Okay, it is waaaaaaayyyyyyy too long since i did this for you but believe me things are not slowing down at all in our lives. The new year has brought along with it a sense of the lack of time we have left in USA and the amount of things we both have to do and want to do before we leave. Into this we add the continued joy of being parents to Eva.
This is in fact the greatest honour an individual could have - to be the parent of such a wonderful gift as a wee baby girl - especially one who sleeps through every night!~!!!!!!!! Since I last updated, Eva has learned to crawl. I have likened this to a 16/17 year old getting their drivers license in that now we no longer have control of absolutely everywhere that Eva goes. She now has the ability to crawl to her desired destination. If we leave her in her room to play with toys while we sort something out in the kitchen, we will soon see her crawling out towards us. It is a very cool thing alongside being a very scary thing. Being a parent is all about protecting, caring for, looking out for and knowing about your child, but it is also about helping the child become an independent individual - whatever that means at whatever age. For Eva, we now have to learn to let her crawl and be independent in that way, in some weird God-given way it is maybe her first expression of independence- though you just try and stop us looking out for her wherever she crawls.
This makes me mindful of how God must feel with us. We read in the bible all the time and hear from preachers often about how God is our Father and protector, constantly looking out for us and helping to take care of our real needs in life. I am sure he giggles at me in the same way I giggle at Eva as she crawls around in her mini journies of discovery. To continue to meet God in this parental form is the revelation of my life right now. Jools asked me what the biggest change in my life was in becoming a parent - I thought for a moment and then said this, "I never knew what love was until we had Eva". It is so true - I cannot express to you in words how much I love that wee girl. And the good news is this - I am incapable of loving as God does and so his love for us as his children is infinitely more than what we can imagine it to be. That is something to be embraced and enjoyed.
What has also been happening in the last number of weeks is that we been watching a couple of our good church friends enter their last days here on earth with us. Gus Garcia had been in Intensive Care since Christmas evening and just last week was taken from their to a ward in the local hospital where he would spend his final days. Gus went home last night. He was 31 and leaves Jodi, his wife, and Jordan and Austin his two great kids. Our other friend was Dr Dee Dorgan. She was a remarkable lady in her 70's who had fought hard over the last 30 years against many forms of cancer in her body. It came back to haunt her again this last year with some other problems. Dee had a stroke yesterday and then died last night. Both of these individuals had deep faith in and relationship with Jesus and both of them had the most amazing fighting spirit. I will miss them both deeply. Death is hard for those of us that are left here without our loved ones, but I can't help be reminded of the hope that Christ offers in the face of death. Hope is always there - never to be diminished.
The thought of moving home is getting harder and harder. It is almost surreal to think that in three weeks from this day we will be on a one way flight to Belfast. We have become so attached to this place and all our family here that it is difficult to imagine life without them all being so close. It is also getting to the point where others are realizing this reality also. It is not just hard for us, but it is hard for that family that I have mentioned. I cannot imagine that we will be in membership of a church like this one again - the love and sheer sense of community that we have here is hard to describe with my limited vocabulary - suffice to say that from the very moment of our arrival we have been loved like one of their own and that expression has only grown.
I don't know how to talk to people about it - especially our youth. I really am stuck for words everytime it comes up. It is easy to say that this is what is right for Margaret and I and that this is the direction that God is prodding us in - but even if you get that, it is still hard to accept. I wish that I had magic words to comfort people or magic prayers to help them understand that God really does work in all things for the good. I know this though - whatever we feel now, God is always faithful and never let's us down. he knows us better than we know ourselves and he knows the plans he has for this place and for Margaret, Eva and I. In that I trust - in that only can I trust.
The call to go home got a lot more meaningful for me and Margaret over the new year. Something amazing happened on New Years Day at church. I was asked to help serve communion with Rich at our service that day and as I did it, I was faced with an amazing realization that being able to offer communion to people is one of the highest privileges a person can have. As I spoke the words of grace to people, not knowing what it was they were bringing to the table, I had a profound sense that I was being involved in one the most intimate experiences a human can have and I knew that I wanted to be involved in this way for people as many times as I can. A day or two later, I was browsing the Irish Methodist website and found myself reading up on what it would take to become a Methodist minister back home. To cut a long story short, I was very moved as I read it and knew that something was calling me to ordination. I have known that this would happen in my life for quite some time but not until now did I feel that it was the right time. If all goes according to plan, I hope to begin studies at Edgehill Theological College next September and from there move towards ordination. It's a huge step in our life but the right one. The call is there for me to preach and it is time to face that and do it.
I have run out of time for now. There will be more to follow though it will probably be from northern Ireland the next time I get to this.
Blessings
Monday, January 30, 2006
Friday, December 30, 2005
Almost a month since the last update and we have lots of pictures to show you, but first a few words to keep you updated on everything we have been up to this month.
With it being christmas, I suppose the month of December has felt like it is running away and very quickly taking our time here in Florida with it. On Sunday 4th December I got the opportunity to go and see a Miami Dolphins football game and had a class time. They were playing the Buffalo Bills and the result was 24-23 for the Dolphins and it had plenty of excitement, well in the fourth quarter anyway. Buffalo had taken a huge lead in the first quarter of the game scoring three touchdowns and for most of the game they led 21-0. However, in the fourth quarter, the Dolphins came out a different team and they came back from 23-3 for the win. America quite often seems to be based on entertainment and I must say they completey know how to do it. Even their sports seem to be designed to make the big finish a reality and this game really highlighted that. The Dolphins scored their winner with literally 6 seconds on the clock and in their last play of the game and I must say it really got the heart pumping as they edged closer to the endzone for their touchdown. It was a thoroughly good day out and I would do it again in a heartbeat. After that my official holiday time was done and it was back to work to get ready for the fast approaching Christmas season which basically for me entails making sure that our youth party is arranged and is going to be fun, making sure I am ready for any music we have to play in services - which of course means dragging those Christmas songs out again, and finally helping Renee and Rich as they prepare for Christmas Eve which is a huge deal here - we have 5 services in total on Christmas Eve. Work wise, these three things basically took up the month and all three went well. Our Christmas Party fopr the youth was great, we went to Ron and Jen's and had a bonfire and a hay-ride and the usual gift exchange. This year I saw the coolest idea for a gift exchange at our youth party - someone brought a goldfish in a bag as their gift - it was fought over a lot until everyone realised that it would either need a lot of care and attention or that they would be burying it in a few days, a fish is for as long as it lasts you know, not just for Christmas!!!!! Christmas Eve was busy with us having all those services, but they all seemed to go well and relatively smoothly. In the band we had one extra event to do at church. It was our annual Winter Wonderland which is basically a small community event with a walk through nativity and free drinks and cookies. We had to play that night and basically it was a bit of a disaster. We were without anyone to run our sound board and hence were unable to get out mix right. To say we sounded awful is an understatement, and I have to say I came home in not the best of moods - not because of how bad we sounded, but because of the fact that we can do soooooo much better. Anywho, we reformed on Sunday morning for Oasis and things sounded okay again - I guess we all have our bad gigs right?
Musically, this has been abig month for me. I have dreamed and talked about for a long time how I would like to record some of the music that I have written over the last few years and recently that became a reality for me. Yesterday in fact. I met up with my buddy Asa who has just built himself a nice little studio for recording in and we started to process of laying down some tracks for my songs. The day went really well and I got 6/7 songs done and at the end of it all Asa said he wanted to play something for me that he had created. He had put together a piece of music and wondered if I could come up with some words for it. To cut a long story short I started singing some lyrics that I had written the night before and we decided to record some of it. I have been singing for a long time, but never have I let go and sung from my heart so much as I did when I was singing that song last night. Every note, and every word and every ounce of energy came from my heart when I was singing it and I have to confess I felt a closeness with God that I have not experience before. It was not that I was in worship - in fact the lyrics I was singing were not worship lyrics. It was more of a cry of the heart than anything else. I don't know if anyone other than Asa will ever hear it, but I know that if no-one ever does it's okay with me. Last night I sang that song to God and God alone and it was wonderful and just felt very pure within me.
The other highlight this month was the other half of Margaret's birthday surprise. On 21st December, I arranged for us to go to Discovery Cove in Orlando where Margaret would get to swim with dolphins. Our friend Pam graciously undertook to look after Eva and we had the most wonderful day to ourselves swimming around, snorkling in their lagoons and then getting to meet the dolphins. It was a class day and if you ever get the chance to do it, don't pass it up.
Christmas day was nice. For the last couple of years we have spent christmas with Lisa and Asa and it has always been fun. But, I have always come away from it all with a feeling that it just was not Christmas. I had issues with not getting a Christmas dinner if I am honest and so this year we decided to make our own dinner and invited Ron and jen and Kate over. It was wonderful and the food was great. To smell the turkey cooking just made me know it was Christmas day and I was happy.
So now that it is all over we are faced with the reality that we only have about 9 more weeks of time in USA. Behind me as I type this are the beginnings of our packing - all our books have been packed up and boxed and are ready to go. It is getting so close and in many ways it is exciting as well as frightening and extremely sad. I have to confess it is hard to imagine living life back home now. I know we will get used to it, but I really thought that having grown up there I would be able to see myself back there, but currently, I have no clue what it is going to be like at all. All told though, things with the move in general are going well. We have found a shipper that can move our stuff for us at a reasonable rate and we have found ways of getting the dogs back without having to quarantine them in Northern Ireland. They will not travel until July, but wshen they arrive they will get to come home to us that day.
Eva is just class. Like really, really class. The last month has seen her getting her 6 month shots, almost start crawling, start into that stage where she just smiles all the time and of course she has had her first Christmas. Renee bought her this very cool little Christmas outfit, which included a red dress with white, fluffy collar and trim, a little red santa hat and cool little white booties - she looked so cool in it all. She may never forgivre us when she gets older but it was worth that to kit her out for Christmas. I have many many pictures to show you of that stuff. She wore it on Christmas morning when we went to church. At the childrens time in the service, Renee came over and took Eva up front with her so that everyone could see her. Eva caught a glimpse of renee's glasses and of course decided that she wanted them. This started some laughter in the congregation and everyone was enjoying the whole scene. then Eva turned around and noticed everyone in front of her and that they were all laughing and then she started to giggle right back at them. It was the funniest thing in the world to watch as the harder everyone laughed the more Eva' seemed to lap it up and laugh right back at them - she seems to be a chip off the old block in more ways than just looking alike.
Anyway, I am sure you are sick of reading by now and are ready for photos.
Blessings
With it being christmas, I suppose the month of December has felt like it is running away and very quickly taking our time here in Florida with it. On Sunday 4th December I got the opportunity to go and see a Miami Dolphins football game and had a class time. They were playing the Buffalo Bills and the result was 24-23 for the Dolphins and it had plenty of excitement, well in the fourth quarter anyway. Buffalo had taken a huge lead in the first quarter of the game scoring three touchdowns and for most of the game they led 21-0. However, in the fourth quarter, the Dolphins came out a different team and they came back from 23-3 for the win. America quite often seems to be based on entertainment and I must say they completey know how to do it. Even their sports seem to be designed to make the big finish a reality and this game really highlighted that. The Dolphins scored their winner with literally 6 seconds on the clock and in their last play of the game and I must say it really got the heart pumping as they edged closer to the endzone for their touchdown. It was a thoroughly good day out and I would do it again in a heartbeat. After that my official holiday time was done and it was back to work to get ready for the fast approaching Christmas season which basically for me entails making sure that our youth party is arranged and is going to be fun, making sure I am ready for any music we have to play in services - which of course means dragging those Christmas songs out again, and finally helping Renee and Rich as they prepare for Christmas Eve which is a huge deal here - we have 5 services in total on Christmas Eve. Work wise, these three things basically took up the month and all three went well. Our Christmas Party fopr the youth was great, we went to Ron and Jen's and had a bonfire and a hay-ride and the usual gift exchange. This year I saw the coolest idea for a gift exchange at our youth party - someone brought a goldfish in a bag as their gift - it was fought over a lot until everyone realised that it would either need a lot of care and attention or that they would be burying it in a few days, a fish is for as long as it lasts you know, not just for Christmas!!!!! Christmas Eve was busy with us having all those services, but they all seemed to go well and relatively smoothly. In the band we had one extra event to do at church. It was our annual Winter Wonderland which is basically a small community event with a walk through nativity and free drinks and cookies. We had to play that night and basically it was a bit of a disaster. We were without anyone to run our sound board and hence were unable to get out mix right. To say we sounded awful is an understatement, and I have to say I came home in not the best of moods - not because of how bad we sounded, but because of the fact that we can do soooooo much better. Anywho, we reformed on Sunday morning for Oasis and things sounded okay again - I guess we all have our bad gigs right?
Musically, this has been abig month for me. I have dreamed and talked about for a long time how I would like to record some of the music that I have written over the last few years and recently that became a reality for me. Yesterday in fact. I met up with my buddy Asa who has just built himself a nice little studio for recording in and we started to process of laying down some tracks for my songs. The day went really well and I got 6/7 songs done and at the end of it all Asa said he wanted to play something for me that he had created. He had put together a piece of music and wondered if I could come up with some words for it. To cut a long story short I started singing some lyrics that I had written the night before and we decided to record some of it. I have been singing for a long time, but never have I let go and sung from my heart so much as I did when I was singing that song last night. Every note, and every word and every ounce of energy came from my heart when I was singing it and I have to confess I felt a closeness with God that I have not experience before. It was not that I was in worship - in fact the lyrics I was singing were not worship lyrics. It was more of a cry of the heart than anything else. I don't know if anyone other than Asa will ever hear it, but I know that if no-one ever does it's okay with me. Last night I sang that song to God and God alone and it was wonderful and just felt very pure within me.
The other highlight this month was the other half of Margaret's birthday surprise. On 21st December, I arranged for us to go to Discovery Cove in Orlando where Margaret would get to swim with dolphins. Our friend Pam graciously undertook to look after Eva and we had the most wonderful day to ourselves swimming around, snorkling in their lagoons and then getting to meet the dolphins. It was a class day and if you ever get the chance to do it, don't pass it up.
Christmas day was nice. For the last couple of years we have spent christmas with Lisa and Asa and it has always been fun. But, I have always come away from it all with a feeling that it just was not Christmas. I had issues with not getting a Christmas dinner if I am honest and so this year we decided to make our own dinner and invited Ron and jen and Kate over. It was wonderful and the food was great. To smell the turkey cooking just made me know it was Christmas day and I was happy.
So now that it is all over we are faced with the reality that we only have about 9 more weeks of time in USA. Behind me as I type this are the beginnings of our packing - all our books have been packed up and boxed and are ready to go. It is getting so close and in many ways it is exciting as well as frightening and extremely sad. I have to confess it is hard to imagine living life back home now. I know we will get used to it, but I really thought that having grown up there I would be able to see myself back there, but currently, I have no clue what it is going to be like at all. All told though, things with the move in general are going well. We have found a shipper that can move our stuff for us at a reasonable rate and we have found ways of getting the dogs back without having to quarantine them in Northern Ireland. They will not travel until July, but wshen they arrive they will get to come home to us that day.
Eva is just class. Like really, really class. The last month has seen her getting her 6 month shots, almost start crawling, start into that stage where she just smiles all the time and of course she has had her first Christmas. Renee bought her this very cool little Christmas outfit, which included a red dress with white, fluffy collar and trim, a little red santa hat and cool little white booties - she looked so cool in it all. She may never forgivre us when she gets older but it was worth that to kit her out for Christmas. I have many many pictures to show you of that stuff. She wore it on Christmas morning when we went to church. At the childrens time in the service, Renee came over and took Eva up front with her so that everyone could see her. Eva caught a glimpse of renee's glasses and of course decided that she wanted them. This started some laughter in the congregation and everyone was enjoying the whole scene. then Eva turned around and noticed everyone in front of her and that they were all laughing and then she started to giggle right back at them. It was the funniest thing in the world to watch as the harder everyone laughed the more Eva' seemed to lap it up and laugh right back at them - she seems to be a chip off the old block in more ways than just looking alike.
Anyway, I am sure you are sick of reading by now and are ready for photos.
Blessings
Sunday, December 04, 2005
Margaret, Eva and I at the top of the tower.
In the background over my left shoulder you can see, in the distance, the lights and hotels of the Las Vegas Strip 
Family pose
This was a great shot except for the fact that I forgot to lose my second chin for it!!!!!!!!!
Marge and Eva and the Stratosphere Tower
This is the hotel we stayed in. Well the tower of the hotel we stayed in. We had dinner at the top of it in their revolving dining room on Thursday night - it was an amazing experience.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)