The Reason

The Lord Jesus Christ is the Reason we celebrate.
He is God incarnate.  Fully God and fully man.
We reflect on His first advent while anticipating His second coming.
 
"Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign;
Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son,
and shall call His name Immanuel."  Isaiah 7:14
 
"And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His name JESUS:

for He shall save His people from their sins."  Matthew 1:21

Our Saviour came to live perfectly to fulfill the law of God
in the place of all those who would trust in Him.
He went willingly to the cross to lay down His life for His people.

"For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin;
that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him."
2 Corinthians 5:21

The Lord Jesus took upon Himself all the sins of all those
that the Father would give Him, and consumed the wrath of God for those sins.
He rose victorious over death and sin and Satan and is now seated
at the right hand of God in heaven, interceding for His own.

At Christmas, we ought to look beyond
the manger and consider the cross.

One day, Jesus Christ will return to gather His people to Himself.
All those who have not put their trust in Him will be cast away forever.
It is a sobering thing to ponder.  Where do you stand?
This Christmas, are you trusting in the Christ of Christmas?

The Lord Jesus said, "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me;
and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out."  John 6:37

If you wish to read more, click here for a wonderful
article explaining the Gospel and the Reason we have hope.

Merry Christmas from our home to yours!
With Love, Camille

Especially at Christmas

Christmas ought to be a time of peace.  A time of quiet reflection.
However, it often isn't.  In fact, just the opposite can be true.
As Christians, we are called to live in the moment.
Even at Christmas.  Perhaps especially then.

To focus our attention on what is right before us.  And, give ourselves to it.

Just this day.  Not yesterday.  Not tomorrow.

"Take therefore no thought for the morrow; for the morrow
shall take thought for the things of itself.
Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."  Matthew 6:34

It's so easy to borrow trouble from the past or from the future.

We don't have grace for the worries of either.  We are promised grace for now.

"...but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind,
and reaching forth to those things that are before,
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling
of God in Christ Jesus."  Philippians 3:13b-14

We aren't guaranteed a tomorrow.  Today is all we are given.
And, by God's grace, we can live fully present in it.

We can trust our Great God for His provisions for this day.

He promises that He will supply all the needs of His people.

For today.  For always.  Forever.

As I've pondered these things in recent days, some things have become more clear.
We each have enough on our plates to deal with in the day in which we
find ourselves without looking too deeply into the past or the future.
We ought not to dwell in either of those places for long.

We have grace for today.  For this moment.
And, really, what more do we need?

Not that grace isn't available for the past or the future.  It is.
But, grace and strength are given by our gracious Heavenly Father
exactly when they are needed.  He is faithful to provide them to His children.
Not a moment too late.  Rarely early.  Always on time.

"My grace is sufficient for thee;
for my strength is made perfect in weakness."  I Corinthians 12:9a

We can trust our Great God to meet us where we are.  If we belong to Him.
We are called to seek Him for wisdom to know what it is we ought to do.
And, we are able to request His strength to accomplish the task.

And, that is it.  Nothing more.  Nothing less.

What a liberating and freeing way to live!  Simply wonderful.
By His grace and in His strength.  Day by day.
Moment by moment.  All for His glory.  Alone.

So, this Christmas, may we find the peace that only
the Saviour can give.  And, may we follow Him wherever He leads.
May the Manger lead to the Cross in our hearts as we worship Him.

Now and throughout the coming year.

Merry Christmas from our home to yours!  I'm taking a little blogging break
and hope to catch up with you all early in the New Year.
Sending you big hugs and warm wishes for all things wonderful!

With Love,
Camille

On the Other Side

So, we stayed home this Christmas.

We were almost too busy to think.  It was a mercy, really.
However, the tears still came.  At random and sometimes inconvenient times.

But, those tears were good.  And, it was good.  All of it.

And now?  We are on the other side.

We survived our first Christmas at home without our Austin.

And, yet...we weren't without him.  We aren't without him.

He still lives.  Just not here.  

It's a comfort to remind ourselves of this truth.

He remains part of the fabric of who we are as a family.

Who we are as individuals.  He is missed and always will be.

Until the day we are called Home to Heaven.

The Lord graciously allowed us times of quiet in the midst of

the busyness of it all.  We were alone on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Things were different and things were the same.

We kept many of the old traditions.  But, some things were altered

or eliminated completely.  Some things were added in.

It was necessary and it was good.

Through it all, we were conscious of the prayers of God's people.

The Lord carried us through and gave us His comfort and peace.

Sorrow and joy were mingled together.  I imagine that is how it always will be.

From here on out.  And, we are settled with that.  It feels right.

It's a blessing to know that we don't walk this path alone.

I was reminded recently (by a lovely friend) of the fact that we all 
carry sorrows of one type or another.  Each one of us has grief to bear.

True, the vehicle by which it comes to us may be different,

but, the pain is real just the same.  It is deeply felt.

What do we do with it?  How do we cope?

Either it will drive us away from the Lord or to Him.

The key is to look to the Right Source for our comfort.

To dig deeply into His Word for the answers.

To fill our hearts and minds with His Truth.

Truly, it is the only way forward.

The only way to find lasting comfort and peace.

The only way to keep from crumbling completely.
The only way to rejoice in the midst of sorrow.

The only way.

May the peace of the Lord flood your souls
now and always.  May He be your everything.
Always and forever.

With love, Camille

Missing Austin and Merry Christmas!

Christmas is upon us and we find ourselves

missing our Austin in the midst of it all.

We always will.  That will never change.

Never, that is, until we are called into eternity.

There will be no missing there.

In the meantime, we remember and we look back.

It hurts.  But, we are so very conscious of our Austin's gain.

He is no longer bound by the temporal.  By sin.  By suffering.

We can't help but rejoice when we think of where

he is and what he is doing.  All the time.

He will never die again.

It truly is an amazing thought.  A comforting thought.  A steadying thought.

It takes the sting away when we fill our hearts and minds with the reality of it all.

And, we rejoice because this is why our Saviour came to earth the first time.
To save His people from their sins, and to give them eternal life.  

To prepare a way for His people to be with Him.  Forever.



Austin made this tree ornament for me when he was ten.  

He hand-printed these sweet words on the back of it ~
"To My Dearest Mom Merry Christmas!  Love, Austin xxxooo"
It has a prominent spot on our tree.  I'm a mixture of emotions over it.
And, through it all, the Lord is good.  So very, very good!

This is just one of the many ways I am missing him.
All that he has done is all he will ever do ~ here.
I miss what will never be this side of eternity.  I miss him.

We are planning to be home this Christmas season.

There are many things on the calendar ~ too many?

Our front door threatens to be worn out with all the

comings and goings ~ but, it is good.  And, we are thankful.

There are many voices out there vying for your attention.

I like to take mine out of the mix especially at this time of year.

Quiet reflection is hard to come by at the best of times.

But, at Christmas?  It's nearly impossible.

So, I leave you with these precious verses from the Word of God
to ponder in your hearts at this wonderful time of year.
It really is all about Him!

"And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS:
for he shall save his people from their sins."  Matthew 1:21

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government
shall be upon his shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor,
The Mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life;
no man cometh to the Father, but by me."  John 14:6

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



May the Lord bless you each with His peace and presence now and always.

May He continually be your all in all.  Your everything.
May you follow wherever he leads.  For all your days.
Until He calls you from this world into the next.

He is faithful.  And, He is good.  Rest in Him.

My plan is to take the next couple of weeks off from blogging.
I hope to catch up with you all early in the New Year, Lord-willing.
If you should choose to leave a comment here it will not appear until then.
Thank you for always being so understanding of these breaks I take.
Y'all bless my heart and make me smile.  Truly.

 Merry Christmas from our Home to Yours!
Much Love, Camille

Even in the Midst

Last Christmas we were not home.  We left.
My sister graciously hosted us.  We even were blessed to stay
with friends we met through blogging.
We had a little time for exploring as well.

This year, we plan to stay home.
We plan to do many of the things we love to do.
And, we plan to make some changes to the usual.
Parts of this are going to be hard.  They always will be.

Until the day the Lord calls us Home.


~ Our precious four in 2008 ~

"...earthly gatherings, after all, have something about them

that is sad and sorrowful.  The happiest parties sometimes

contain uncongenial members: the merriest meetings are

only for a very short time.  

Moreover, as years roll on,

the hand of death makes painful gaps in the family circle:

even in the midst of Christmas merriment we cannot help

remembering those who have passed away.  

The longer we live, the more we feel to stand alone.

The old faces will rise before the eyes of our minds,

and the old voices will sound in our ears,

even in the midst of holiday mirth and laughter.

People do not talk much of such things; but there are

few that do not feel them.  

We feel we need not intrude our inmost thoughts on others,

and especially when all around us are bright and happy.

But is there no better gathering yet to come?

Is there no bright prospect in our horizon of an assembly

which shall far outshine our most joyous assemblies?

An assembly in which there shall be joy without sorrow and

mirth without tears?  

I thank God that I can give a plain answer to those questions...

The gathering I speak of shall take place at the end of

the world, in the day when Christ returns to earth the second time.

...And the very first thing that Christ will do will be 

to gather His people."

Taken from "Heaven ~ Valuable Counsel of our Eternal Home" 

by J.C. Ryle ~ snippets from pages 68-71

~ Christmas Eve 2009 ~

So, though our celebrating will be shaded with sorrow,
we know the future is bright.  One day, our sorrow will fade away.
All because of our Saviour and His promises to His people.
We know that our journey here in this life is relatively brief.
Eternity is forever.  What a joyous Hope we have!

Rejoicing in these truths in these days.
Rejoicing that our Great God is so good.
So very, very good! 

Many Blessings, Camille

Expanded and Unabridged

Expanded and Unabridged ~ A recap of our time away.
But, before we launch into all that, please know that we view this vacation as a gift
from the Lord's gracious and loving hand to our family.  We didn't deserve it.  
It really was a wonderful provision for this first Christmas without our Austin.
Not a need.  Not at all.  However, it truly was a great blessing.

I gave a brief synopsis in my last post.  Very brief.

This, however, is the expanded and unabridged version.
It isn't brief and it isn't for the faint of heart ~ wink.  
Remember I said we came home exhausted?  Yes, we did.

 But, it was good.  Very, very good.

Our adventures began at 5:00am on December 10th.
We left for the airport shortly after rising to catch an 8:00 am flight.
We landed just before 11:00am in Los Angeles, California.
Fraser, our love-of-anything-cultural man, discovered that there
was an outdoor Mexican market in the heart of old L.A.
So, as you may have guessed, it was one of the first things we did.

The next morning, we met up with my sister and her two children for the day.

Unfortunately, her husband had to work, so, he was unable to join in.  We were sad.

We ate at In-N-Out for lunch together ~ What a treat!  :)

We don't have In-N-Out here in Canada, so this was our first ever experience.

Do you have In-N-Out where you are?  You must go!

We were able to spend the day together at Disneyland ~ What fun!

We headed over to my sister's on the weekend.
Early the following week, the boys took a day out at March Air Force Base.
Emma and I stayed behind ~ We were not sorry to *miss out*.  :)

As you can see, Calvin was in his element.

Planes and cameras are his two favourite things.

Just to give oomph to that statement, I will let you in on a little something ~

Calvin and Howie spent an entire day at LA International Airport,

on day three of our trip, where he took over 1000 images of planes!

Yessirree...he has it bad.

But, I digress.  And, no, I wasn't there.  

I was with Fraser and Emma for another day at Disney.  :)

After five nights with my sister, we ventured out on a road trip.
We took an excursion that had us journeying through the Mojave Desert.
What an experience that was!  Miles and miles of sand and straight (but rolling) road.

Fraser wasn't running for help ~ he was curious.

Amazing and massive expanse of majestic wilderness ~
Truly, one feels extremely small in the middle of it all.

Historic Route 66 ~ A fun find!

We drove six hours Northeast from my sister's home to Williams, AZ.
We arrived still wearing shorts as snow was just beginning to fall.
Amazing what happens when you climb a few thousand feet and drive North.
You get Winter!  :)

The next morning, we drove from Williams to the Grand Canyon National Park.
The South Rim views were completely clouded in.
The very first family shot of the day is all grey.  No view.

Nada.  Zip.  Nothing.

This was to be our only day at the Canyon ~ and it wasn't guaranteed to clear.
Of course, we were hoping to see something.  
Howie wanted to stand in one spot and wait.  He really did.
We walked instead.  And, over time, the cloud lifted.
What a great blessing!!  Because, who knows if we will ever be back.

The Lord is in the details.  Isn't He just so gracious?

It was actually a treat to see the Canyon in varying light
and cloud cover throughout the day.  It was stunningly beautiful.  
I am SO glad we made the effort to go!

Emma captured Calvin capturing an image.
Yes, he was nearing the edge.
No, I didn't tell him not to get too close.
(At least, not at that moment.  Nope.  I was quiet as could be.)

Emma's camera does panoramic shots like the one below ~ 
Isn't it just amazing?  The sheer expanse of the Canyon is mind boggling.
It really is true ~ it cannot be fully appreciated from photos.
In all honesty, it's difficult to comprehend what you are actually looking
at even when standing right at the edge.  Incomprehensible.  Truly.

We made it over to an Eastern Viewpoint where there was a tower to climb.
The views from inside the tower were glorious.
The majesty of the Canyon brings glory to our Great God.
It makes me smile to think of His Creativity!

Emma and Daddy (above) and Mummy (below) inside the tower.

Fraser and Howie late in the day.

It was sunny, but cold.
The South Rim's elevation is about 7,000 feet.

This is such a common view of our Calvin ~
Camera in hand capturing whatever is before him.

Just like this!  :)

A tripod is a great tool in the hand of a skilled photographer.
Thank you, Calvin, for bringing it along ~ it was a blessing to 
have you in some family photos alongside us.

We spent the night in Flagstaff and then travelled South the next day.  
Before the day was out, we were into warmer weather once again.
One of the highlights of our trip was that we were able
to meet up with Jared and Lisa and their family.

What a blessing to our hearts!

The boys were thick as thieves and could be found hunting scorpions
or playing checkers or soccer together.  It was a flurry of activity.
Did you notice I said scorpions?  They actually found one.
It was outside the room Howie and I were staying in.  
I stayed in bed and let the men handle it.  And, they did.

Emma and this young miss became fast friends.
She was eager to learn how to knit ~ I'm not sure how much she learned.
But, they do look happy...don't they?

Lisa posted a less civilised photo on her blog of the kiddos ~
Wanna see?  Click here.

Lisa and me...together.  :)

We make quite a crowd ~
Thank you, Jared and Lisa, for sharing your home with us...
You blessed us so very, very much!

On the way back to CA to my sister's home,
we stopped at a rest area to get a photo with one of these Saguaro Cacti.
The children had never been *up close and personal* with one before.
Howie got a little too close ~ He was stuck by one of the needles!  Nasty.  :(

By the time we got to our final stop, we had logged nearly 1800 miles
on the rental vehicle.  Thankfully, we were renting with unlimited mileage.
It was quite the journey, but, well worth the effort.

Back at my sister's home...
Christmas Day arrived, and there were gifts under the tree 
for each of the children.  There were gifts for us as well.  So sweet.
It was warm and some of us were in shorts and some ate
breakfast outside.  It was out of the ordinary in many ways.

So, we had a different Christmas.

And, it was a blessing.  We enjoyed the sunshine and warmth
that we do not have in our part of the globe at this time of year.
We enjoyed the company of loved ones who graciously opened their
home and hearts to us not knowing exactly what to expect.
And, we were blessed by the Lord in unexpected ways.

He is always Good and Gracious and Kind.  Always.

 
Thank you once again, our precious family, 
for including us in your traditions this year ~
We love you and thank the Lord for you!

My Mama heart will not allow me to complete this post without mentioning 
our precious Austin ~ We miss him terribly.  Horribly.
We don't like to make new memories without him.  It hurts.
But, we are making new memories.  Without trying.
By God's great grace, many of our new memories are happy ones.

But, it's bittersweet.

We had many times of reflection and teary moments while we were away.
We also had many joy-filled times of laughter and fun.  
Tears and joy.  Emptiness and fullness.  Caught between.  

It's a new way of life and living.

It was sad to come home to an empty house where our Austin no longer lives.
We know that he is not missing out on anything.  He is rejoicing in his eternal Home.
We know that he is living.  Just not here.  He lives with the Lord in Heaven.
It really won't be long before our Saviour takes us to live there as well.

Oh, to continually have an eternal perspective!  
It is the best comfort for our aching hearts.  

May the Lord help us all to live each day as if it were our last.
And, live each day for eternity. 
Because, that's what really matters.  It really is.

Much Love,
Camille

**Photo credits ~ Calvin, Emma, Howie and Camille
using two different cameras and one phone.
It was too tricky to keep track of who used what and when for this post.  :)

Out of the Ordinary

The Lord has been so gracious to us.

This past Christmas, He gave us a gift of grace.

We were blessed to have had time away as a family.

We explored and saw new things and met new friends.
We had a change of pace and scenery.
Never have I wanted to be away from home at Christmas.

Never, that is, until this year.

In the weeks following Austin's Home-going to Heaven ~ I was altered.
I wasn't thinking straight.  I wasn't sleeping well.  
Everything seemed out of place.  I did things I might not otherwise do.
One of those out-of-the-ordinary things I did
was to invite us all over to my sister's home for Christmas.
We weren't sure if it would work out.  It was just an idea.  It was crazy.
But, I knew deep down that we couldn't do things like we always had.

A transition year seemed necessary and wise.

My sister said yes.  We booked our flights.  We went.
It was perfect and a blessing and just what was needed.
(Please don't misunderstand ~ going away was not a need, it was a blessing.
A transition year was what we needed and were graciously given.)

It truly was a wonderful provision for our grieving hearts.

We are so thankful that we were given the opportunity to go.

How gently and tenderly our Lord leads us along.
How gracious He is with His children.
We do not deserve His grace.  We do not deserve His mercy.
But, He gives them in abundance.  Over and over again.

So, we had a different Christmas.
A California Christmas.

My sister and her family opened their home up to us and welcomed us in.  Twice.
We began our trip on a little family excursion in a hotel for four nights.
Then, we were with my sister for five nights.
We scooted over to Arizona for four nights ~ two of which we stayed with friends.
The last four nights, we were back at my sister's for all the Christmas traditions.

We came home exhausted.
Exhausted, but blessed.  Very, very blessed.
Thank you SO much K and J and C and A ~ We love you all!

With Love,
Camille

**Photo courtesy of Calvin via Emma's camera and the tripod ~ 
Thank you my love!  XO

Six Weeks of Quiet ~ Merry Christmas!

Precious Friends ~ I am thankful for each one of you.
Your friendship and kindness to our family is such a blessing.
In the last number of months we have felt loved and encouraged.
Thank you all so very much.

This is a wrap-up post for the year.
Yes, for the year!  I cannot believe how quickly time passes.
I am taking six weeks of quiet in this space ~ I trust you will understand.

May the Lord bless you with His peace and presence

throughout the Christmas season and in the coming year.

May you know His loving hand upon you leading and guiding in all you do.

May you know Him as your Saviour and follow Him wherever He leads.

May He be your Everything!

Christmas has always been a very special time of year for us.

We have many family traditions tied into this season.

It's not all about the gifts ~ it's about The Gift!

We have sought, over the years, to teach our children

that our Saviour really is the best Gift of all.

If we do not have Him, we have nothing.

~ Thomas Kinkade Christmas Card ~

We love to celebrate Advent and refresh our minds

with all the wonders revealed about our Saviour in God's Word.

We have always enjoyed going to Burnaby Village Museum

and taking a walk around Stanley Park ~ together.

We enjoy decorating our home and making cookies and ornaments.

We delight in secretly making plans and wrapping and giving.
We gather with friends and family. 

We eat yummy things and visit by the fire.

Our Christmas Eve celebration always includes a special dinner
made up of appetizers and Devon cream tea.
We eat on that night in the living room and linger around the glowing fireplace.
Christmas Carols are sung while we gather by the tree. 

We have so many happy memories of Christmases past.
This photo is one of the last we have together as a family ~
It was taken last Christmas shortly after Austin's pacemaker surgery.
We've included it in our family's Christmas letter this year.

We do plan on returning to all our usual traditions in the future.
This year, however, we are switching things up a bit and 
making some changes.  It's a year of transition.
A year of firsts.  We are making new memories.

Without our precious Austin.  

We still plan to celebrate our Saviour's birth.
We plan to gather with family and friends.
We plan to give gifts and send cards.
We are not abandoning tradition altogether, but, 
we must have a year of transition.

Everything is still a little too fresh.

Since Austin was taken Home to Heaven, things have not been the same.

Christmas will never be the same.  We will never be the same.
As we ease ourselves into life here without our precious son,

we seek to remember that He is with the Lord.

Our Austin is celebrating his first Christmas in Heaven ~

with our Saviour!!  What a thought!

He is perfectly content and joyful.
He is praising the Lord constantly in perfect peace.
One day, we will be there too.
It truly is precious to consider these things.

By God's great grace, we will honour the Lord in the days to come.
We will remember Him and praise Him and worship Him.
Because He is worthy.  And, He truly is the best Gift of all!

My plan is to be absent from this space for the next six weeks.
Please do not be alarmed at the fact that any comments you 
may choose to leave will initially disappear, and then will take time to publish.
(Please do let me know you were here...it's always a blessing to hear from you).

I do not plan to check in at all until the end of December.

This includes publishing comments and visiting with you in your space.
It's just what I must do.  Thank you for always extending grace.
Please know that I value your friendship and do
hope to reconnect after this time of internet quietness.
May the Lord bless you as you seek Him.  Now and always.

Merry Christmas from our home to yours!

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given:
and the government shall be upon his shoulder:
and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor,
The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."
~ Isaiah 9:6 ~

Much Love,
Camille

It's a Tradition

Every year (for quite some time now), we make an effort to 

go to Burnaby Village Museum one evening prior to Christmas Day.

It's a tradition.  And, a wonderful one at that!  :)

We ran into friends on our way in.  In fact, these are the friends who

originally told us about this fabulous museum.

How fun is that?

We enjoyed going through much of it together.

And, when we parted company, we reconnected throughout the evening.

We couldn't have planned it better if we had tried!  

Since Calvin is our family photographer,

Howie and I get into more photos together.  It's a new thing.

We're Canadian...can you tell?

Our sweet friends rode with us on the restored carousel.

And, Calvin took photos.  In the photo below ~
Fraser and I are standing on the left of the carousel,
Austin, Emma and Howie are seated on their mounts!  :)

Even Austin was able to join in!  What a blessing!!

Here's our favourite house on this site.

It's in its original location ~ built about 100 years ago.

Yes, in Canada, that is old enough to be in a museum!  

Want to come in for some hot chocolate or hot apple cider?

Emma and I would enjoy hosting you here! 

Ah...there's Calvin!!

He did a self-timed photo and jumped into

it so we could all be together.  :)

We like to end the evening with a stop

at Krispy Kreme on the way home.

Dear me!  It's a dangerous thing to do!!

What are some of the special traditions you have

with your family in the days around Christmas?

It would be lovely if you would share!  :)

Many Blessings,
Camille

**Photos in this post courtesy of Calvin ~

Thank you my love!  XO