Gamble House

Well...this is long-past due.  It's hard to believe that I moved to Gamble two months ago now!  Though part of that time I was in Washington and on Core Member Holidays, it's still hard to believe that time has flown so fast and I've been in the house nearly six weeks. 

The house is large and quite beautiful--quite upscale from the Empress (LOL) with its marble entryway, dark hardwood floors, 10 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, 3 living rooms, two dining rooms...it is truly a beautiful home, and a huge blessing for L'Arche to receive.  People moved in just this past March, so in many ways, people still are getting settled there.  So this is now my home.  There are five core members, and I'll have two full-time assistants and two part-time assistants on my team.  Life here is extremely different than that at Mortimer, but the Lord continues to teach me more about Him and His faithfulness and about myself.  I think it will be a challenging but good year here.

If You Want Me To

Somehow the lyrics to Ginny Owens' song, If You Want Me To, have articulated my walk with Christ and journey through life, time and time again.  In recent weeks, when I was deliberating if I would move to Gamble or not, I was reminded of this song.  I certainly wanted to stay at Mortimer with all my heart, but when it became clear that God was saying my season at Mortimer was ending, I knew that my love for Him overruled my own desire for my life.  From where I stand now, I look back over the last eight months and rejoice over God's blessing in my life and in all the ways that He has helped me grow through living at Mortimer.  I look forward, and don't necessarily understand why my journey must continue at Gamble and not Mortimer.  At the end of the day, though, I trust in the faithfulness of God.  I trust that He is 'not through with me yet,' as far as my growth is concerned.  I trust that through it all, my relationship with Him will grow deeper and my love stronger.  Here I am Lord.

The pathway is broken
And the signs are unclear
And I dont know the reason why you brought me here
But just because You love me the way that You do
I will go through the valley
If You want me to

CHORUS:
Now I'm not who I was
When I took my first step
And I'm clinging to the promise
You're not through with me yet
So if all of these trials bring me closer to You
I will go through the fire
If You want me to

It may not be the way I would have chosen
When you lead me through a world that's not my own
But You never said it would be easy
You only said I'll never go alone

So when the whole world turns against me
And I'm all by myself
And I can't hear You answer my cries for help
I'll remember the suffering Your love put You through
And I will go through the valley
If You want me to

More than a name

It's hard to even begin to describe the experience I had recently with Patsy and why and how it has impacted my life.  Patsy has alzheimers and even since moving in with her a little over seven months ago, I've seen skills and memory deteriorate.  But despite her increasing memory loss, somehow, the other day she remembered my name.  She knew who I was.  Without needing to ask, without needing prompting, she knew who I was.  It seems a simple thing to remember someone's name.  It's just a name; but this time, it was more than just a name.  I've lived with Patsy for over seven months, and somehow in that time, my presence in her life has tapped into her emotional memory in such a way that she actually added something to her memory.  What a special privilege it is for me to know this special woman.  Sometimes it's the little things in life that God uses to bless us in big ways. 

Niagara Falls

Finally made two (!) visits to Niagara Falls within 10 days of each other after not making it there since I moved here.  It's a beautiful place...well, the falls themselves are really beautiful.  The Canadian side is very touristy and rather chaotic, though the walk down by the falls themselves is quite lovely.  There's a big park on the American side that is really nice.  Everyone says that the Canadian side is better; Horseshoe Falls is quite stunning.  However, the American side, though not quite as spectacular, has its own beauty.  Horseshoe Falls hands-down is more beautiful, but I like that the American side is more rugged and lest touristy.  Anyhow, it was great to finally see the famous Niagara Falls, which is apparently a number one honeymoon destination--still, after all these years. 

Bowling

We recently went bowling as a house and Tim actually was able to make it to the bowling alley!  It was very exciting!  I have never seen him happier.  I happened to catch this sweet photo of him being so happy and excited about bowling.  He was sooo cute!  He's basically been house-bound for several months now; it's hard to even find the words to describe how much joy he had and how much joy it in turn gave me.  What a gift!  This other photo is Tim about to bowl...and yes, that's a little bowling ball for 5 pin bowling.  That was weird--little ball, no holes, much lighter, and only 5 pins.  Mixin' it up here in Canada--but I still prefer 10 pin.  *Sigh*  Sometimes I think to my self, "I can't believe this is my life!?!?!?"