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Showing posts from April, 2020

Journey, part 2: Growing into Christianity - Family

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A few days ago I shared how I initially became a Christian . It was very largely an intellectual journey - because, if I hadn't found objective truth, I would never have given my life to a figment of the imagination. But there was more to it, too: people. Chris & Starla's home group, 2002 My boss, with whom I enjoyed the daily God vs. no God debate, quickly became a friend because we had so much in common. At the gospel concert where I first visited her church she introduced me to her home group leader (the guy I bluntly asked if he actually , seriously believed "all this stuff") and he invited me to the home group. And I went because I liked him and I liked my boss friend, and because a number of other people I met that evening seemed rather likeable too. They would study the Bible at that group. I had never read more than the tiniest snippets of it, and at that point, I didn't believe it either (it took months of research before I got there, and th

We lied to our children. This stops now.

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Have you ever done something that really goes against your values, just because it seemed easiest at the time? I suppose we all have. In our case, it was the lockdown that got us stuck in the lie for the long term and that showed us that we shouldn't have done it to begin with - but, it seemed easier to lie, and then we just got progressively uneasier about it as time passed.... but felt stuck. What I'm talking about felt like a little white lie at first, even funny: we let the kids believe that Mr. continued to go to work every morning when in fact he was working from home, disappearing into the spare room before they woke up. The spare room door is always closed, so that was not unusual to them. I would bring him coffee and lunch, and when finished, he would sneak downstairs, open and close the door, and pretend he had just come in. Why lie, you ask? It was just the easier way. So they wouldn't be tempted to try and talk to him, distract him from work; so he coul

Staycation Island Diaries: Week 6

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This post is mainly photos and diary entries to look back upon later... no deep thinking here... Day 36 - Friday, 17th April  N(5) and I walked a dog for a housebound lady, there was a bit of garden play (invented a new mashup of golf/football), but mostly it was a rather wet day spent indoors. We watched Up. Days 37/38 - Weekend of 18/19 April There was a lot of play, a yoghurt snack on the trampoline, and Mr.'s hole is taking shape. It's also a great balancing challenge. Day 39 - Monday, 20th April  A haircut for the boy, lots of digging unearthed a strange rock, ice lollies on the trampoline. Day 40 - Tuesday, 21st April  This was an eventful day. I can't believe Mr.'s 2 week holiday is coming to an end already, it seemed such a long time... and now he's going back to work Thursday!! We spent lots of time in the garden as it was a gorgeous day, Mr. digging a lot. We made puff pastry jam snails

Staycation Island Diaries: Week 5

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This post is mainly photos and diary entries to look back upon later... no deep thinking here... Day 29 - Friday, 10th April  Starting Week 5 on Good Friday. N(5) enjoyed virtual choir practice, we spent time in the garden, and D(3) has (reasonably enough) decided that there is now no societal imperative for him to be dressed. So after a bit of paddling in the pool this afternoon he took his kit off and refused to put anything else on. I'm ok with that - he's obviously coming after his maternal grandmother who rarely, if ever, wore clothes at home. Day 30 - Saturday, 11th April  If the weather stays like this we will be very short on pictures from now on. As the kids now both refuse to wear clothes! Pics today are from breakfast, when they did wear some clothes... but after lunch that was that. Mr has been reorganising the shed, now that we have an extra one for bicycles. Day 31 - Sunday, 12th April  Easter Sunday! Virtual