Over the last several weeks Carolyn and I have had experiences that cause us to appreciate family more than ever.  In August we were actually at the scene to welcome a new baby grand-daughter, born to our youngest daughter, Heidi and her husband, Nathan Carroll, in St. Albert, Alberta.  When the birth began to dawn we were a short distance away enjoying an Anniversary Retreat in a hotel for a couple of nights — something our children had arranged for us.   We hurried over to the hospital just in time for the baby’s arrival.  The timing and miracle of her birth was truly awesome! 

A few days later we were able to be together with all of our children (as well as with the new baby and another grand-child) at a home in Surrey that we rented for a few days.  The occasion was a marriage wedding ceremony of our niece in that region, so our stay there involved making connections with my mother and a couple of my brothers and their families as well. 

Like all families, even Christian ones like ours, we have had our difficult times as well as our ups and downs.  But despite the problems, there is this special natural bond that keeps drawing us together to love and appreciate one another ever more as the years go by.  And there is a spiritual bond as well because of the common heritage of faith in Christ that we share. 

As Carolyn and I reflect on our lives on this Labour Day weekend and prepare for the journey ahead this fall, we are ever so grateful to God for the many evidences of his goodness toward us in the midst of the ongoing challenges of life and relationships.  Having just been with our children, we appreciate each of them for their unique personalities and giftedness more than ever.  And our prayer for all of them is that they might experience all that God had in mind for them when he created them. 

It is our hope and prayer too that our grand-children will experience that heritage of faith in Christ that has blessed our lives so much and provides the anchor for our souls in the midst of all the turbulence and uncertainty  in the world otherwise.  I pray that our love for one another and for others might become even stronger in the days to come — to be the encouragement for all that is virtuous and good according to God’s Word. 

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