This world...

 I keep thinking of things to post about, but so many of them would ring hollow with you, my readers. The new and the strange and the different are so likely to be normal to you. And our lives are wrapping around such a new world that is it hard to figure out what to say or how to communicate it.

We are running into nearly endless opportunities, but just saying that could sound like we think people are opportunities for something that is of benefit to us. No, people are a benefit to us as much as we are to them, and in community we offer what God has given us to the next person. So, we have opportunities to give and to receive. Opportunities to invest in people and to be invested in. Opportunities to grow and to plant. Opportunities to teach and to learn. And the complexity of it all defies clarity. 

Garry has found a new enjoyment of meetings as he is involved in various teams here. He's enjoying learning more about Moody Aviation and how things work. He's also working on various projects and connecting with various people and organizations as he works on setting up a Safety Management System. 

Kaleb is riding his bike again since most of the snow has melted. He's enjoying working on his jumps and has modified them to be easier in hopes of getting more of the neighbourhood kids into riding. He's also growing like a weed and trying to compete with Kevin's eating records. 

People and ponderings

Saturday.  Right now it's sort of my day to get out of normal routine at home and catch up on other stuff that hasn't found a place in my routine yet. Really, it's a gift of time to refocus on God and what He is doing and where our lives fit into that in a bit of a bigger chunk of time. And the process of focusing on God is always good, because He is good. His mercies are new every morning and His grace is beyond understanding. His justice is sure, his truth stands forever. And we are His kids! Wow. 

This week started with a day off, a great day to do some house projects and connect with a couple from Moody. We enjoyed breakfast at their place, hearing about what God has done in their lives and sharing a bit of our journey. We also had another family over one evening and were blessed by a great conversation and a very relaxing time. As I ponder the week I see that connections are happening, new friendships are being forged, and I am blessed. 

Garry's week seemed to go quickly (to me!), with days full of contacting various people as he begins to work on different aspects of the Safety Management System, finishing up parts of his orientation, a few meetings, and work on a presentation. 

Kaleb and I did school and spent an afternoon with some new friends and another afternoon with people we've known longer. He worked on some animations and went sledding with the neighbours. We ran to the grocery store for frozen pizza for lunch one day simply because we could. We read a good book. All in all, this week felt like a week of settling into a new routine and having some space to simply enjoy the things we are doing.  

I hope your week was one of blessing and opportunity. I hope you had opportunity to trust God for things and that you, too, were blessed by the things He is doing around you. 

Happy 2015!

I realize 2015 has already begun. Over 2 weeks ago, in fact. Still, since I haven't been on here it seems like the start of a new year blogging for me. New ideas, new thoughts, new beginnings, relatively new job, house, and life. 

Garry is really enjoying his days at Moody Aviation and the opportunities He is getting to both learn and teach. It appears to be a set of opportunities that fall mostly in his "sweet spot", which is a huge blessing to him and to us as a family. These days he is learning all he can about Moody Aviation, the specific culture within the aviation department and the broader culture of Moody Bible Institute. It has been interesting, a journey into yet another new world, new ways of thinking and interacting. We are thankful that he is finding a good environment there in which to minister.

At this point I am busy at home, catching up on a number of things that didn't get attention during our move and schooling Kaleb. I'm also enjoying various opportunities to connect with other moms and women involved in Moody Aviation.

Kaleb has met a few of the neighbourhood kids and is enjoying getting to know them. He's also made some friends through homeschool activities, and is slowly settling into a new normal here. Like Garry and I, he misses having Kevin at home.

We are loving Washington, and Spokane and Moody Aviation specifically, but each move has a tendency to excite us for the present and also produce a certain amount of nostalgia about the past, a sense of loss in the people, places, and opportunities we've left behind. So, for thsoe of you who were waiting for this confession: yes, we're homesick for Manitoba, for the Philippines, for Arizona and Panama and Paraguay and Venezuela. And in the midst of growing and learning we remind one another that this is becoming home, that each loss is proof of something of value we've experienced and left behind,  and that this moment is worth investing in part because we are building something that will one day be worth missing!