Stanley & Monica Hannah & Jacob

With my quite regular postings at 4th Point and the popularity of Facebook, we're getting the feeling not too many people are looking us up here anymore.  If you'd like to connect with us, may we suggest you try either of those.  Of course, you're still welcome to reminisce through this site here!  -- Stanley

I'm not sure how many people are still checking this (maybe let us know if you are!).  It's been a while since we've posted anything here for a few reasons...
  ::  it takes time away from interacting with family and friends irl ("in real life");
  ::  we're behind in sorting (and posting) photos;
  ::  I'm now sharing reflections and thoughts over at 4thpoint.wordpress.com.

Our home computer is in the shop being repaired at the moment.  If I had it, I'd take a picture of our backyard and post it here, comparing it with this picture from one of the albums currently online:



Here you see Grandma (my mom) and Hannah on warmer days (read: last summer), and in the background, you see a frog-shaped sandbox.  Until a couple days ago, that sandbox was completely buried in snow since November.  Earlier this week, Hannah looked out the window and exclaimed, "I see the frog's eye!"  The snow is still mostly covering the sandbox (there's still over a foot of it), but a little green corner has now emerged in our white backyard.  Spring is certainly late this year, but now I'm finally starting to think that it may indeed be coming.

More pictures, including of Jacob's second birthday, will be added eventually, hopefully sooner rather than later...
     -- Stanley

A colleague of mine, Rick Apperson, commented on the time of devotions/worship I led at a recent Bulkley Valley Ministerial meeting.  I talked about how psalms of lament (of all things!) can help us honestly celebrate Thanksgiving Day (today in the US, last month in Canada).  I hope to write more about that sometime, but in meantime, read Rick's reflections on it and a psalm of lament he helped write.

     -- Stanley

These are interesting days.

 

Following our vacation to the Okanagan a couple weeks ago, Hannah and I went to Abbotsford -- I had a classis meeting to go to and Hannah spent time with my parents.  When I flew home again, I left Hannah with Dad & Mom G.  A couple days later, Monica left for a conference in Grand Rapids MI.  That leaves Jacob and me home together...  We're a couple of bachelors!  (Thankfully I have lots of help with Jacob while I'm at work.)

 

Meanwhile, Jacob is certainly learning how to communicate more and more.  "Daddy," "Mommy," and "Hannah" have been quite clear for a while now.  He says "Please," while "Thank you" still requires a fair bit of translation.  I wonder if Jacob is going to be truck driver when he grows up because he points out every single truck he sees out his window or while we're driving.  "Big truck!" can refer to a semi, a pickup, a van, and the occasional SUV.  Today Jacob made some new friends at the Smithers CRC nursery as I was preaching there for both services.  The attendants said he had a good time, but it sure was special to see him get excited to see me arrive to pick him up afterwards.

 

So, we're doing quite fine, the two of us.  And we hope Monica and Hannah are having fun where they are.

But we're looking forward to next week when everyone is home again, too.

     -- Stanley