10 posts tagged “family”

It had been a year and a half since I was in Vancouver to

visit my family. In July, I visited my two grandchildren who have grown up to be wonderful children. It was a joy to renew my bonds with them. I especially enjoyed my week of baby-sitting whilst my daughter, Kristine was on vacation.
My only regret is that I live so far away from them.

Since my commitment to Jesus Christ provides the foundation values of my life, I am motivated by that which brings honour to God, consideration for others and respect for self.

I will seek to express this commitment in practical ways, characterised by: behaviour that is ethical, a concern for the needs of others that reflects compassion, and an attention to obtaining my full potential in a way that is consistent with the foregoing rather than being self-indulgent.

In Relation to God

All aspects of my life are 'spiritual'. I cannot be divided into 'secular' and 'spiritual'. I consider myself to be a spiritual man where nothing that is apart of me operates outside the 'spiritual sphere' of my life.

To have a relationship with God through Christ is to acknowledge His divine supremacy over every aspect of my life. The consequences of this are far reaching and require that I actively live out this commitment in practical, tangible and identifiable ways.

In Relation to Others

I will put the genuine needs of others first. Those less fortunate than I, or not sharing my values will be treated with respect and dignity, for 'there but for the Grace of God go I'.

At all times I will treat others in a fair and consistent manner that reflects the way I wish other would treat me. Where I have opportunity, I will show love to people in practical, genuine ways. Where I take leadership it will be to serve the needs of others.

In Relation to Self

While I recognise the reality that all men are self-centred, I will attempt to differentiate between those things that are self-destructive and those that are self-constructive by replacing the former with the latter.

My life will be characterised by a quest for the best in a moral/ethical sense, and for excellence in terms of accomplishments.

My life involves the following significant relationships where the implications of the above find their practical expression.

Family – beginning with my wife, daughters and their husbands and children, and extending to parents, siblings, and extended family, my closest relationships are formed with these people. At all times, I will strive to impact the members of my family by enacting the above principals in the 'privacy' of our family life. It is recognised that those who know me best see my worst. May I be as loving, kind, and considerate, to those who matter most to me, as I am to those who I know more casually.

Church – within this circle of relationships lays the greatest potential for 'hypocrisy'.  My church family tends to see me only in the context of church activities. I will work at being transparent with these people so they might know the 'genuine me'. And I pray the 'genuine me' will be that which I resolve herein.

Friends – a few people I have known fall into this category – individuals with whom I have a 'special relationship'. My friends – those who know me best – perhaps better than I know myself; may these special people see me as 'walking my talk, living my faith, and consistently applying the Christian principles to which I hold.

My first two grandchildren live in Vancouver, Canada. I just received these pictures of them in the mail. Wow! It's been 12 months since I've seen them and I know this is far too long. Fortunately, Barb visited them in August. Maddie & Bailey may not have wings, but they sure look like angels to me. Can I be blamed for being a proud grandparent?

 of their grandchildren as little angels - here's proof. These two lovely boys are my Aussie grandchildren.

My brother, Bryon, purchased a new boat shown in these pictures below. (Have a look at his previous boat in an earlier post -  6/09/06, or click on "boat" tag to the left.)

My youngest grandson, Samuel, celebrated his second birthday yesterday. His Mom & Dad planned a special party for him and it was a great time. Here's a few pictures of the day.

I just heard from my brother,Bryon, via email. He has spent each summer for the past five or six years cruising to Alaska aboard his converted aluminum trawler, The Mystic.

He takes the inside passage from Vancouver, BC, all the way to Glacier Bay, Alaska.If you enjoy fishing, this is a great trip to take.He normally retraces his route with minor deviations,but last year decided to return on the outside of Vancouver Island. He tells me the weather in Alaska was cloudy this year, but beautiful in BC.The picture to the right, shows what can  happen when you hang up on a rock and the tide goes out. (This occured a couple of years ago.)

Dr. Robert (Bob) Thirsk, a Canadian Astronaut, is my wife's cousin's son.

We lived in during the  mid seventies just around the corner from the Thirsks. Bob was attending high school at the time. We knew Bob as a bright young man, but never dreamt that one day he would be an Astronaut.

If you would like to learn more about Bob Thirsk, click on these links.

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/thirsk.html

http://www.space-explorers.org/bios/thirsk.html

ADAM LOEWEN, the left handed rookie pitcher with the Baltimore Orioles, is the

youngest son of my sister Anne.

For a 22 year old he's accomplished a lot. If you don't know his name, keep an eye on this young Canadian man from .

Click on this link.

  ADAM LOEWEN

Sailing Stardust

My cousin, Bobby, and his wife Becky are sailing around the world. If you are interested in following the slow meanderings of this couple, and are looking for a vicarious sailing experience, click on this link. But I warn you, there is hours of reading and tons of pic's to view, so pull up your easy chair and put on your sailing shoes.