Abby Turns 13...No more little kids here!

Yesterday was my baby's 13th birthday, and so we're now officially the parents of teens. We think we've got two pretty neat kids and we're thankful for the blessing of having them in our lives.

I remember wondering what I'd do if I had a little girl, because I grew up in a household of boys--brothers, cousins and foster brothers, neighbourhood full of boys, hockey, climbing trees, lighting fires--and wasn't sure I knew how to raise a girl. However, Abby has made it a rather easy task, raising a girl, and I wouldn't change having a beautiful daughter like Abby any day:)

Abby's birthday celebrations started last Saturday night with an International Sleepover, only called that because of the countries represented by the girls who were there. We had a Bolivian-born, Kenyan-raised American, 2 Korean girls, an Australian,

an Indonesian-born Canadian, and Abby. What we already knew but it was confirmed anyways is that no matter where girls are from, they all love to eat junk food and laugh together. This is a really nice group of girls and we were glad they had so much fun.

Yesterday, on her official birthday, we spent a whole $50 for our family of 4 to go to the salon, where between us we had a massage, a cream bath, a manicure, a pedicure, a mini-facial and a haircut (and straightened). We came home, Abby unwrapped a hair straightener and lots of money from various relatives, which is great timing for Germany, and then headed out to dinner with a group of about 25 people. To this dinner we brought a cake, and it was fun to embarass Abby at the kids table (across the room from the adults) with us crowding around her and singing happy birthday in both English and Indonesian.

We're heading to Germany soon, loaded with photos and stories to share with our family there, with lots of bragging rights for Abby's accomplishments, and I'm proud of those things that she has accomplished both scholastically and socially. However, I'm most proud of the kind, compassionate, funny, generous, loving person that Abby is, and is intentionally becoming through both her own initiative and with God's direction.

Happy Birthday Abby-Girl!!

Thanks for reading.

Wendy Degrazio (October 17, 1950-November 6, 2010)

In honour of Wendy Degrazio, in celebration of who she was to us and of the strong, quiet life that she lived.

Wendy is Tanya's mom, and Tanya is my baby brother's wife. Tanya is also one of my dearest friends and a woman I admire greatly. Many of her beautiful attributes were given and taught to her by her mother, who died November 6, 2010, at the age of 60.

Unable to attend the memorial in Oyster River, our family wanted to send our love and regrets in some way, and so we wrote a letter describing what Wendy has been to us in our lives. Here is a summary of things that remind us of Wendy:

"Some of the words that we would use to describe Wendy and her life are: gentle, peaceful, beautiful, gardener, quiet, natural, generous, private, kind, classy, sacrificial, caring, patient, soft, motivated, one who appreciated beauty and life, loving grandmother, proud mother, loyal wife, and a good listener.

Some of the things or scenes that remind us of Wendy are: hummingbirds, deer, horses, flowers, strawberry patches, canned antipasto, gardens, special gifts given to our children, a grandma loving on her grandchildren, a mother opening her door for her children, parties in the backyard, bonfires and marshmallows."

Although we were not at the memorial, we have been sent the letters and eulogy that were given at it, and from them there were a few things I learned about Wendy. They are:

*Wendy loved to cook. I knew she loved to cook, but she LOVED to cook and tried new recipes all the time.

*Wendy was born in Golden, BC and married Jim Degrazio in 1969, a young man she'd gone to both elementary and highschool with. Jim we know, their history we didn't.

*She lost her mom when she was only 20 years old.

Mostly, I learned that no matter who spoke or wrote, each aspect or description of Wendy and her life matched those descriptions give by others: Wendy lived a life of kindness, strength, creativity, consistency and love.

With Wendy's passing comes many reminders of how life is fragile and short and that we need to take every opportunity to live it to the best of our ability. What I am personally reminded about is that I shouldn't stop taking photos, because they are what ties me to those I love;

a life can be quiet and lived to the maximum at the same time; you can't say 'i love you' too many times in a day; a woman who loves her family and lives for them is one of the most powerful positive influences a child will experience in his/her life; a mother cannot be replaced, no matter how old she is when she passes.

I never took the opportunity to tell Wendy what an incredible woman she was, and so this is my way of saying thank you, Wendy, for how you lived the life you were given.

Thank you for reading.

Philosophy of Charles Schulz

I received an email today and I'd like to share it with you. Although it's not really 'deep', it is 'simply' thought provoking. Read on:

The following is the philosophy of Charles Schulz, the creator of the 'Peanuts' comic strip. You don't have to actually answer the questions. Just ponder on them. Just read the e-mail straight through, and you'll get the point.

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.

2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.

3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America pageant.

4 Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.

5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.

6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.

How did you do?

The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields.

But the applause dies..

Awards tarnish..

Achievements are forgotten.

Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.

2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.

3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.

4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.

5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.

Easier? The lesson:

The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the

most credentials, the most money...or the most awards.

They simply are the ones who care the most.

Thanks for reading.

"Back from the Ashes of Merapi" by Amelia Merrick

Below is a piece written by my Canadian friend, Amelia Merrick, interim national director for World Vision Indonesia. She has the privilege of traveling quite a bit throughout the islands of Indonesia, and unfortunately she also has opportunity to witness some pretty sad, overwhelming events. Many of these events are caused by natural disasters, such as one of Indonesia's most recent ones, the eruption of Mount Merapi in Jogjakarta. Merapi is 8 hours from us by train, one and a half hours by plane.

"Children greet me as I open the car door at the Kali Adem Displacement Camp. To my left is a group of boys hanging around a small leaf-less tree while they read comics together. A couple of girls sit off to the side peeling and placing stickers in their activity book, enthralled by the delicate and colourful images. A large blue tent is to the left and from within the tent I hear children’s laughter. Three university students, with cool printed t-shirts and funky hair styles are in the tent, showing a dozen pre-teens how to take photos and play guitar. If I didn’t know better, I would think this were summer camp.

But moving inside the long and hot community centre I am instantly brought back to reality. This is a Displacement Camp where 400 people from Kali Adem, a tiny dairy village at the very top of Mount Merapi, are now without homes, cows or fields. Mothers, fathers, grandmothers and babies sit on rolled mats, colorful walls of neatly folded clothes mark out their family’s space. A few drinking glasses, weathered school books, motorcycle helmets and beaten card-board boxes that safely store the last remains of their belongings are stacked in the 4 x 6 space they now call home. Fresh laundry - faded jeans, bras and underwear, children’s pyjamas – are strung across every window pane and doorway.

I go to meet the village leader – she is a slight woman draped in a shiny purple head scarf. She shows me a picture of her village - it is a whitened moonscape, lava has covered their entire village. It looks like a desert dusted with ash, or like a barren field after a heavy snow fall. There is no evidence of homes, cows or fields. It is just grey and dusty. Before I can write down the name of this fragile village leader she breaks into tears. I have been to dozens of Displacement Camps but still there are never words to comfort someone who has lost everything.

I speak to Ibu Suyami (38) and Ibu Dartoyaho (55) and they tell me they are confused. They have moved seven times since Mount Merapi starting spewing its noxious gases. Their first Displacement Camp is now singed black, the boxes of emergency supplies burned by the hot volcanic cloud. The second Displacement Camp was too crowded. They are like “The Fish out of Water” – being transferred from one cramped bowl to the next, on a desperate journey to find a place that can hold them. Though this community centre is too small for their village they are glad that they are have settled amongst their neighbors again. At least they are together with friends and family.

Ibu Suyami and Ibu Dartoyaho tell me that they have lost everything – there houses are gone, their cattle are dead. They don’t have a plan, they don’t know what comes next. They are bored living in the camp. They miss their work. The children want to play soccer again.

It was over a month ago that they ran from their villages, and while they are glad to be alive they long for an end to this terrible nightmare. Sadly, the world has already woken and the people of Mount Merapi are quickly being forgotten as we move into our busy day." 

http://www.worldvision.ca/give-a-gift/Crisis-Child-Partner/Pages/SavingChildDisasterVictimsinIndonesia.aspx

Thanks for reading, and thanks Amelia for letting me "borrow" your post.