Puzzle Pieces

My Friesen family has a tradition of doing a puzzle during Christmas holidays. We try to get together at Mom and Dad's for multiple days during the holidays, not always consecutive, and one of the constants is some huge, thousands-of-pieces puzzle. We leave it set up in a corner somewhere; we come and go, putting a few pieces together; some of us a little more patient than others. When the end of our time together is near, we sometimes find a few staying up well past bed-time to try to finish it.

Sometimes we don't finish it...I kinda hate it when that happens.

As our plans haven't always gone the way we thought the last several months, Emery has sometimes likened the whole thing to a puzzle. Every once in a while, we seem to find another piece. There have been some stretches where we can't seem to find any pieces that fit together.

This week, we think we found another piece for our "Why Are We Not in Spain Yet?" puzzle. One of our very close friends died suddenly and tragically. And we are here, in Canada, so we can be there for, and mourn with Ray; so we can celebrate Deb's life at her funeral. Her death, however, is one of those puzzles that may never be finished; some of the fact pieces, the why and how pieces, may never be found, never mind fit together. Remember, I don't really like those kinds of puzzles?

Today I thought back to something I heard from a speaker that I was able to hear because we aren't in Spain yet. God didn't call us to be "fine". He called us to faith. And faith is what we exercise when things are not humanly explainable or understandable. When things are not humanly explainable, that's when we can choose to trust in our all-knowing God. He may not explain it all...maybe not ever. That takes another dose of faith. But when we continue to trust Him with these things, and other things, and ev.er.y.thing, every minute of every day, that's when we really get to know Him, and begin to experience all of the benefits He wants us to have: among them peace, contentment, and inner strength that is not humanly explainable. I just don't know how people live WITHOUT HIM.

Not 12 hours after the phone call confirming Deb's death, we got a phone call from Spain that our visas have been approved! Now all we have to do is wait for the approvals to arrive in Canada. We're hoping that means we can fly to Spain within the next two weeks...yes, we've hoped things before and look what happened? But we haven't given up hope, we continue to have hope...because that is how people live WITH HIM.

Normals?

I know "normal" is not a politically correct word anymore. What is normal? How can you label something normal without offending that which isn't normal? And are you inferring that the non-normal is in any way inferior to the normal?

Well, I can't think of a better word to use right now, so...in my best Junior High attitude...whatever! Consider this the fine print that absolves me from any discrimination charges or offence that using the word normal in my blogging today may incur.

Rayna cleaning basement windows

Macy in the bathroom

With all the weird and strange things going on in our family's life right now, it was therapeutic to have some "normals" this weekend. On Saturday, when the kids asked, "What are we going to do today?", we decided we would have a normal Saturday. Basically, that means cleaning the house and mowing the lawn. I was overwhelmed with pride and joy as my kids jumped in with both feet and worked hard...I guess cleaning someone else's house and mowing someone else's lawn is just a little more fun than your own.

Braden cleaning up the yard

Birthdays, coming once a year, on the same day every year, can also bring a normal. So on Sunday, we celebrated Emery's forty-something, complete with cards, candy and gifts at the breakfast table, then a yummy supper out.

Happy Birthday!!

Oh, and I guess another normal would be that the Bombers lost. :(

The First Day of School

Today it is Emery's turn at the keyboard.

Each year we have the tradition of having breakfast together and then taking some pictures of us all leaving for school. This year, we wanted to keep the same tradition even though we were located (by only a few miles) in a different place. For both Macy and Rayna, today meant new schools. Macy is jumping into Grade 5 at SCHS, and Rayna is heading to Mitchell Elementary to join her cousin, Boston, in Grade 2.

For Rayna, this is a special month as she now is a "walker". Up to this point, our kids have always travelled on the bus to school. So it was cool to see Rayna head off with her bike for her first day.

Each of our kids is unique and different. Today Rayna wanted to go by herself. No one needed to come along. For Macy it was much more important for us to walk her to her new classroom! I was a proud and happy father to do both. Braden, on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with us once he arrived at school. Even this picture had to be taken incognito so he would not be embarrassed by his mother. Braden did mention when he got home, though, that it was a little bit weird not to have Dad around at school.


As for me, this day was different than what I had experienced for the last 17 years. I was always in the picture of those going off to school for the first day. Not this year. Instead, I joined the Annual First Day of School golf game with Bev and her sister, Cori. Wow, what a beautiful morning to be out playing Quarry Oaks!