Random Thoughts...brought to you by the letter "C"

On Monday this week I accomplished something incredible: I read through Nick’s blog, the entire thing from start to finish. Amidst the stories of music and uliean pipes and tin whistles (or penny whistles) I realized a few things (plus an e-mail from my mom with some encouraging words that were actually written by Claudia, which is helping me to see just how amazing the person I am going to marry is). Here are some of my random thoughts inspired by Nick’s blog (thanks Nick!)

First, I realized how passionate Nick is about music (and all that comes with it). I think of that and am encouraged. When we can find something that we can be excited about and always enjoy, I think it helps us understand God a little more. He didn’t make us so that we could walk around on earth and be miserable, he wants us to be happy. When we can truly enjoy part of God’s creation (yes, tin whistles are part of God’s creation), I think we learn how to enjoy God in another way.

Second, I realized how much I miss snow. Now before you start to panic and think I’m crazy, I have always liked snow, especially when it first snows and it starts to feel like Christmas. Here in Zambia we have many of the same decorations (and Nick, they were put up after Independence Day – Oct 24th) and much of the same music. But no snow. Having grown up in an region where it snows quite a bit during the winter, Christmas has always been marked with lots of white stuff on the ground. I guess this year I will only be able to dream of a white Christmas.

Third, besides snow, I also miss everything that comes with it: snowmen, snowballs, sledding and skating (ok skating just comes with freezing temperatures but I’m in Zambia, the only place that freezes is the inside of my fridge when it’s turned down too cold). One of my friends that I met at Boyne River (Denise) sent me a Christmas card a while ago (I think the beginning of November). The reason for the early card was because she also sent some pictures along and the card went well with the pictures. The pictures she sent were from when Boyne River was closing and there was a big farewell day one Saturday in February. A bunch of the interns played hockey on the pond and Denise sent a couple of great pictures (the card has kids playing hockey on the front). I think this was the first time that I realized I would miss snow, and Nick’s blog, with his skiing, and snowfall, and mountains only compounded the feelings.

Fourth, I realized how much I will miss my relatives this Christmas. It has always been great to get together with all my aunts and uncles and cousins and grandma and just celebrate. I am blessed with a wonderful extended family, where everyone loves to have fun. From watching football to eating turkey to playing Rummy Royal (I still remember when John and Kate had to search on the floor for fallen pennies to stay in the game and they found some and came back and beat everyone else), Christmas has always been, as Bruxy Cavey would say, a time for community, where we can get together and be who God has created us to be.

After we graduated, my mom and dad gave Claudia and I each a book. The books were written so that little kids can understand them with pictures they would love to look at but with stories that will touch older people. The book my mom and dad gave me was all about lasts and how we always remember our firsts, the first time a kids walks or talks or the first time he goes to school but we very often don’t know when something will be the last time. I think Claudia and her parents didn’t know that last Christmas would be their last at home with just the three of them as family. I didn’t know that three Christmases ago would be my last with all my relatives as a single guy. And this year will be my last Christmas before I get married.

As we go through life, we are faced with many changes. These changes are opportunities for us to grow and to be challenged. When I look at the 14 months of my life, I can see how much things have changed and how much I have grown. Last September, I was a single University student entering his last year of school with not even a thought of even leaving Southern Ontario. I made a choice, a conscience decision, to trust God with me life. It started with trusting God that he would bring along the right person at the right time (which was at least not until after January of 2005…or so I though) and I would not have to look. At the time, I thought the decision was nothing special and really not that tough to make but Chris Hutton pointed out that it’s a big step, to say “God, you have control” instead of “God I want control.” I realize now that it may have been a big step but since then I have had many more ‘big steps.’ Looking back I realize if I hadn’t taken the first step, I never would have been ready for the second or third. So after all that’s happened in the last year, I am now a university (sorry Kate) graduate working as a farmer in Zambia with a fiancée in Tanzania.