Happy Birthday, Bonnie!

Happy Birthday, Bonnie! 

I start this birthday greeting with a picture of you and Grandma. She was a great communicator, and you have certainly inherited that gene. Painting, drawing, writing letters, email, social media—you keep in touch with family and friends around the world.

 That is such a commendable thing to do, and we so appreciate hearing what is happening in your life and watching the children grow up and live their lives. I love that you not only created these "Quote Cards" but that you sent them all out to people of whom they made you think.  They are very imaginative.

Now for a little nostalgia. The back of this one indicates you are just past your first birthday, so we were still in Rota.

Second birthday. Three little girls with birthdays within one week of one another. Puerto House.

With Mom, all dressed up for your second birthday party. 

Puerto de Santa Maria. 

Three years old. Chipiona. Birthday with the YWAM/Dilaram community. 

 Of course, that beautiful house with its marvelous tile is gone now, replaced by apartments, from what we've been told. Here's a shot on the front steps right before we were transferred to Gaeta.

It was such fun surprising you last year for your birthday. 

Kudos to Rory for a wonderful plan.

 And of course, the party he threw was nonpareil. 

So glad we could be there.

I'll finish with a couple of fun ones. There were so many people in your life who blessed you in so many ways, and Uncle Bob was/is certainly one of them. I love this picture. He looks so peaceful, and you look a bit mischievous.

 I came across this picture in my searches today. Of course, it is you modeling the hole in your windshield and kidding me about my penchant for using gray tape on everything. 

We celebrate you today and every day and wish you all the best in this new year of life.

Happy birthday, Bonnie!

Seems like yesterday, a world away, in sunny, southern Spain. Our world was forever brightened when Bonnie burst upon the scene. Here we are, many years later, away down under, at the Antipodes, on the Sunshine Coast of Australia. Happy birthday, Bon. We are happy to be able to celebrate with you, in person. 

Happy Resurrection Day 2013!

We entered this big bird on Good Friday at LAX.

... which was also Shabbat. Fruit of the vine and bread from the earth at 30,000 feet this week.

 We crossed the Equator and then the International Date Line in one night.

Kathy loves sunrise services,. This year, her sunrise service was aboard a 747, just outside of Brisbane, Australia.

 Her view. We emerged from the flying silver bird on Easter morning, Resurrection Sunday, in the land of Australia.

 This was a surprise visit for two of our daughters. Here we are after arriving at church just as the service ended.

And here is the most important message of the day...and the year...and a lifetime.

He is risen, indeed. 

Christmas 2012

The reason for the season.

God with us.

From the beginning of time,

 God has desired to live with us.

Making. Minding. Moving.

Mitzrayim. Mannah.

Mishkan. Mikdash.

 Manger. Malchut. 

Buon Natale.

Feliz Navidad.

Joyeux Noël,

Felix Dies Nativitatis.

Blessed Christmas!

Featured Blog: Ethan in Australia

Our daughter's husband's brother (I don't think we have a special name for that in English, but he's a special guy) is going to Australia for three months of training with Youth with a Mission, followed by three months of outreach in Central Asia. You can follow his exploits on his newly minted blog.
He will be at the YWAM base/school on the Whitsunday Islands, which are off the northeast coast of Queensland, Australia, approximately 560 miles north of Brisbane. You can find out more about the YWAM base at Whitsunday on the following site:

YWAM Whitsunday

Whitsunday is another designation for Pentecost Sunday on the Christian calendar (especially in the United Kingdom). More information here and here.

ANZAC Day 2010 - Atonement

Approaching our own Memorial Day weekend, I thought it worthwhile to highlight an analogous day set aside by our Allies in Australia and New Zealand. ANZAC Day is observed about a month earlier than Memorial Day in the U.S., and I had every intention of writing something in honor of ANZAC Day this year, but didn't get it done. Instead, I am including a link to a blog post by a friend in Australia at Tessa's Take, featuring the following painting. Check it out here. It's well worth the read.

ANZAC stands for Australia and New Zealand Army Corps.

Previous ANZAC Day posts:

ANZAC Day 2009

Remembering, Reminiscing, Revisiting 2008

ANZAC Day 2008

Wikipedia on ANZAC Day here

Celebrating Another ANZAC Day

Last year I copied a post from our friend in Australia (actually our daughter's mother-in-law or our son-in-law's mother, if you prefer, but at any rate, our dear friend!) about ANZAC Day. You can find it on my blog here. For more information, check this out.

To check out her take on ANZAC Day and the tribute to the men and women it commemorates, click on Tessa's Take.

A is for Australia

"Tempus fugit," as the ancient Italians were wont to say!

It has been over a week since my last post, so here goes:

Australia is a very special country to us because:

1) It's a very special country. Check out the official travel and tourism site here.

2) Australians have always been faithful friends and allies of our country. See my previous post here.

3) Our daughter lives there with her husband (who is from Australia) and their two children, as well as her husband's family, who have become very dear to us.

4) My mother had an uncle who immigrated to Australia and lived near Melbourne. We still have cousins there.

5) The unique flora and fauna that exist on this island continent and nowhere else in the world (otherwise, they wouldn't be unique flora and fauna. Duh!). For further info, check out this article and this article.

6) Infinitely many other reasons for which neither time nor space avail (obviously, since they're infinitely many!). Wikipedia is always a good place to start Internet exploration.

Getting back to the linguistics of the word (which is, after all, my purpose for going through the dictionary from A to Zed--have to say Zed, since I'm writing about Australia. Interestingly, though, it seems only in the U.S. do we name the last letter of the alphabet "Zee." Seems everyone else in the world says "Zed." You truly do learn quite a few new things every day!)

Terra australis incognita (literally, unknown southern land) was a phrase describing a southern land of legends going back at least as far as ancient Rome. Seems the land wasn't legendary, though! It just hadn't been discovered by the denizens of the northern hemisphere yet.

When I was a lad, my family in Ohio observed the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) on a few occasions. It's not something you forget. The Aurora Australis are the corresponding Southern Lights. For some amazing sights of Auroras (or Aurorae), both Southern and Northern, check out Youtube here.

The Australian flag also reflects Australia's southern location. The constellation represented on the right-hand side of the flag is the Southern Cross (Crux Australis).

More on Australia.

ANZAC Day 2008

(Click on the image above to enlarge the print.)

Anzac Day has been a memorial day for Australians since the First World War. It is a National Day of remembrance and honour for those who gave their lives in the pursuit of peace and freedom for their own countrymen and for others.

It recalls the first time Australians and New Zealanders shed their blood on foreign soil under their own name and flag. Australia and New Zealand were recognized as individual and legitimate nations among the nations of the world.

They proved their tenacity and courage, their good humour and devotion to duty, making a name for themselves even among the enemy of the day.

One outstanding quality exhibited was their mateship. This is a quality that Australians cherish more than any other.

Today many thousands around the country gathered at Dawn Services to remember and to honour them, and to pledge to serve as they served. Many people from children to aged ex-soldiers marched the streets to remember.

The tribute above was kindly put together by our friend, Mary, so that we might understand and appreciate ANZAC Day. Mary is the mother of our daughter Bonnie's husband. Bonnie lives in Australia with her husband and two children.

Although all of us, especially the veterans and the warriors among us, greatly desire to see an end to war, it is comforting to know that when we have had to turn to that last resort, we have had friends and allies such as the courageous citizens of Australia and New Zealand. Far away in terms of geography, they are near and dear to our hearts.

For more information on ANZAC Day, check out this link.

Coincidentally, our local radio station sent one of their broadcasters to Melbourne for the ANZAC Day memorial with a delegation of six Colorado veterans who served in the South Pacific. For some fascinating insights and audio clips, check out the 850 KOA web site.