Celebrations

 The link for this week's live-streamed service is here.

Thanks to Pam Day for this week's post.

O Canada, what a week of celebrations!

 

Canada’s Soccer Team gained a victory over South Africa on Sunday, with much rejoicing and renewed hope for their next game against Morocco. [Not a win, but still an achievement.]

And of course we all celebrated Canada’s Birthday on the 1^st July.

But, for me, the most enjoyable celebration happened between those very public events, it was Elizabeth Small's 94^th  birthday.

Now Elizabeth only recently moved into Resthaven Lodge after living in the home her late husband built, so you can imagine that it has been a real struggle for her and her family to deal with the changes this brings, the dislocation and deep sadness that comes with the feeling that her “normal” life is over.

But thanks be to God, Elizabeth is a blessed child of a loving God and she has a strong faith, a wonderful supportive family, her best friend Joan, and many others too.

This 94^th birthday gave us all a golden opportunity to make it a memorable one and cement some “happy times” into her strange new life, and Joan and I set about doing just that. Feeling the love!

It started off with a 1 hour ride in a Triobike Taxi around the streets of Sidney with her best friend Joan. They had a blast! Doing the “Royal Wave” to passers-by and chatting to Jon their driver. Elizabeth thought that was just fine, but it was only the beginning! 

Birthday ride

A surprise party was set up with her Cousin Jennifer, and friends Sally, Josephine, Hilda, Carol, Norma, Joan and myself and later Janet M and Darlene  stopped by.

The party was complete with party hats, tooters, balloons and of course a wonderful cake thanks to Darlene.  Once the delicious cake had been consumed there were cards and gifts to open, and much to Elizabeth’s delight, lots of chocolate!

It was a truly festive day, but even good things
must come to an end. I was amazed at Elizabeth’s stamina – but Joan tells me that she crashed after the party ended, not surprising it had been a long and exciting day for sure.

Let’s hope this gave a new perspective to Elizabeth, and opened up the possibilities for a good life at Resthaven with more happier days to follow. And if the only thing that Elizabeth remembers tomorrow is the warm happy feeling of being loved by many, that will be just fine too.

Back to the Beginning

 The link to this week's live-streamed service is here.

The calendar this year didn't allow us any ease before the start of the fall term. With Labour Day falling on Sept. 1, we were back to school, back to work and back to routine immediately as August disappeared.

So, what did you do on your summer vacation? 

• I learned a new way to discourage deer from eating my garden. 
• Darlene learned how to operate our live-stream. 
• Janet and crew reunited with family in England after a ten year absence. 
• Pam travelled and travelled and travelled. 
• Joan went to Scotland and came home to a mountain of recycling. 
  

At SPPC Rev. Irwin preached a series on the Book of Revelation, i.e. the end of our Bible. On the first Sunday of September, he preached on Genesis 1, the beginning. Seems like an "alpha and omega" moment to me.

As we turn to Genesis, we read about God creating the day and the night, the sky, the seas, and the earth. He populated the seas with living things, filled the skies with birds and the land with animals. At the end of each day, God looked upon what He had created and declared it "Good." Finally, God created humanity, in His own image. He placed them in the garden of Eden and gave them dominion over all other creatures. On the seventh day, God rested.

After that, things became "not so good." 

On Saturday I listened to a Vinyl Café story about a grade five lad who goes to the store to buy school supplies. He gets a pink eraser, a bottle of white-out and a roll of correction-tape. He forgot to buy notebooks or pencils to, as his dad says, "put his errors in."

I wonder if God was tempted to use the eraser and the white-out to eliminated His troublesome "error" when humanity allowed sin to enter Eden. In fact, we read in the story of Noah and the flood, that God did destroy much of Creation because of man's disobedience. But, Noah followed God's commands, and the living creatures of the earth were saved. When the flood waters receded, life on earth returned. God promised never again to destroy all living things and He placed a rainbow in the sky as a remembrance of His promise.

Now, as we all start back to "school" we'll need the erasers, or the "delete" key regularly. We will make mistakes, but we can rub them out and start over, secure in the knowledge that God won't give up on us. Whether our path is "straight and narrow" or filled with bumps and twists and detours, God is ready to forgive and forget. When God forgives, He erases our errors, not even leaving a smudge on the paper.

I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more. Isaiah 43:25

For I will forgive their wickedness
    and will remember their sins no more. Hebrews 8:12

As we set out on the new term at SPPC, let us remember God's mercy and His providence. Let us be faithful and bold in our service to Him.

Dear Old Dad

 The link for this week's live-streamed service is here

During coffee hour Sunday morning, we held wrapped up the drive for the food bank. The bins in the narthex were full to overflowing and Joan reported around $800.00 in cash as well. To celebrate we held the draw for the hanging basket. After a number of refusals, the Jim Dallimore was declared the winner.

In honour of Father's Day on Sunday, I've posted a number of "Dad Moments" collected from members of the congregation. 

Joan writes:

On June 1968 I was married in Scotland.

My dad and I left for our church in the wedding car with the white ribbons on the front.  I was obviously in a white dress that had a train, with dad in a morning suit, (which was another story.) On arriving Dad helped me out. Before entering our beautiful old church Dad asked "are you sure this is what you want?"                                

Inverkeithing parish church, in Fife, Scotland

 

I replied, "Yes, I'm sure" Again Dad spoke. "It is not too late to call it off." I think he said this because I was shaking so bad. Finally Dad came out with his real concern. "Are you sure? He's English, you know." But I was sure and we proceeded down the aisle with my bridesmaids following behind us.

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 From Pam:

Pam’s Dad, Reginald Middleton

 Serving as an engineer with the RAF taking care of ‘Lancs” during the war, my father suffered Tubercolosis as a result of neglected Pneumonia, which landed him in a Sanitorium for the remainder of the war.

Many did not survive this disease, and this could have been a real tragedy for this young, newly married airman; as he was about to become a father, my father!

His health was quite fragile during my early childhood which meant that he spent a lot of time at home, however, it provided an opportunity for father daughter bonding which was quite unusual in those days, becoming the foundation of a deeper and lasting relationship.

Although my father was not an overtly religious man, he realised that he had been blessed with a new lease on life, and was grateful for it. He lived every day as a gift, and as he said “each day he lived on borrowed time.”

His example demonstrated to me that one must embrace each day as if it was one’s last and to do whatever good one could do in it.

His life was indeed a gift and a blessing to me; and when he had a massive stroke at the age of 84yrs, he waited until I flew out from Ottawa to Yorkshire and prayed by his bedside, before he breathed his last.

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Barb writes: 

Campbell’s Perfect Tea is a well loved tea in Ireland. I bought several cans when I was there late last year. 

Mr Robert Campbell was a wonderful inspiration is us sixth graders at Tillicum Elementary School in the late 1960’s. I did not have a father t home due to my Dad’s untimely death but I had a perfect substitute at school with Mr. Campbell. He taught us all right from wrong and made learning a jobHe said a lot of us were from families without a lot of money but with hard work and perseverance we would overcome our circumstances.

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Larry recalls:

Arthur Bentley Skaggs was born December 17, 1919, in Long Beach, California.The “Bentley” middle name was given to distinguish him from his father, Arthur Beard, and avoid his being called “Junior”. His Texas relatives all called him A.B.

 Arthur was a proud native son of California, and lived his entire life there, except for 5 years of military service during World War 2 and the Korean War. He served overseas in India, and during his time there, courted my mother by mail. He proposed to her during a lengthy correspondence, and they were married on July 2, 1946 in Las Vegas. He had driven from Long Beach to the wedding with his parents, so, of course, they spent their honeymoon on a car tour with his mother and father.

As a young father to me and my sister, Clarice, he undertook a law degree, studying at night school in Long Beach. He was admitted to the Bar of California in about 1961, and did a number of pro bono cases over the years, but never practised professionally.

 Always active in a church wherever we lived, he sang in the choir almost throughout his life, and often served as a deacon or trustee (somewhat equivalent to an elder). He loved opera, and was a huge fan of Joan Sutherland and a Russian bass, Ivan Rebroff. During high school he often ushered at the Los Angeles Opera to get free tickets.

He joined the Rotary Club at a young age and always took an active interest in their meetings and charitable work, always planning his trips with Rotary visits wherever he found himself.

While supportive of my career in music, he had held out a hope that I would follow him in accounting or the law, but graciously accepted and honoured my musical path. [Ed. Note: When Larry had a big solo number with the Victoria Symphony, his father surprised him by coming all the way from California to attend the concert and cheer on his son ]

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From your blog editor:

So many great memories, but one that stands out is an evening when the whole family was playing the board game "Life." Dad took the early lead and we were all blowing on the dice in hopes of a roll that would advance our playing piece past his. The playing pieces were in the shape of a car. Sadly for Dad, he kept landing on a "have a child, miss a turn" square. It happened over and over until his little car was stuffed with children and he fell behind. When I commiserated with him he replied, "Oh, I don't care about winning. I'm glad to fill my life with children." 

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Happy Father's Day to all Dad's everywhere. May your children bless you and may you be a blessing to your children.