know the cost as well,

yet embracing this beautiful gift with grace and strength.

We postponed our family get-together due to not everyone feeling well,

but I had a very special time with my siblings.

The stone was delivered this past week and it was our first time seeing it with both names.

I cannot express how surreal it felt and the emotions that go with this. 

The word we cling to is on there ...

"Aufwiedersehen" or "until we meet again" 

The bond that fills my heart with gratefulness

is the history and memories that we share.

We are the family now, along with our families,

continuing traditions and making our own

with a new awareness of where we come from and where we are going. 

May we live and love to pass the baton of faith,

praying, no one will be missing on that day

when again we see face to face.

 

Just Checking In

 

These two weeks since Easter have been filled with a lot of emotions that I don't really need to share, but it may be good to think through what has all happened and to realize how the Lord has shown His loving presence in our pain. 

On Good Friday, after our family get-together, my H went to sit through the night with his ailing brother. Dealing with cancer, he somehow ended up with a severe infection that took him home the next day. He is the first of nine siblings, so it is a surreal and sad time for the extended family, and in particular for his immediate family. 

In the meantime we both ended up with Covid. He was able to get past his five days to make it to the graveside service but I was not.  It is times like these that I am especially thankful for our kids who have shown their care and love. Many texts, a surprise package at the door and a flower delivery. Feeling loved is good medicine.

Personally I'm in a place where I need to remind myself daily to trust God's timing in everything. I've experienced how quickly my plans can change, that I am not in control of viruses and protocols, but I can choose my attitude.  This truly is a work in process, but it amazes me how giving my fears to God gives me assurance, a better perspective and peace. 

Family Easter

We gathered for our Easter celebration on Good Friday. 

It felt a bit of a somber day to celebrate, so I kept decor simple

and we lit candles on the tables. 

Papa talked about the significance of this day and asked the

kids, "Why do they call it Good Friday?"

Apparently the term "Good" as applied here is an Old English expression meaning Holy. 

Holy Friday ... when the sky went dark and the earth shook just before Jesus breathed His last. 

Easter baskets were hidden by the dads ...

you can tell.

I was chasing the kids but didn't get to see all of 

the hiding places or initial responses.

And guess where Koen found his! 

Papa's shop has lots of good places,

including a trash can. 

I struggle with the balance of taking photos and just enjoying the time.

If I had more photos of Paska,

it would be of the kids spreading icing on slices of paska bread

and adding their own sprinkles. 

The recognition on their faces when I told them of this possiblity 

still brings a smile to my face. 

 How thankful we are that the story did not end with Holy Friday,

but that on Sunday we could celebrate our risen Savior,

Lord of life and death.

But the truth is that Christ has been raised from death, 

as the guarantee that those who sleep in death will also be raised.

1 Corinthians 15:20

That I may know Him More

Before I came to know and put my trust in God, there was a tug of war within my soul.  This has been our destiny from the Garden of Eden, when the snake asked Eve, "Did God really say?" Ever since then, good and evil have fought side by side.  So how did I come to trust God? In order to trust Him I need to know that He is good, that He does good and that His desires for me are good.  

How do we know that God is good? The Bible, the book that has stood the test of time and, dare I say our conscience, tell us that He is the source of morality. He made laws for our protection and for our good. However, following our own way,  God's goodness is also evident in His mercy by providing a way for us to come to Him.  The gift of Jesus is the greatest show of His goodness, ultimately the gift of forgiveness and eternal life. This is what we celebrate this weekend.

God made the heavens and the earth and about every thing He made, He said, "it is good." Creation shows us that out of His goodness, He makes good things and He does good. His goodness is shown in a common grace to all mankind.  "For He makes the sun rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." Matthew 5:45. 

So, if God is good, makes good things and does good things, why is there evil in this world? As strange as it sounds, maybe evil allows us to see goodness. In the Garden, Eve was told by the serpent, "you shall surely not die, but your eyes will be opened and you will be as gods, knowing good and evil." Genesis 3:4,5

Why would God allow evil? Being only human, we are not in a place where we can't see clearly yet, but there are times when we see a glimpse, and what we see is that He can allow allow evil for a greater good. It may just be a bigger miracle that God can bring healing and redemption from brokenness than if we never needing healing at all. Joseph was sold into slavery, and ended up being the one who saved his family in the end. He told his brothers, "what they had meant for evil, God had meant for good".

Never would I have chosen for my mother to have Alzheimer's. But what I learned in the process and how I was encouraged by her faith may not have happened in any other way. It is in the valleys that we  become more willing to depend on the Lord, and learn that His desires for us are for our good - sometimes only seen in the grand picture. 

These are the truths that spur me on in my faith and desire to know God more.  Psalm 119:68 says, "Thou art good and doest good; teach me your statutes."

Blooms in the Desert

 As I think about the effects of the pandemic -

and the terrible things happening because of war -

I'm feeling less joy in posting photos of things that sound like a dream.

Not a day goes by that we don't remember and pray for 

those who are left homeless, separated, hungry and afflicted.

And yet, here we are ... undeserving and not

wanting to take this vacation for granted. 

We brought our bikes along,

and have done a fair bit of cycling this time.

To think that a desert can produce such beauty 

is something that reminds me of the season in life we are in now.

It is a unique time and place 

to look back as well as to look ahead.

The palo verde trees along the streets were in full bloom last week and

today many of the blossoms had fallen off.

Such a brief glimpse of their beauty. 

As we pack up to begin our journey towards home

I am grateful for blooms in the desert.

A sign of hope, in a dry and parched land.

A prayer of my heart for all.