2018 Our Year in Photos

 Our year has lots of good memories.

January 9 On Mayne Island it seldom snows.

January 24 Irrigation hibernating... on a winter walk in Lake Country.

January 25  To pour concrete in the winter we had to use 50 insulated blankets and pump in heat.

Feb. 28 All natural stone installed on a nice day in winter.

Mar 3  The Winfield Sevens... there was actually nine of us that joined in the Hike for the Homeless at the Kelowna Gospel Mission.

March 9 On a walk in Lake Country... will it ever end?

April 30 Spring is here at the Uplands in Lake Country. Balsam Root and Saskatoons in bloom.

May 4 Trusses going on the roof of Townhome #10.

May 9 Shirley planting on the hillside in the rain.

May 27 Near Campbell River, Seth caught the biggest fish.  We were celebrating Alan's 60th birthday.

May 27 Mr. Prepared with Mrs. during the Campbell River runaway.

May 31 Begonia's blooming at the Greek House Restaurant in Lake Country

Aug 2 We worked for ten days preparing our decks on Mayne Island for repainting.

August 4 Selfie taken at Edith Point... our favorite hike on Mayne Island.

October 13 Sabbath afternoon walk on the Rail Trail, Kalamalka Lake near Vernon.

Oct. 13 Shirley captured the autumn reflections of Coldstream from the Rail Trail.

Oct 16  Golfed 9 holes on several Tuesdays with the Rotary Group at the Pinnacle Course.

Nov 2-10  Dr. Sid Kettner and Carol came from Creston to help us with our Live Your Best Life Seminar at the Winfield Seventh-Day Adventist Chruch. We had the grand privilege hosting them for the week.

Nov 24 Shirley, Sherilee, Kim and Maizy walking down to the ocean at Cannon Beach.

Nov. 24 Celebrating our daughter Sherilee's Big Five O at our ThanksBirthMas Getaway. It has become an annual event to celebrate US Thanksgiving, all the October and November Birthdays in our family and exchange Christmas gifts (but not open them.)   Hence the abbreviation ThanksBirthMas. We even made customized hats the say ThanksBirthMas 2018 for everyone.

Nov. 24 We enjoyed walking on the beach every day and taking photos of Haystack Rock.

Dec. 22  Several huge trees blew down crunching our fence and totaled out the neighbor's storage shed on Mayne Island.  The power was off for several days but was back to normal before Christmas. Our tenant Chris took some photos and sent them to me. A good neighbor's brother is going to clean up the logs for the firewood and use my little John Deere tractor.

"In conclusion, my friends, fill your minds with those things that are good and that deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honorable." -Philippians 4:8

Picking a "WORD" For 2019

It has been fun to see how over the years the idea of picking a WORD for the year has taken off. We have enjoyed seeing our daughter Sherilee doing this since 2010.  I asked her to share with me all the words that she had picked... and in a matter of minutes, she sent me a text message right back.  She had already chosen her word for 2019.

• 2019:  Strength
• 2018:  Cultivate
• 2017:  Wellbeing
• 2016:  Savor
• 2015:  Presence
• 2014:  Pray
• 2013:  Light
• 2012:  Grace
• 2011:  Focus
• 2010:  Pause

Shirley reminded me that she has been picking a "Word of the Year" for probably 25 years!  In fact, she has been doing it so long she thinks that she was the one who invented it! So you can see the fruit doesn't fall far from the tree!  I am working on getting her list of words too, but it is not going to be easy since all of her old journals are at our home on Mayne Island.  We are not going to see her complete list any time soon.

Sherilee told me that, "she finds the impact of the word extends greatly beyond just one year.  They stay with you in a kind of cumulative effect. And they need to be revisited, too.  It's not like a goal to be achieved and then you move on, at least not for me."

She also told me about the huge number of bloggers and scrapbookers and everyday people on the internet who are advocating the power of picking a single word to live by for a year.  There is a whole culture out there sharing their passion to pick a word. And some of them have made a business out of it.

So check out some of the ones I have listed below... or just Google it up and you will soon have more sites to visit than you have the time to do.

http://myoneword.org/pick-your-word/
https://youngwifesguide.com/2018-word-year-pick-hf-105/
http://elanalyn.com/2017/01/01/word-of-the-year/
https://www.blessingmanifesting.com/2017/12/choose-word-of-the-year.html/

One way to get started on picking your word for 2019 is to spend some time in thought and reflection.  When you look back over the past year ask yourself what were the best parts... and what parts would you like to have a redo?  Is there any part of your life that you wish you could improve?  Is there a role model you look up to?  What if our hopes for the new year focused on who God wants us to become?  What word do you think He would like to see you will pick?  This is heavy stuff...  but it is exciting stuff.  It is the kind of stuff that can be very rewarding and even life-changing.  Are you up to it? Please share your word of the year and tell me in a few words why you picked it.

As you are thinking about the different qualities you admire, keep a notepad nearby and jot down every word that you like. You may have difficulty deciding... there is more than one good word.  But at the end of your deliberations, there will be one winner!  One word will stand out above all the possibilities. And that will be your word for 2019.

For me, the word for 2019 is going to be Prayer.  I have done a lot of study about prayer this past year, and for the first time in my life I have written out my prayers, often every day... just one page. I have filled up two journals.  But I am not satisfied... I know I have lots of room for improvement.

This New Year I am going to compile a list of my favorite quotes on prayer.  I will be trying to find a different quote every day.  Quotes from the likes of Oswald Chambers, who I have just discovered has the most wonderful perspective on living your life for Jesus.  He said,

"Prayer does not fit us for the greater work.
Prayer is the greater work."

"Never make the blunder of trying to forecast
the way God is going to answer your prayer."

"Prayer is not an exercise. It is a life."

If you have a favorite quote I invite you to share it with me.

There have been some horrific winds on Mayne Island these past several days. Our tenant took these photos on Saturday morning of several massive trees that took down our fence. The problem is that we are not able to go home to clean it up.  We are on a plane to Tucson on Boxing Day.  We don't yet know who we might find who can clean this up.



Our neighbor lost a small utility shed.  Power has been out for several days, and maybe it will come back on tomorrow here.  We thank God that it wasn't any worse.  This is not the first time this fence had to give way for a mighty tree!  It is all fixable.