Yearly Archives: 2013

Amalgamating household furniture has meant finding things you like together, ridding yourself of duplicates and deciding what is worth storing, sending away or thinking about.

The process has taken place over a few months.  The talking has been longer.

One of our operative words has been, “wait.” 

The garage has hosted a number of items.  Some were quick to be re-purposed.  Others have been returned to use.  Others are still awaiting a final decision.

This week saw a diagram of the living/dining room appear.  The major pieces of furniture were carefully graphed.  And rearrangement begun.  On paper.

Moving on paper has proved to be a good idea.  For the back! 

Of course, the test of a good design is only seen when it is seen.  We have had more than one arrangement “rearranged” once the furniture is in place.  At the moment, a theme is emerging.

Is this the last move?  I doubt it. 

I have enjoyed the shared experience that we will talk about, laugh about and sometimes wonder about, in coming years.  I’m also enjoying how things are looking. 

Who knows what tomorrow will look like?  I entertain that thought with anticipation! 

Ever since we got married in July, we keep finding cards around our house.  We suspect it was one of my sisters. 

Regardless of the suspects, their crime has been one of encouragement.  Here is the card we found yesterday!

Ron & Cynthia

• May you lift your eyes to the hills –
• May your help come from the Lord , the Maker of heaven & earth.
• May He not let  your foot slip
• May He watch over you – and be your shade
• May the Lord keep you from all harm and watch over your lives;
• May He watch over your coming & going both now & forevermore.

Ps. 121

Ever heard one of those phrases that just sticks. 

In the midst of our Sunday service, Nyla Ditson was speaking.  She is one of our young adults, currently studying in Saskatoon, whom I have watched grow up over the last eight years.

Nyla was talking about her own life – the ups and downs, the struggles and the joys, the life that squeezes and the life that frees.

In the midst of  this talk, she threw in a phrase that can change how we think about God. 

Often we approach life with a “what if” attitude.  We almost expect that everything is going to blow up.  Life will deteriorate “if” this happens. 

How about having an “even if” attitude?  When the worst thing that can happen is imagined – we still trust God can work in that situation.  This is a whole different picture.

I’m trying to put this phrase into action.  This past weekend our one remaining church charter member, Muriel Plum, passed away.  A great and gracious, godly lady.  “What if” would imagine that there can be no one like her again, the church will deteriorate and we will gradually cease to exist.  “Even if” imagines that her example, though now gone, can generate a whole new generation of godly followers of Jesus, and the church will grow in stature with both God and community.

Two contrasting phrases, both spoken in the same situation, can be worlds apart!

Months ago I had been asked to perform a wedding on Thanksgiving weekend.  In a small town called Winnipeg.  About 10 hours away.

With my marriage this summer, we discussed this as one of the activities that our first few months would include.  As we worked through logistics, the idea was to travel in stages on the way there, and then hike home quickly on Thanksgiving Monday.  This was the skeleton of the plan.

As it happened, the marriage fell in between a number of other activities that arose over these past few weeks.

The split drive had us stay overnight in Regina.  There we visited with relatives from Cynthia’s side.  The time together also included an early morning paper route before leaving for Winnipeg.

The drive back began early yesterday morning.  Last week we had a request to stop in at my sister’s for a Thanksgiving meal.  Although an hour extra driving, we wanted to honor this request.  At noon we stopped in Regina once again, and visited with Cynthia’s relatives.  We were soon on the way to a turkey dinner scheduled for 3:00, at my sister’s.  After a time of visiting there we headed back to Kindersley. 

2,100 kilometers covered and lots of visiting sandwiched in!!  A true thanksgiving weekend.