Carried

It's happened twice ~ this feeling of being carried.

When Austin had open heart surgery as a baby, and now.

It's precious to belong to the Family of our Great God.

He sustains.  He carries.  He keeps.

It's all of Him.  He is so good and kind and gentle.

We are blessed beyond measure.

In the past four weeks we have seen the hand of God in our lives.
We have been encouraged by HIS grace.  HIS mercies.  HIS peace.
Oh, there have been moments of sheer terror at the thought
of going on without our precious Austin living here with us.
There have been tears like never before.
Deep anguish that seems like it will overtake.

But, God meets us in our pain.
He encourages through HIS Word and prayer.
And, He sends people to be His hands and feet to us.
We have been carried in so many ways.

I cannot begin to tell you how precious it is.
To belong to HIS wonderful family is overwhelmingly amazing.
We praise Him for His hand upon us in this fierce storm.
He truly does carry and keep and provide.
He does all things well.

I cannot help but think of all that Austin has gained.
He has seen his Saviour face to face.
He has been worshipping Him in perfection for nearly a month.
He does not struggle with self or sin or the evil one any longer.
He is free from pain and suffering.
And, he is rejoicing with the blood bought saints who have gone on before.
Spurgeon, Uncle Johnny, Abraham, Joseph and so many more ~
They all are there together praising our precious LORD.

What a thought!

What more could a Mama want for her child?

In my flesh, I want him here.  With me.  With us.
But, God in His wise purposes has chosen a different path.
And, we must see that it is best.  It is painful, but, it is best.
Only the LORD can give this perspective.
It does not come naturally.  Not at all.

And, it is not easy.

How are we handling these realities?
Moment by moment.  Step by step.  Day by day.
One foot in front of the other.  With HIM.
It's the only way.  There really is no other option.

I continually have to reign in my thoughts.
I am not to imagine the future without Austin here with us.
Because the future here is not mine yet.  I don't own it.
I don't own my next breath ~ God does.
But, in this moment.  There is grace.  There is strength.
It's found in Christ Alone.  Only in Him.

We as Christians are promised a future with our Great God.
Austin has just gone ahead of us.  He lives because HE lives!
As my brother in law said at the memorial service ~
Austin just has had a change of address.
We will go to him one day because we will go to our LORD.
And, we will be together forever worshipping our Great Saviour
for all eternity.  It's a glorious thought!

There are currently three *must have* books on my list for the Christian.
If you do not have these books, might I humbly suggest
that you get your hands on a copy of each one?
The first is the Bible.  The Word of God.  It's our food.  We starve without it.
The second is CH Spurgeon's "Morning and Evening" ~ so rich.  So encouraging.

And, the third?  I've been reading it for the past year off and on.
It's the type of book you could read and read and read again.
So full of Truth and faith building words....really, it's a gem.
"Trusting God Even When Life Hurts" by Jerry Bridges is the book I'm speaking of.
Please get your hands on a copy.  Please read it and drink it in.
It will fortify your soul and encourage your heart.




We all have struggles and trials to face at one time or another.
It's the nature of this life here on this earth.
How can we use these things to the strengthening of our character
and the deepening of our walk with God?
We must go through the valley with Him ~ praying each step
of the way that we would learn what He is seeking to teach.
We must seek Him for strength and grace to trust
Him even when we don't understand and to glorify Him in the midst of it all.

"Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by name;

thou art mine.  When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee;

and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee:

when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned;

neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour."

~ Isaiah 43;1b-3a ~

HE is Faithful.  HE will walk the path with us.
And, no...the waters will not overflow.  The flame will not kindle upon us.
It's His promise to His people.  I can testify that it is true.

Much Love,
Camille

Eighteen

Today, Austin is eighteen.  Eighteen!!  

I'm not sure how that happened.

Wasn't it just yesterday that the Lord lovingly

placed him in our hearts and home?
How is it possible that we have been on this journey
of parenthood for eighteen years?
We cannot possibly be old enough...can we?  :)



 Just a year ago, we were celebrating the 
fact that Austin was able to come home from the hospital
in time for his special day.
Just days prior, we were not sure if he would 
even live to see his seventeenth birthday.
God graciously allowed him to ~ we are so thankful He did!

 Austin, the LORD has taught you much of Himself.
He has graciously saved you and called you His own.
He has taken you through some deep waters,
and you have come through them because of His grace.
We thank Him for the strength He gives.
We praise Him for His mercies.
What a wonderful blessing it is to know
that you are complete in Him.

How precious it has been to witness
your confidence in our Great God, 
while surrendering yourself to His will for you.
Even if that meant taking you Home to be with
Him while you were still in your teens.
We have been so encouraged to witness your faith in the LORD.
We are thankful that your trust is in Him. 

May the LORD grant that you would have
many more years to serve and follow Him.
May His hand continually be upon you, 
and may you know His leading in your life.
Follow Him wherever He leads.
Trust Him with all that you have.
There is nothing more noble than serving Him.
He alone is worthy.

We love you so very much,
and we count it an honour to have
been chosen to be your parents.
It is a blessing to call you our son.

All our Love,
Dad and Mum XOXO

Entering In

Howie came up with a
great idea awhile back.
The idea?

To allow the children
each a twenty-minute block
of time to share with the rest of us
whatever they wanted to.

A family version of
"Show and Tell".

It went over well.
An understatement. :)

Fraser is our resident
atlas/languages/professor sort.

His pick?

Google Earth.

We visited places I had never
heard of and discovered new things.
What an adventurer!

Calvin is our budding photographer.
Some of you may have noticed
that I feature some of his work
here on this blog.
He's serious about it.

We enjoyed looking through
a photo album that he put together
last year after a family vacation.

Happy Memories!

Austin has been learning
a little about programming.
He has created little games
and question and answer sorts
of programs to tickle the funny bone.

He's even opened up a
you-tube channel as an avenue to
showcase his virtual rollercoasters.

Under that serious-looking
exterior there lurks a sense of humour.
Wonder where he got that from?

Emma has a serious love for
all things *Nancy Drew* ~
She shared an excerpt from
the book she was reading at the time.

The *original* series of novels are
being devoured at a rapid rate.
We have most of the earlier set
of books...what fun! :)

She then showed us her collection
of shells that were acquired
on our recent trip to visit with
Auntie Beverley.

God's Glorious Handiwork!

And the boys entered in.

It was an enjoyable time
spent learning just
a little bit more about
the unique individuals God
has entrusted us with.

What an honour it is to
seek to raise them for HIM
and for HIS glory!

Many Blessings,
Camille

Rejoicing!

The LORD is Good!
Always.

Prior to any of our children
being born into our family,
we prayed for their Salvation.

We prayed that they would
love the LORD and follow HIM.
We prayed that HE would have their hearts.

We continue to pray.

This past Sunday,
Austin followed the Lord Jesus Christ
in the waters of baptism.

He obeyed the LORD's command.
By God's Grace.

"And Jesus came and spake
unto them, saying,
All power is given unto me
in heaven and in earth.
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
Teaching them to observe all things
whatsoever I have commanded you:
and lo, I am with you alway,
even unto the end of the world.
Amen."
~ Matthew 28:18-20 ~

We are rejoicing!

Rejoicing in God's Mercy.
In HIS Goodness.
In HIS Grace.

"All that the Father giveth me shall come to me;
and all that come to me I will in no wise cast out."
~ John 6:37 ~

May the LORD have the hearts of
each of our children.
Be encouraged.
As long as there is breath,
there is hope.

The LORD is Faithful.
And HE does all things well.

Many blessings,
Camille

**Photos courtesy of Calvin ~
Thank you my love. xo

There's an *L* in the Family

In BC we have what is referred to as
a Graduated License Program for new drivers.

At 16 years old,
you can get your *L* ~
Learner's License.

One year later,
after 60 hours of practise,
you *graduate* to an *N* ~ Novice License.
This is after a road test,
and comes with restrictions.

After having your *N* for two years,
you can go for the full meal deal ~
Otherwise known as a Class 5 license.
At that time, another road test is required.

If all goes well in this process,
the teen of the family can be set loose
on the roads *L* and *N* free at age 19!

How times have changed.

In *OUR* day,
when you reached the ripe old age of 16,
you could get your Learner's License.
Thirty days later (with only 30 hours of practise),
you could go for the driving test.
If you passed it, you were set free...unhindered!

Aaaack!!

How glad I am that the times have changed! :)


If you live locally....get out of the way!
Don't say I didn't warn you. LOL! ;-)

Happy Travels!
Camille

Skating on Plastic?

Now, this was something new for us!
The children went skating outdoors
on a balmy, sunny day...
on some sort of plastic stuff!

It made the boys' skates
V.E.R.Y. dull.

But, they did enjoy the experience.

I liked it because it was close by.
And, best of all...
it was F.R.E.E.

Is it obvious that they had a great time?

Many blessings,
Camille

Life...As it Happens

The rhythm of life as it happens ~
As it ebbs and flows.

Day in.
Day out.

We seek daily to turn
our attention to the
E.T.E.R.N.A.L.

What better way than
to fully attend to the
N.O.W.


We are called to this.
Called to live fully for HIM ~
in ALL we do!

Life in our home is never dull.
There are many things to occupy our time.
There are many people to minister to.
Never a lack of things to be done.

In the here.
In the now.

Might we all really live.
And live really well.
For HIS glory!

"And whatsoever ye do in word or deed,
do all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God and the Father by him."
~ Colossians 3:17 ~

1241. Boy vacuum-er who smiles at me!

1242. Sugar in the cupboard

1243. Butter melting on the stove

1244. Emma creating at the table with a
"Make and Do" book

1245. Trees in the woods pointing to the Heavens ~
and us looking up in the middle of the trail

1246. Blue beyond

1247. Fresh air

1248. The children chattering and clattering on ahead

1249. Being *crowded out* by one on the walk
who comes along between us...so glad they *want* to!



1250. Boy-Man greeting me at the door

1251. Sun warming the car in winter

1252. Chocolate Mousse Royale

1253. Praline's and Cream


1254. Two hours alone in the morning...rare!

1255. Howie taking time off work to take the children
to the climbing gym

1256. Emma taking it upon herself to do dishes without being asked

1257. Finding the floor of the laundry room and sweeping it!

1258. Pushing buttons on the washing machine and it
working, working, working ~ WONDERFUL!

1259. The Doctrine of the Preservation of the saints ~
PRECIOUS Truth!

1260. Warm towels straight from the dryer

1261. People to pray for

1262. Wonderful God Who hears!

1263. Hunger pangs and the resources to satisfy them

1264. Morning quiet

1265. Steaming cup of tea

It's easy to count.
It begins with noticing the *little* things.
Noticing the moments.
Entering into them and writing them down.
It's as simple as that.

My journal sits on my counter.
I list as events unfold.
Sometimes many all at once,
and other times in a trickle.

Would you like to begin?
Just grab a pen and a journal,
set them out on the counter,
and list out your blessings.
Find the joy in the moments ~
As they arrive.

Enjoy the journey!

Many Blessings,
Camille

Braces ON and Braces OFF

Austin wore braces for over
two and a half years.

Was it a joy?

When asked if he was ready to have them removed,
this was his answer ~
"I've been ready for this for two years!"

I suppose that means he endured them.

And so the adventure began for one
and was completed for the other.
The date was November 17, 2010.

Austin in this chair...

And Emma in this one...

Emma's is more of a *preventative* case at the moment.
She only has brackets on six of her top teeth ~
they will only need to be worn less than three months.
It is still very exciting for an eight year old.
She was thrilled with her Christmas coloured ties...
perfect timing!

Austin is looking *all grown up* with his completed smile ~
Braces Free! :)

One happy young man.

Post Script ~
Emma got her braces off today! :)

He Shoots...He Scores!

We have THREE boys.
They all play hockey.
It's a Canadian tradition.

We are so thankful that it is
a Christian League they play in.
There is so much less pressure
in this league than boys experience in the minors.

We are not raising the next
Gretzky, Crosby, or Ovechkin.
Not even close!

What a blessing that our boys are
able to play hockey for FUN ~
the way the game should be played. :)

Austin ~ number six...playing with the "big" guys now!

Calvin (far left) and Fraser (centre) flying up the ice.

Calvin (#11) and Fraser (#15) are on the same team this year.
We were supposed to have three teams going,
but that would not logistically work with one vehicle and
scheduling...the league gave special permission for Fraser to
move up a year early.

The following three photos are of Fraser...

Calvin is in the next three...

Austin was at a practice on the night I was
taking these photos...hence the near-empty ice.
Here he is working at his game.

Thankful this Monday for the opportunities our boys
have been given since joining this league.
Continuing to number and count and practice thanks.

878. A Christian League to be a part of

879. Kind coaching staff who encourage the boys to enjoy the game

880. Friendships that develop amongst the boys

881. Ice times that coincide (sometimes)

882. Offer of car-pool help on occasion when the ice times clash

883. Grandparents that have come out to cheer the boys on

884. Daddy could coach each of the boys at some point over
their time in this league

885. Opportunities to learn to referee ~ for Austin and Howie

886. Second-hand gear

887. Sports Replay ~ local second-hand store for sports equipment

888. Passing gear down from one boy to the next

889. Ability to trade in gear that is too small for all three

890. A room to air out the gear in!

891. And thankful that I can close the door! :)

892. SLR camera that can capture some action shots without too much blur

893. A Dad who teaches the boys to shower before they come home!

894. The special permission we received for Fraser to
join Calvin's team this year

895. Wonderful ice times...no 6 am!

896. No Sunday games/practices

897. Heaters in the bleachers

898. The thank yous from the boys when I take them without Dad

899. Thankful for the protection the gear offers
and that the boys must wear cages ~
a good thing when braces are involved

900. Thankful too that there have been no major injuries to date