The Things I Do for My Kids – Pt. 2

Posted on February 28, 2024 by Lynn

When my son, Brett was thirteen he wanted me to buy him a snake. I absolutely refused. Of all “pets”, reptilian ones were (are) not welcome in my home…ever! I have a fearful aversion to snakes having had a traumatic experience as a child with a garter snake that a neighbour boy caught and put down the back of my one piece swimsuit. I still squirm thinking about it! I don’t much care for arachnids or insects either, still, my son persisted on asking, and I held firm to my resolve by saying he could get a snake when he was an adult.

Just before Christmas, we were invited over to my son’s for dinner. His three boys seemed eager for me to meet the newest addition to the family. When I saw the large glass enclosure in the corner of the room I recoiled with horror.

“A snake?” I backed away slowly but ready to bolt for the door.

“Nope, a Dragon!” My seven year old grandson exclaimed.

A little bearded dragon to be precise named, “Kevin”.

As far as lizards go, I’m not as adverse to “Beardies” as I call them, than others. As long as we keep our distance from one another that is. However, after supper, my son decided to let the little dragon out of his cage and plunked him unceremoniously on my shoulder. Let it be said that this Grandma showed her “cool factor” by not panicking, and remaining composed as Kevin perched on me. I could feel his beady eyes glaring at me. His tongue and talons ready to strike with swift attack if I showed any sign of fear. My three grandsons were disappointed at my calm demeaner. Obviously, my son had primed them beforehand to see if he could make their grandma scream. I was not going to give them the satisfaction. Although, a scream was squelched at the back of my throat when Kevin decided to jump and became a bit entangled in my hair.

I have Christmas stockings hanging on my mantle for all my children, their spouses, my grandchildren and even one for all my grand pets. This year, Kevin was added to the mantle stocking collection. My son was impressed I’m sure.

My son is an avid hunter, and he hunts with several friends from his church. He fills his freezer with game every season. In 2023, he actually made the record books here in Alberta for the biggest buck brought down that year. I never pegged him for a hunter as he is one of the most tender-hearted people I know. As a teen he actually cried when Godzilla died in a movie we watched. He had no trouble shooting gophers on our acreage, but I thought he might be too sensitive to hunt larger game.

After his successful hunt last year, Brett noticed that people like to decorate their homes with the antlers and skulls that have been bleached and mounted for display purposes. Some talented artists paint cow, moose and deer skulls, and some of these pieces of art sell for thousands of dollars. That said, there are not a lot of suitably processed animal skulls for that purpose around here so there is a market for this. My son researched how to prepare a skull and it requires a large colony of Dermestid flesh-eating beetles that pick the bone clean and then the skull goes through several more weeks of processing in a vat to bleach it white. It is a form of skull taxidermy.

When our son told us about this new business opportunity, my reaction was less than enthusiastic. “Ugh! Bugs! Flesh eating bugs! Nothing could be more gross!” I thought.

He was very excited about this “side hustle” as he called it, but there was a catch.

There’s always a catch.

He didn’t have the adequate space at his home to have a specially modified deep freeze for a beetle colony, so he asked if we could have them out in my husband’s shop.

Let me add here that we had just spent money having a pest exterminator in to rid ourselves of a small infestation of silver fish in our house. The irony was not lost on me that as we were killing off bugs in the house now we would be growing a new colony of bugs in the shop.

My husband agreed to his request,…me, very reluctantly,…and I couldn’t help thinking as he started setting up his new business enterprise in our shop that at least it was not a freezer full of snakes!

(Stay tuned for next week‘s Part 3 – The Things I Do For My Kids)

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The Things I Do for My Kids

Posted on February 22, 2024 by Lynn

When we purchased our acreage thirty years ago, we prayed that our family would utilize every square inch of our yard and home. We particularly hoped the indoor pool would capture our children’s hearts and they would invite their friends here to swim and play. Over the years the pool has served as a baptismal for our church, we have hosted countless family pool parties, celebrated birthdays, church youth nights and many adult fellowships. On one memorable occasion, we had fifty students come for a youth group pool party. At one point all fifty decided to jump into the pool at the same time. The ensuing displacement of water caused a tsunami that rolled into my living room and out again. I shrugged my shoulders and decided not to panic and thought, “I will just go with the flow…literally!”

Our adult children still live close to us, and our home continues to be filled with the laughter and splashing in our pool of my kids with their friends, all their friend’s kids, and of course regular visits with our grandchildren. Summer camp outs in our yard, with young families in tents is a welcome treat. The grandchildren have swim lessons and pool parties with their friends here now.

We welcomed our seventh grandbaby into our family on February 1st. One look at our darling Luca and I was in love for the 7th time! I cherish cuddling him every chance I get. I try to memorize his newborn face because that stage goes by in the blink of an eye!

My oldest grandson turned thirteen this week. What did I just say? I blinked and thirteen years were gone just like that! I agreed to hosting his birthday pool party with ten of his friends last Saturday. I am happy to say there were no tsunamis but a good displacement of water nonetheless. The boys spent most of their time bonking each other over the head with the pool toys, doing massive belly flops and creating an impressive whirl pool while they all chased each other in one direction in the pool. A few boys, including my grandson, thought it a good idea to run outside in +2 C temperature and roll in the snow in our yard and then jump into the pool again to warm up. All good fun.

After their swim, the boys ravenously consumed eight large pizzas, drank several litres of pop, and wolfed down bags of chips. It was epic.

I spent several hours the next day mopping up floors, squeegeeing water spots off windows and vacuuming potato chip crumbs out of furniture. “All worth it,” I sighed, remembering the laughter and frivolity the day before. I give thanks to God for blessing me with a home my kids and grandchildren love to come to.

That said, I can’t imagine Luca turning thirteen…

Blink.

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Applause from Heaven

Posted on January 31, 2024 by Lynn

Last night during our small group Bible Study, we were camped out in Romans 8:1-11.

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.

9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.”

What an incredible passage! Apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans is a clear presentation of the Gospel, and then how believers fall into God’s plan, and he elaborates specifically how to live according to that plan. Because of Christ’s sacrifice once and for all of us, all believers are no longer condemned to death; there is no eternal punishment for us even though we still sin. Of course Paul is quick to point out that though we may be freed from punishment, we should never think it’s a free ride to sin or “live according to the flesh”. Maturity in Christ means to live “in accordance with the Spirit” and to desire what the Spirit desires.

At the end of December, I along with close to four hundred people, honoured the life of a woman who was dearly loved by so many and was my mentor and friend. Her memorial, was not a sad event, but a wonderful celebration of a life well-lived! Barbara was a humble servant of the Lord, serving tirelessly in numerous ministries, not wanting special recognition, but modelling what it means to honestly desire only what the Spirit desires.

This past weekend, another celebration of life was held for a dear man, who Pastored the Cowboy Church in Cochrane, Alberta and was known in the ranching and farming community far and wide. Bryn was a Cowboy poet, with a rich sense of humour, and a genuine love for people and the cowboy culture. Over one thousand people attended his memorial held in a large horse arena near Sundre. Bryn was a unique character in many ways, but his devotion to the Lord was evident in everything he did.

Both Barbara and Bryn are now in the presence of the Lord and have received their immortal bodies. They heard the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” (Matthew 25:23) Though their lives may have deserved a round of applause from all who knew them for the impact they had on so many, they did not live for that kind of earthly recognition. They lived for that Glorious Applause from Heaven.

And they likely got a standing ovation too!

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