December 30

The sermon went well although I lost the last page of my notes and had to ad lib.  Then, when I was singing the Joseph Song, I had a frog in my throat.  Should I stop and clear my throat?  I decided to power through it.

Sermon for December 29, 2017

Epiphany Sunday is a date recognized by many churches and denominations to celebrate the Wise Men’s visit to Bethlehem to see the baby Jesus. But the story really doesn’t end there. You see from our reading today that something else happens after the Magi leave. It is the Bethlehem massacre.

It is not a pleasant part of the story. That may be why we often leave it out. We have experienced the familiar nativity story with fond, comfortable memories and feelings. Yes, it was difficult for Mary & Joseph but despite the hardships, baby Jesus was born, angels sang, shepherds and Wise Men visited. All was good. The warm glow from the stable is so cozy. All is well, we think. It is the end of the Christmas story, we think. All ends happily, we think.

Except that we have forgotten Herod the Great. The most ruthless King of Judea. He is enraged when the wise men don’t return to Jerusalem to tell him exactly where this newborn babe is to be found, this King of the Jews as they called him. They take a different route from Belthlehem back to their countries of origin, far away from Judea.  Far away from the grasp of the fury and rage and cruelty of King Herod. But King Herod knows this – this baby was born in Bethlehem. To eliminate any future competition of kingship, Herod gives orders for his soldiers to kill all the boys two years old and younger who live in or near Bethlehem. It is a horrific act we think, but not for Herod.

Herod was a master in the art of assassination. He had an elaborate network of spies, and he often executed people for real, or imagined, conspiracies against his throne. He was neurotic and obsessed with the idea that others were plotting to usurp his throne. He had no sooner come to power in Judea by the Roman Empire than he began by annihilating the Sanhedrin, the supreme court of the Jews. Later he slaughtered three hundred court officers out of hand. He murdered his wife Mariamne, and her mother Alexandra, his eldest son Antipater, and two other sons, Alexander and Aristobulus, because Herod thought, they were plotting to take over his throne. Josephus the historian even talks about Herod’s plan, fortunately never carried out, to have all the Jewish nobility slaughtered at the time of his own death to ensure that everyone would be mourning his death. King Herod of Jesus’ time was a mad man.

So, you can understand that with the surprise visit from the wise men, King Herod does not calmly accept the news that a child has been born who is going to be king. He carefully enquired of the wise men when they had seen the star. Even then he was craftily working out the age of the child so that he might take steps towards murder, and now he puts his plans into swift and savage action.

There are two things which we must note about the Bethlehem massacre. First of all, Bethlehem was not a large town in Jesus’ day, estimated to be around 300 people, and the number of boy babies two years and younger would have been small. We must not think in terms of hundreds. But this does not make Herod’s crime any less terrible. To Bethlehem as a community, to the families and friends of the bereaved parents, this was an unthinkable horror.

Joseph has a dream after the Wise Men leave.  Thankfully, Joseph pays attention to the angel message he receives. He gets up right away in the middle of the night and leaves Bethlehem immediately.  Fortunately, the Wise Men had gifted the Christ with gold, frankincense, and myrrh which Joseph and Mary may have sold to aid in their flight to Egypt. The holy family gets out of Bethlehem in time before Herod’s soldiers arrive, and with hurried or perhaps no preparation, Joseph, Mary, and the baby Jesus flee Bethlehem and embark on a lengthy journey to the far-off land of Egypt.

Refugees, fleeing from cruel oppression. Does this sound familiar? According to current facts, there are 65.6 million “displaced” refugees in the world, and out of this number, 22.5 million refugees have fled to another country. Once again we are reminded that Jesus has experienced everything we may live through. When God became human, there was no holding back. All the woe and misery of the world was a part of his reality.

The holy family travels far from the lands under Herod’s rule to Egypt. It is a strange land to Joseph, Mary and Jesus as people in those days did not travel very far from their homes under normal circumstances. 

Herod is believed to have died at his Winter Palace in Jericho, not very long (perhaps a year or two) after Joseph and Mary fled with Jesus into Egypt. After a while, Joseph has another angelic dream and he is told that Herod is dead and it is safe to return to Israel. He follows the angel’s instructions and the family makes the return trip only to find that Herod’s son, Archelaus, is now reigning over Judea. Archelaus certainly learned from his father. He is such a violent and aggressive king that in year 6 A.D. he is deposed by the Romans in response to complaints from the population!

So the holy family avoids Judea and moves north instead to a small town called Nazareth in Galilee. Galilee is ruled by a much calmer king, Herod Antipas, and has become a refuge for those fleeing the iron rule of Archelaus. This was the town where Joseph, Mary and the young Jesus went to live, a safe and secluded place, and they settled down in peace, raising Jesus where he grew up and stayed until he began his earthly ministry.

Now there are three things I would like to point out in this post Christmas passage.

1.  Jesus and his family lived through the despair and helplessness that even today afflict over 65 million fellow human beings in our world. As Canadians we should be proud our country has welcomed 320,000 refugees into our safe and beautiful country. As we reflect on this, and on our own ministry in God’s world, the words of Jesus in Matthew 25:35, come to mind: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”  I am sure Joseph and Mary were very different from the Egyptians in their customs, language, clothing, and religion.  I am quite sure they did not come with a portable pension plan or comprehensive health care plan recognized by the Egyptian hospitals.  I am sure they would rather have stayed in Israel with all that was familiar, but they found themselves in the same desperate situation as today’s refugees.  They were fleeing from very real danger posed by a ruthless despot.

2.  I have never really given much thought to the Bethlehem massacre.  The angel speaks to Joseph in a dream and warns him to flee before King Herod massacres all the male children below the age of two.  Why didn’t every other father of male babies receive a similar warning?  A couple weeks ago, I was chatting with Bob Berikoff about this question.  He said, “Maybe they were given a similar warning.”  Were their lives of no value.  I was reminded of a story I found in a book on grieving.  A pastor and his wife were traveling to their suburban home when they were sideswiped by another car.  The pastor and his wife escaped the collision with only minor bruises.  The congregation rejoiced because their lives were spared and many surmised that their lives were spared because they had God’s work to complete in their community church or maybe it was because they were under God’s protection because of their faithfulness or the fervent prayers of their congregation.  A mere two weeks later, a car carrying 5 teenagers were sideswiped at an intersection near the scene of the pastor’s car accident.  All 5 teens were killed.  Were their lives less valuable? The pastor prayed and anguished over this conundrum.  The best he could conclude was: there are some things that happen in life that are unexplainable.  The best that he could offer was:  God is love.  God loved those 5 teenagers just as much as He loved the pastor and his wife.  There was no answer to the hard question of Why did this happen?  It’s unanswerable.  All we can do is support one another and surround families who experience tragedy with love and comfort.  Do not try to answer the unanswerable.  I remember a sincere Christian gentleman who came to me after Judy died and said, “ I am not sure why God took Judy when He did.  I am sure he had a purpose.”  I know he was trying to be helpful and supportive, but I reacted strongly with:  Judy had cancer cells that developed in her body.  She did not get cancer because she led an unhealthy lifestyle or because she couldn’t handle her stress.  God was not trying to teach her a lesson because she had sin in her life.  God was not teaching the girls a lesson.  He was not trying to teach me a lesson.  Life just happens.  The good and the bad.  The best we can do in times of tragedy and loss is to be instruments of God’s love in the midst of suffering and despair.  Trying to speak for God and expostulate on God’s design is not usually helpful.  God really doesn’t need us as apologists for things we cannot explain.  The last time I preached from this pulpit, I talked about how the opposite of faith is not doubt…the opposite of doubt is certitude.  When you have faith, you won’t have all the answers, but you will be able to embrace the mystery.  Bad things happen.  Life happens.  We can only control our response to these happenings.  Which leads me to my final point.

3.  Joseph responded to the dream.  It seems that God spoke to Joseph via an angel that came to him in dreams many times.  Now personally, I can’t say an angel has spoken to me in a dream nor have I met anyone who has had an angelic messenger, but I do believe that God speaks to me. And it’s usually in this way.  A situation arises.  I assess the situation and then I meditate on the situation waiting until I hear that still small voice that guides me into action.  When I was a school administrator, we would come up with action plans following the Here’s What, So What, Now What model.  And for Joseph, the Here’s What was:  he was the earthly father to the Son of God and he was given guidance to get out of Bethlehem.  So What? Well, the kingdom was governed by a homicidal tyrant who had a history of brutal murders. Now What?  Flee to a place of safety beyond the reach of King Herod.  I am sure Joseph weighed his options and we know he didn’t dither.  He took his little family to Egypt.  Joseph did the best he had with what he had.  A popular phrase that has come into overuse over the last few years is the expression, “It is what it is.”  I prefer to use the phrase.  “Accept the isness of the situation”.  We suffer greatly and flounder at times because we do not accept the isness of our situation. We are paralyzed in our circumstances and wish I lives away waiting for the perfect alignment of the stars to occur.  We freeze.  We dither.  We make excuses for inaction.  We think we will only be happy a certain set of conditions finally arrives.  If we always wait for conditions to be perfect, we will never act because things are never perfect. Not long ago, I watched a movie titled, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.  The movie is the true story of a family in Malawi, if I recall correctly.  The family lives in a village where corn is the staple food.  There is a period of drought and scarcity.  The father prays for rain to water the crops.  Corn is planted in the parched, dusty soil.  They hope and pray for rain, but rain doesn’t come.  The son, William, has been to school.  He has a keen interest in using wind to create electricity.  He is a tinkerer and inventor.  The boy scrounges through a land fill for a discarded water pump and a battery from an old car. He tries to convince his father that he can use wind generated electricity to draw water from a deep well to irrigate the land.  The father rejects the boy’s plan choosing to wait for the return of rain.  Another reason the father resists is: the plan would require using the family’s bicycle as part of the necessary equipment for an improvised wind powered generator.  The father eventually relents and buys into the boy’s plan.  The generator worked, water was pumped from the well onto the fields, crops grew, bellies were fed.  I had a eureka moment when I considered this event.  James 2:14-26 says:

Faith Without Works Is Dead

14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good[a] is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 

 Faith without action is dead.  Hope is a cruel errand.  We must people who are realistic about our situation and we will be defined by the actions we take.

A popular phrase that has come into overuse in the last few years is the expression: It is what it is.  As trite as the expression is, there is some wisdom in the expression.  You have to be realistic about the isness of your situation.  Don’t bury your head in the sand or wish it away or hope it away.  Take action.  The good news is: you can live victoriously in this world.  You weren’t promised a smooth ride, but you were promised a guide who would show you the way.  In this world you will have tribulation.  You will face your Herods.  But be of good cheer, because the comforter is always available in every way…in every situation. He may not speak to you in a dream or provide gold, frankincense, and myrrh, but He will guide you and show you the way.  In closing, I want to sing a song aptly titled, “Joseph’s Song”.  Joseph was in a desperate situation.  Like any parent bringing a child into the world, he had worries and doubts…he had been living a simple life as a carpenter when his whole world was changed in a big way.  Most notable, he had the task of being father to the Son of God.  Those of you who are parents can certainly relate. Although you are not facing the imminent threat of having your child murdered, you do wonder how you will protect your child from harm, provide for them, raise them to be good people and to take on all the other responsibilities of the hardest job in the world. But Joseph did the right thing.  He asked for God’s guidance and he acted on the guidance he was given. I pray you will do the same.  

Joseph's Song

Michael Card

[Verse]

C                                G

How could it be this baby in my arms

Em                        Am

Sleeping now, so peacefully

            F              G                 C G

The Son of God, the angel said, how could it be

       C                G

Lord I know He's not my own

           Em              Am

Not of my flesh, not of my bone

              F            G

Still Father let this baby be

          C     E

Son of my love

[Chorus]

       Am                            F

Father show me where I fit into this plan of yours

           G                          C    E

How can a man be father to the Son of God

         Am                              F

Lord for all my life I've been a simple carpenter

     G                       F             G

How can I raise a king, How can I raise a king

[Verse]

             C                           G

He looks so small, His face and hands so fair

            Em                               Am

And when He cries the sun just seems to disappear

             F                G

But when He laughs it shines again

             C       E

How could it be

[Chorus]

       Am                            F

Father show me where I fit into this plan of yours

           G                          C    E

How can a man be father to the Son of God

         Am                              F

Lord for all my life I've been a simple carpenter

     G                       F             G

How can I raise a king, How can I raise a king

C                               G

How could it be this baby in my arms

         Em             Am

Sleeping now, so peacefully

           F               G                  C

The Son of God, the angel said, how could it be

X

December 19

I just re-read my last blog and realized that I stole all my own thunder.  The hockey Christmas party was great.  The band played mostly jive and two step.  Lotsa fun.  Of course, Deb and I were the most impressive couple on the dance floor, in my humble opinion.  The best joke of the night was about a husband who says, "I was walking with my wife when she said, ""You haven't listened to a work I've said."" and the husband thought, ""That's a weird way to start a conversation.""  My birthday gift to Deb this year was 3 hours of dance lessons.  We worked on our Cha Cha and we're ready for public performance on the dance floor.  Christmas is getting close.  The ukulele group I am a part of had their Christmas performance at Forest Grove Community Church on Tuesday evening.  The director even trusted me with the clip clop blocks and the tambourine. It was a command performance.  Tomorrow is the day when I do the marathon trip from Saskatoon to Tisdale to Wadena to Regina.  Just another Alvin Kolach Kinda Day.  I will be back to Saskatoon on Sunday for Mary's concert with The Fireside Singers.  Tuesday is the big shin dig at my place.  As mentioned in the previous blog post, I am going to Audrey and Mickey's for Christmas dinner.  For many years, I have been the family expert on preparing mashed potatoes.  The last time I was invited to the Graham household for Christmas dinner, I was all prepared with my secret recipe of cream and tons of butter.  The only problem was: I realized at 10 pm on Christmas Eve that I had forgotten a very important ingredient...potatoes.  I am not aware of any places in this fair city where you can purchase potatoes on Christmas Day.  Fortunately, the patron saint of potatoes lives next door.  St. Bridget of Aberdeen bailed me out.  Thank God for wonderful neighbours with five gallon pails of homegrown potatoes.  I won't live that one down.  Needless to say, I purchased a bag of potatoes well before the deadline this year.  Only 11 more sleeps until we depart for Panama.  On December 29, I am giving Pastor Ali a day off.  I am preaching the sermon that day.  Looking forward to delivering a thoughtful message.  I will close this blog with my Christmas wish that you may have peace and love in your families this day and every day.  Live out the Good News that you are loved and love is the way.  My next blog will be about my Panama adventures.  Stay tuned.  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

November 23

Just to review...Judy watched her first Christmas movie on Halloween night.  The girls took care of that.  Check.  Judy did her Christmas baking on November long weekend.  The girls took care of that too. Check.  Judy had the tree up  and the house decorated by December 1.  I took care of that today.  Check.  As I write this blog entry, I am babysitting my Luv Bug.  She continues expand her vocabulary.  She loves to plunk on the piano and dance too.  I love that girl so much it hurts.  I get a thrill every time I see her beautiful face and she yells, "Hi, Poppa!"  We have many good times together.  In other news, I am busy playing hockey twice a week and volleyball when I am not playing hockey.  Last Sunday, I joined my big brother, Vince, for the Western CFL final.  Not the results we wanted, but I enjoyed spending time with my big bro.  This week, I went to a fundraiser for the Saskatoon Crisis Nursery on Thursday evening.  The fundraiser was a Canadian Country Showcase.  Very impressive.  Last evening, I took in the PBR Bullriding event at Credit Union Center.  What a rush!  The bull riders and bull fighters (Clowns) have to be crazy and courageous to hop on an 1800-2000 pound criminally insane bull.  So now we enter the Christmas season that is not as manic as it used to be when I was teaching school, but there are many Christmas related activities. The hockey club dance is on December 11.  Deb will be attending with me so I won't have to dance with a broom.  I will be attending Mary's Fireside Singers concert on December 22.  On December 20, I am driving to Tisdale to transport my mom to Regina where she will celebrate Christmas with Vince's family.  The girls and I will be continuing the Christmas Eve Judy Extravaganza as usual.  On Christmas Day, I will be joining Judy's sister's family for Christmas dinner.  On New Year's Eve, Deb and I are flying to Panama to spend three weeks living in a treehouse in the jungle.  Life is good.

October 31

This evening finds me in an airport hotel near Gatwick. The past two days have been filled with more new and memorable experiences.  You would think my first meal in Scotland would be haggis or chippies, but I ended up in an Italian restaurant eating the best darn gnocchi imaginable. On Wednesday, I toured Holyrood castle, The Scottish National Museum and Edinburgh Castle. Enjoying the “must sees” in any destination is important, but I enjoy everything I experience in between. Those who know me best are aware that I like to chat with strangers. I have done plenty of that. Moreover, I enjoy traveling through the countryside observing the landscape, the dwellings, and the farming practices. In the cities, I love to see the architecture, the statues, the landscaping, the alleyways, the fountains, the gargoyles...everything in between major destinations interests me as much or more than the main attractions. There are little things that I observe such as expressions and customs. Things like people taking their beer out of the tavern to mingle on the sidewalk outside the pub or walking on the left rather than keeping to the right. Later yesterday, I caught the train to York. I am very glad that I sprung for a first class ticket. Bigger seats, less crowded, free wifi, and complimentary food/drinks. I stayed at an Airbnb in York. Wonderful host and the accommodations were in the centre of old town. Last night I figured I should have bangers and mash just to say I did. The day began with tea and toast in the window seat watching people walk to work down cobblestone streets. Old York is bordered by a fortress wall has a walkway on top. I walked most of the fortress wall then joined a boat cruise on the River Ouse. Next stop was York Minster Cathedral, the second largest cathedral in Europe. Truly impressive. My final stop was Clifford Tower, the remnant of a medieval castle. I could have toured a couple more museums but I was museumed out so I caught the train for Gatwick through London Kings Cross. Traveling by train, making connections, finding the right platform, taking buses/subways, going up and down levels, reading departure displays/schedules...it’s a lot to handle when you’re a little old prairie boy. And now I am looking forward to home and routine and hockey and volleyball and my own cooking and phone calls to Mom and my loved ones and my Luv Bug.

October 29

I believe I closed my last entry in the wee hours of Sunday morning. I’ve put on a few miles since then. I went to the Anglican Cathedral in Oxford for Sunday worship thinking it would be pipe organs, church bells, long robes, pomp, and pageantry. Wrong!  There was a worship band, contemporary music, and no hymn books. There were tv monitors on the 500 year old marble pillars. The homily was presented by a famous author in a Hawaiian shirt and leather vest. Man, it was a rocking place. After touring Oxford, I boarded the train for Cardiff, Wales. The evening was spent watching NFL football in a pub. The brits were in a festive mood after a World Cup Rugby win. On Monday, I did a walking tour of Cardiff where there is a beautiful promenade along the harbour. I was surprised to see Wales has bilingual signs like we do in Canada. Welsh and English. I have to admit French is easier to decipher than Welsh. The train journey from Cardiff to Liverpool was long and arduous. There was flooding in Wales and power outages in Manchester. The trains carried double the passengers because of cancellations. Seeing Liverpool was worth the journey. Liverpool has an incredible vibe. Music everywhere. The clubs don’t close until 4:00 am. I didn’t sleep much. This morning I toured the harbour area before hopping on the Magical Mystery Tour. Very interesting for a guy who grew up in the sixties listening to the Beatles. In the afternoon, I had a relatively pleasant train ride to Edinburgh, but there was one near glitch. I fell asleep during the first leg of the journey. I would have missed my connection; however, two nice young ladies saw me sleeping so they banged on the windows to waken me. Phew!  It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon for a train ride through the hill country of northwestern England and Southern Scotland. Green grass, Sheep on hillsides. Compact little villages. Stone hedges. Oak trees. Wood lots. Loved the journey.

October 27

It’s 2:00 am. I’m in a guest lodge in Oxford, England. If you can’t sleep...blog. Last Sunday started with an Uber to the airport. If you haven’t tried the Uber app, you’re missing out. I had 3 seats to myself on the flight to Toronto which was a treat. Brian and Carole picked me up at the airport. They were amazed I had only a backpack but I had to travel light with the journey I had planned. Brian and Carole treated me like a king (self proclaimed though I am) for the next 4 days. The highlight for Brian and me was golfing on Monday. Brian and I competed against two of his buddies in a game called “Nicole millionaires”. For 16 holes, Brian was carrying me on his back. On 17, there was a huge carryover. Well, even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes. I stuck my drive 10 feet from the hole and parred.  There was some hooting going on!  Another highlight was reminiscing about our misspent youth in Kelvington. We sat in matching recliners talking about life, love, loss, and family. Wonderful time. I flew out of Toronto on Wednesday evening and landed in London at 9am Thursday. One of my sister, Paulette’s friends picked me up at Gatwick. I stayed with John and his wife, Dee, for the first day. They toured me around the south coast. We stopped in small villages with cobble stone streets, historic buildings, and quaint little shops. Of course , we had to stop for a pint in a pub that was established in the 1300s. We finished the day with fish and chips and tea before nighty night.   Friday started with a train trip to London Victoria Station. London in. Day with Alvin Kolach...Buckingham Palace for changing of the guard, Trafalgar Square, Picadilly Circus, Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Golden Hind, Globe Theatre, Whitehall, Scotland Yard, Westminster, St. Paul’s Cathedral, London Eye, and more. Yup, I set a new record for step count - 34570 steps. Yesterday, I toured The Royal Museum which took most of the day. The collection is beyond comprehension. The Rosetta Stone is the star attraction, but the collection of pottery, weapons, statues, petroglyphs, clothing, etc is too much to absorb. Apparently, the displayed items only account for 1% of the museum’s holdings. Incredible!   Getting to Oxford required some new experiences. I had to purchase a subway ticket from a machine, catch the right subway train,and transfer to rail train at Paddington Station. Mindbending experiences for a prairie boy. Leaving the crowds of London was a relief. October is not busy season. I can’t imagine being in London during peak season. The trip to Oxford was lightning quick. Trains can reach speeds of 300kpm!  After taking a bus to my accommodation, I went to a local pub for a beer and burger. I’m having a ball. Now I should try to sleep. The plan for tomorrow is worship at the Oxford Cathedral, a walking tour of Oxford, then on to Wales.

October 19

I just got back from Nashville on Thursday, and now I am off to Barrie, Ontario tomorrow to spend a few days with my old school buddy, Brian Hartzell and his wife, Carole.  On Wednesday, I am flying to England from Toronto.  I have an 8 day Brit Rail pass so I plan to see as much of England, Wales, and Scotland as I can squeeze into 8 days.  Nashville was great!  It was my second time there.  My gal and I took in to the Grand Ole Opry, the Ryman Auditorium, and we spent a fair amount of time on Music Row.  There is no shortage of entertainment in Nashville.  We also toured Madame Toussad's Wax Museum where we got up close and personal with all the country and western stars.  Last Saturday, we attended a college football game between University of Nevada Las Vegas and Vanderbilt.  Our airbnb was only a ten minute walk from the stadium.  On Tuesday, we rented a car and toured the countryside around Nashville.  The highlights were a hike in Percy Warner Park, a walking tour of Franklin, Tennessee (lovely town with antebellum architecture right out of Andy of Mayberry), and Lieper's Forks ( an authentic small village in the Tennessee hills).  The weather during our stay was gorgeous...usually in the high twenties.  Our airbnb had a lovely deck on the east side where we started every day with coffee.  All in all, a great holiday.  Flights were all on time and everything went smoothly.  Only misfortune was Deb spraining her ankle on our hike.  My next blog entry will be all about my UK train adventures.  Until then...

September 21

The kids and I rounded out August at the lake for the long weekend.  I've probably mentioned this before, but it is wonderful that Haley and Dustin have a cabin less than 10 minutes away from my trailer.  I prepared for the long weekend by preparing. a Saskatoon crisp, cinnamon buns, dinner buns, salmon salad, and lazy man's cabbage rolls.  Yes, I continue to be Susie Homemaker and the kids seem to enjoy my cooking.  On September 1, Haley, Dustin, and I went to Dustin's parents' cabin for Dustin's dad's birthday supper...steaks par excellence.  Hockey began on September 3 and surprisingly, I wasn't too gassed after a summer of no hockey.  Slow pitch is continuing into the fall so there are some days when I play hockey in the morning and ball in the afternoon.  Today, my gal and I went to a rodeo in her hometown.  In two weeks, we are flying to Nashville for nine days.  We have tickets for The Rymen and The Grand Ole Opry.  We plan to do a lot of dancing on Music Row and hopefully, take in a college football game.  I will only be home for two days following Nashville, then I am flying to Toronto to spend three days golfing with some high school buddies.  From Toronto, I am flying to the UK for a solo 8 day train holiday.  I will be home in early November in time to make a huge batch of pirogies in preparation for Christmas.  My little Luv Bug is learning new things everyday.  One of my greatest joys is walking into Mary and Morgan's home to the sound of, "Hi, Poppa!"  Her vocabulary is expanding every day.  We play tag, hide and go seek, read books, snuggle, sing, spend time at the park on the swings and slides, go for long rides in the stroller... Life is grand.  Mary and Haley have had a busy start to the school year, but they are starting to settle into a more sane routine.  They still make time to see there dear old dad at least once during the week and they often call to let me know how their school day has gone.  It never gets old.  Next weekend is our Annual Judy Traditional Walk At Cranberry Flats and on October 6, I am cooking an early Thanksgiving dinner because I will be in Nashville on Thanksgiving weekend.  The girls will be with their in laws for Thanksgiving.  That's all I have for now.  Happy Thanksgiving, everybody.

August 24

The month of August started with a long weekend at the lake with my crew.  Haley and Dustin are truly enjoying their cabin and the wake surf boat they purchased last year.  They keep encouraging me to surf, and I have tried twice, but I just can't get the hang of it.  But, no worries, I resort to my specialty...spending time with the Luv Bug.  I had a meaningful experience on my way home from the lake after the long weekend.  It was getting dark as I approached a car on the side of the road 10 minutes south of Shell Lake.  A family from Big River First Nation had a flat tire.  They asked whether I had a jack they could borrow.  Yes, I did have a jack, but it was under all my camping stuff.  No problem,  I dug the jack out.  I helped remove the flat tire, then we discovered their spare was flat so I took my new friend, Jeremy Rabbitskin, back to the service station so we could get both tires repaired.  By the time we returned to the car, darkness had set in.  With the help of my flashlight, we got the tire on and they were on their way, but not before I took a selfie, in the dark, with the whole crew.  Now, the heartening thing about this encounter was the gratitude of the Rabbitskin family.  The mother, Brenda, insisted on giving me what was likely her last ten dollars for helping her family.  I refused the money saying she could buy me a pie and coffee if she ever saw me in Shell Lake.  The whole family was incredibly gracious.  They kept shaking my hand and expressing their gratitude. It was one of the highlights of my summer.  On the next weekend in August, my gal and I went to the Garth Brooks concert  in Regina.  There's something about me and Mosaic Stadium this summer.  We attended the rain delayed Rider game on July 1 and then had another rain delay before Garth took to the stage.  Of course, he is such a great performer, it was worth the wait.  On the same weekend, I attended Deb's family reunion which was a total success.  Ideal weather, great company, and delicious food.  I was happy to help Deb who put her heart and soul into preparing for the reunion.  Last week I had my mother staying with me.  She was diagnosed with breast cancer in July; therefor, surgery was required to remove a malignant lump.  Mom is a real trooper.  She has recovered well.  I delivered her back to Tisdale last Sunday.  Before returning to Tisdale, she had a chance to visit my brother, Wayne, and his family.  They were in town to watch my niece play in District Fastball.  Mom also had a chance to visit my nephew, Harley, who traveled up from Moose Jaw, with his friend, Emily, They stayed at my place and got in a good visit with my mom.  The other project for August was building a new fence with my neighbours to the west and the east.  To the west, my job was destruction, and my neighbours looked after construction.  They did a marvellous job.  Hopefully, the new fence will keep their chickens out of my flower beds.  The new fence does not have any knot holes so it is going to be hard for me to run my power cord to their outlets. Oh well, I guess I'll have to pay for my own power.  The last bit of news is: I am playing in provincial slow pitch this weekend.  Should be fun.  I am reunited with some of my old gang from my former team, The Rage.  Until next post...

July 28

July has been a good month.  I had the pleasure of attending my cousin's son's wedding on July 5.  Before the wedding, I went to Tisdale to pick up my mom so she could attend.  At 91, she still loves to be involved in family gatherings and, of course, she is always a hit just because of her presence.  My brother, Vince, and his wife, Loretta, were also staying at my place on the wedding weekend.  I have truly been blessed in the last two years to spend more time with Vince than I have in my entire life.  You see, my gal, lives in White City, near Regina; therefore, I get to see Vince and his family on a regular basis.  Vince is truly a family treasure.  He totally invests himself in his marriage, in the lives of his grandchildren/great grandchildren, his siblings, and the life of my mother.  Vince is the grandpa who is always on call for his children's/grandchildren's/great grandchildren's/mother's needs. If they need someone to take their cat to the vet, Vince is there.  If they need a babysitter, Vince is there.  If mom needs a toilet brush, Vince is there.  Whatever the need, Vince is there and he never complains about helping out wherever there is a need.  At 70 years of age, Vince still works 3 days a week at a post retirement job.  He calls Mom everyday just to make sure she is okay and to give her news about his granddaughter's cat, Lucky.  If there is a family gathering, Vince is the one playing with the kids.  When Dad died in 2013, Vince became the new family patriarch and he fills the role well, keeping track of all the nephews and nieces.  I know my girls appreciate Vince more than he will ever know.  He texts Haley regularly to get her opinion on the Roughriders and he stays in touch with Mary to hear about the latest Luv Bug news.  In his own unassuming way, he makes a big difference in may people's lives.  It goes without saying, that I appreciate all my siblings.  I am grateful for every last screwed up, sarcastic, quirky, imperfect, grouchy, bossy, one of them.  But I digress... On July 12, I attended Craven for the first time in my life.  What a spectacle! I got to see Meaghan Patrick, Gord Bamford, Lonestar, and Jake Owen.  Twas a great day.  I behaved, but I did get to yell my usual standard..."More Cowbells!!"  For the rest of July, I have been busy playing ball, golfing, maintaining the yard, and spending time at the lake with my crew.  Dustin and Haley have a new wake/surf boat where we have spent many enjoyable hours on Memorial Lake.  I actually get to sleep in a place other than the shed now that Haley and Dustin have a cabin.  I have also had the opportunity to spend ample time with my Luv Bug.  She is motoring around now with ease.  She has learned to bum scoot down stairs and climb onto furniture.  She is learning new words everyday.  One of her favourite words is "Pieces", the name of Haley and Dustin's female dog.  Luvisa generalizes the name, "Pieces", to any four legged beast.  The teeth are continuing to appear regularly so she has her days when she is a bit out of sorts, but overall, she is a contented child.  This is, of course, a credit to Mary and Morgan's parenting.  I spent last week at the lake with Mary and Luvisa.  Because of teething, The Bug was up during the night crying because of teething discomfort.  I was amazed and thankful for Mary's calm demeanour as she quietly soothed Luvisa with a comforting voice until the baby fell asleep again.  Luv's hair is coming in red as red hair can be.  Sometimes she has all the feistiness unfairly associated with red heads; however, she usually does have her Grandpa Alvin's calm nature. Ha!  Everyone asks where the red hair comes from and the answers is: my mom.  This is a great source of pride for Mom.  On the horizon for the next few weeks is a week at the lake with my crew and a date with Garth Brooks on August 9. Until then....

July 4

As always ... a great day to be alive.  Life is good here.  I haven't been playing much hockey this month.  Seems criminal to be in a cold rink when the sun is shining brightly.  I have been concentrating on playing ball Tuesday and Thursday mornings.  What a great bunch of people!  Whatever the age, be it 60 or 85, everyone goes out and plays their best with differing degrees of success.  Some of the best players are in their 70s and 80s.  They are my true heroes.  As much as I love what Kawhi did for the Raptors, I have more admiration for the old guys and gals who stay active well into their golden years.  The main thing is they have fun and support one another.
The highlights of June were camping in the Cypress Hills (Alberta side) with my gal.  We were tenting just like in the old days.  One night, the temperature dropped to 2 degrees.  It was frosty!  Other highlights for the month of June were:
1.  I made a cameo appearance at Dalmeny High School Grad.  I accompanied the guest speaker on ukulele.  The students were hoping I would lead "Going on a Lion Hunt" one more time.
2.  I went to Tisdale on June 4 to bring my mom into Saskatoon for a wedding.  My brother and his wife were also at my place for the wedding weekend.  Time spent with family becomes more precious than ever as I get older.
My plans for the rest of July is to spend time at the lake with my crew.  My gal and I plan on taking in a couple of music events including Garth Brooks in August.  I may also join three old Kelvington buddies for a golf weekend in Ontario.  That's all for now.

June 6

Last weekend was another great weekend at the lake.  Now that Haley and Dustin have a cabin at the lake, I no longer have to sleep in the shed.  My days have been full with playing ball on Tuesdays and Thursdays, as well as hockey on Wednesdays.  I have also been making major mileage on my bike over the last 3 weeks.  My favourite route leads me to Starbucks at Preston Crossing.  This weekend, I am babysitting my Luv Bug on Friday night, then I am heading to Regina to visit my gal. We plan to do some biking and then take our kayaks out on Wascana Lake.  I am looking forward to Tuesday of next week because I am meeting a long, lost cousin who lives in Iowa.  He is in town for a meeting, I guess, so he looked me up on Facebook.  My mom's father was born in Iowa.  Two brothers moved to Canada and two stayed in the states.  I have never met anyone from this particular branch of the family so it should be interesting.  Next week, I am looking after my granddogs while Haley and Dustin are in Calgary.  When they return, my gal and I are camping in the Cypress Hills for a week.  The following week, my sister and I are doing a heritage tour of Tisdale, McKague, Barrier Ford, Kelvington, and Wadena.  June is going to slide by fast.

May 23

Over the last two weeks, I had the chance to spend. a lot of time with my Luv Bug.  Mary had rehearsal for Evita on May 14, so I had Luv for the evening.  On May 14, Luv had a sleepover at Grandpa's place.  I attended Evita on May 15.  The performance was excellent.  Unless you have seen a Fireside production, you cannot comprehend the professionalism of the Fireside singers.  The talent level is second to none, in my opinion.  Morgan was in Lloydminster for a practicum; therefore, Mary and Luvisa came to the lake with me for the long weekend.  Mary and I opened up the trailer and set up the site for a summer of lake time.  Haley and Dustin opened up their cabin on the long weekend too.  We had some quality family time.  This week was on Tuesday and Thursday with hockey sandwiched between on Wednesday.  I also slipped in two very long bike rides in this week.  Last night, we had the 3rd Annual Saskwest Teacher's Association get together.  My buddy, Rick Gosselin and I organize the get together.  We invite everyone who was associated with the former Saskatoon West School Division.  The gathering is a good time to catch up and reminisce with old colleagues.   Summer is here.  I am enjoying my happy place on the deck in my backyard.  The flower pots are full of annuals.  The bird feeder is busy with 10-20 varieties of songbirds.  Yes, life is good.

May 13

I just had a neat experience.  A pine grosbeak crashed into my front window.  The bird survived the collision.  After some time in a shady spot, I'm thinking he/she will be okay and ready to fly on to points north.

This past weekend, my gal and I traveled to Red Deer/Stettler for what I call my Family Reunion On The Road.  I was able to see all of my sister, Polly's, clan.  I even have pictures to prove it.  On Friday, we met with my nephew, Jann, and his fiancé, Sheena.  Jann lives on an acreage near Red Deer.  He runs a safety training business.  On Saturday, we spent the day at Paulette's granddaughter's place.  Polly's granddaughter, Angie, is an amazing young woman.  Angie and her partner, Chad, have two beautiful children, Coralee (7) and Carter (4).  They rent a cool little house in Stettler and rent a room to Angie's younger brother, Kris.  Angie's brothers, Brent and Brandon, can often be found at Angie's and Chad's Halfway House.  They all work hard, love one another, and find joy in living.  Angie is similar to Polly in many ways.  She is the glue in the family.  My niece, Rhonda, and her partner, Ben, were also able to make it to the reunion.  Rhonda has a beautiful voice and loves to cut it up.  I was glad to have her voice when we had the customary Uncle Alvin Sing Song.  This year's favourite song was Down By the Bay.  We managed to sing a verse for every person at the party.  Polly and I split the groceries for the little reunion.  One hundred and thirty dollars provided three meals for about 20 people.  It doesn't have to be fancy.  Family reunion Kolach style...

April 29

The highlights of the last few days were taking in a Roy Orbison Tribute with my gal in Regina and driving to Tisdale on Saturday with my cousin, Gord, to celebrate my mom's 91st birthday.  Mom had been feeling ill for a few days, but she seems to be improving.  She said she was back to knitting today...always a good sign.  Another highlight was preaching on Sunday.  When I was a principal, I said it was a good day if I made someone cry.  Well, I made a few people cry on Sunday.  I will post my sermon below.  Sunday evening, I had my crew over for supper.  I served gourmet hotdogs, salads, veggies, and my homemade chocolate chip cookies.  I almost forgot...I hosted two dinners last week.  On Tuesday, I served pork tenderloin to my good friends, the Wudrichs and on Thursday, I had my nephew and his wife over for a meal. The plan for this week is ball tomorrow and Thursday...hockey on Wednesday.

I think this is the third year that Pastor Ali asks me to preach on the Sunday following Easter.  That means I have become the guy who preaches on Thomas, the disciple.  I have come to love this guy.  Two years ago I presented the idea that to be a doubting Thomas is not a bad thing.  In fact, it’s a good thing.  Thomas was a guy who liked to ask questions and risk the potential embarrassment of admitting he doesn’t understand.  I’m sure the rest of Jesus followers were incredibly confused but they are afraid to ask questions.    Thomas was brave enough to say that he didn’t understand.  He needed to understand so that he could better follow THE WAY.  Church legend describes how Once Thomas did understand the Good News Gospel he was inspired after the Resurrection and Pentecost to spread the gospel.  Thomas traveled over 3000 miles to southern India where he established multiple churches and was eventually martyred for his acts of faith.  But in the Western church, Thomas has had the stigma of being Doubting Thomas as if doubting was a bad thing.  Asking questions was somehow associated with lacking faith.  However, I want to assert: Asking good questions leads to knowledge.  How many of you remember the Scientific Method you learned in Grade Seven science.  Question. Hypothesis Method Apparatus Results Conclusion. To doubt is to ask questions admit the possibility there is more to learn.  To confess you don’t have all the answers and may be sure there is an answer.  To have questions is to be honest about the world and the feelings and thoughts you are experiencing on life’s way.  Having doubt is not the opposite of faith.  Doubt is the opposite of certainty.  I am more afraid of people who claim certainty because certain people believe they have nothing else to learn.  They know everything there is to know.  In effect, they have made a god of themselves.  This is called idolatry.   To doubt is to leave yourself open to seeking.  To doubt is to reject rigidity and dogma.  People with a heart of exploration and openness put into practice what they have experienced and know to be true.  They have true faith.  Faith is something you put into practice, not a purity code or a system of beliefs that are espoused to prove we are righteous.  Faith is a way of living and a way of knowing.  If you begin with doubt, then you are able to go forward in faith.  Faith is a practice.  When we go forward in faith, doubt travels with us.

Okay, there’s your review.

Today, I want to add another layer to the Thomas story.  Thomas and the rest of Jesus’ followers were in a room.  A week earlier, Jesus had appeared in the same place, but Thomas was not present.  This time Thomas was present.  He had a personal experience of doubt then faith.  Now I want to step back into the broader context.  Jesus followers had been with Him for over two years or more.  They had witnessed healing and feeding.  They had heard Jesus teach, calm the storms, make water into wine, etc.  Although their experience was not Club Med, they were all together and life was generally good.  I am guessing that from the time they were born, life was not easy by any means, but comfortable as it was for most.  They were Jews.  They fallowed the law as best they could.  Life had its ups and downs.  I am sure that the times they spent with Jesus were exciting times.  A little confusing to get used to Jesus parables and radical ideas, but generally, life was good.  Surely, they could have lived out their life in this pattern quite comfortably.  Then all hell broke loose.  Jesus, the one they were following.  Their security blanket.  Their beloved teacher.  The best guy they ever met.  The one who could perform miracles.  The one who gave so much promise and hope  was taken into custody for blasphemy.  He wasn’t given a fair trial.  He was crucified and hung on a cross with two common criminals.  It wasn’t safe being associated with Jesus.  Jesus followers knew their lives were in danger  too.  One of the disciples denied he even knew Jesus.  The followers of Jesus were living in fear and confusion.  Even after Mary Magdeline visited the tomb where Jesus was buried and claimed the stone was rolled away and later she actually talked to the Risen Lord. In spite of the news of the stone being rolled away,  Jesus followers were holed up in a room hiding in fear.  They had no direction and no hope.  Then Jesus came to them and offered them peace and breathed the spirit into them.  He gave them hope and he gave them a mission of forgiveness.  Out of this incredible dark, fearful, and confusing time, they came away with new hope.  HOW WONDERFUL WAS THEIR JOY AS THEY SAW THEIR LORD.

There is a pattern here.  A significant pattern that I want to point out.  The soul is always freed and formed through dying and rising.  What Richard Rohr calls a cruciform reality.  A devotion I read on Friday describes the pattern of death and resurrection beautifully.  

Death and life are two sides of the same coin; you cannot have one without the other. Each time you surrender, each time you trust the dying, your faith is led to a deeper level and you discover a Larger Self underneath. You decide not to push yourself to the front of the line, and something much better happens in the back of the line. You let go of your narcissistic anger, and you find that you start feeling much happier. You surrender your need to control your partner, and finally the relationship blossoms or ends. Yet each time it is a choice—and each time it is a kind of dying. It seems we only know what life is when we know what death is.

The mystics and great saints were those who had learned to trust and allow this pattern, and often said in effect, “What did I ever lose by dying?” Or try Paul’s famous one-liner: “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). Now even scientific studies, including those of near-death experiences, reveal the same universal pattern. Things change and grow by dying to their present state, but each time it is a risk. We always wonder, “Will it work this time?” So many academic disciplines are coming together, each in their own way, to say that there’s a constant movement of loss and renewal at work in this world at every level. It seems to be the pattern of all growth and evolution. To be alive means to surrender to this inevitable flow. It’s the same pattern in every atom, in every human relationship, and in every galaxy. 

If this pattern is true, it has been true all the time and everywhere. Such seeing did not just start two thousand years ago. All of us have to eventually learn to let go of something smaller so something bigger can happen. But that’s not a religion—it’s highly visible truth. It is the Way Reality Works.

We die to our old selves and thus become something different.  I am not the person I used to be.  I am not the person I was 30 years ago.  Thank God.  I am not the man I was 5 years ago.  I will not be the same in 10 years.  We will go through dark periods of life.  We seldom go willingly into these periods, but it is in these dark periods that we are transformed through doubts and questions not answers.  And go through hard times, we must.  Wisdom teaches us that there will be pain in life.  Times with pain, no answers or quick fixes.  Times without meaning or conclusions.  Ironically, the way down is the way up.  Wisdom also teaches us to let the pain and the suffering transform us.   We learn and grow from the tough times in our life.  Sometimes the hard times are a result of our failures and transgressions. Sometimes bad things just happen.  No one’s fault.  By falling down, we learn almost everything that matters.  The pattern is always order, disorder, reorder.  The old must die before the new can be born.

I am going to get personal with you now.  Let me take you back to 2009.  Judy and I were getting ready to retire with our big, fat teachers’ pension.  We were remodelling the kitchen.  The girls were just about to start their education careers.  We had a blessed life with two beautiful children, wonderful friends, supportive families…Life was good.  Winter getaways.  Dinner clubs.  Judy and I were getting recognition for our long teaching careers.  Our little family had enjoyed a charmed life of meaningful careers, time spent with Grandpas and Grandmas, Christmas concerts, Christmas Feasts, Thanksgiving meals, birthday celebrations, summers spent at the lake, coffee on the deck, sports and leisure. Watching our girls grow in wisdom and grace. It was Camelot.  Then came cancer in April 2009.  In the next 7 years, there would be 104 chemo treatments, 28 radiation treatments.  7 major operations.  Hospital visits and specialist appointments by the hundreds.  The kitchen Reno which was supposed to be completed in February was completed in September.  Judy and I retired in 2011 although Judy had to use her extended benefits for her last year.  Because of Judy’s treatments, we weren’t able to travel the world as some people desire.  We had to move Judy’s parents into assisted living in 2011 so we had long hours of cleaning out 60 years of accumulated possessions from Judy’s childhood home. Judy’s dad died in 2012 after breaking his neck.  My dad died in 2013.  Again, I had long hours of cleaning out years of memories from my childhood home.  Judy’s mom died in May, 2015.  Judy had two major operations in 2015 at Vancouver General.  In October 2015, Judy went into the hospital for her last major operation.  She wouldn’t come out of hospital.  Judy died on February 21, 2016 after being moved to palliative care.  There was a brief respite for a while because Judy no longer had to suffer.  But grief is a reality that cannot be avoided.  You have to go through it.  Oh, I tried to go around it.  But when you’re in it, you’re in it. You can’t lose your life partner, your lover, your best friend and just move on.  You are not a couple in a practical sense anymore.  You are alone.  I couldn’t stand the loneliness.  You are also under the magnifying glass.  People will watch to see how you react.  I want to admit first and foremost that I was surrounded by and incredible amount of love first and foremost from my two girls and their husbands who defend me like mother bears. And my siblings and parents who have always loved me and accepted me unconditionally.  And the vast majority of my friends.  But there were those who judged my choices.  The most hurtful comments came from a few select people who were close to me.  I was laid bare by Judy's death and very prone to being hurt, so when hurtful judgements were directed my way by people who had been close to me, I was easily injured. I remember the first Christmas without Judy.  I took my crew on a family ski vacation to Fernie. In the days leading up to Christmas, I had experienced abandonment and harsh judgement.  Furthermore, it was the first Christmas without Judy.  Those of you who knew my wife know that Judy was Mrs. Christmas.  She made Christmas the happiest time of the year and she was gone.  Christmas Day 2016 was the saddest day of my life.  I wasn’t suicidal, but I was dead inside. Then People told me the second year was tougher than the first.  They were right.  They just forgot to tell me about the third year.  It was devastating.  There were times in this last year when I was not sure I could get through the day.  The feeling of grief was a cross between wanting to cry, choke, and throw up.  There were times when I was on my knees just crying.  There were no wise words that would provided comfort.  There was nothing that could take away the pain of living.  Grief became depression.  I’m not sure where one ends and the other begins.  It certainly helped that I had the love of my girls, their husbands, my family, and many close friends and I mustn’t forget the love I felt from seeing the beautiful face of my granddaughter . It also helped that I stayed very active, ate healthy foods, and did not isolate myself.  You probably know that Alvin Kolach loves to emote and emote I did. I was greatly helped by the counsellors at the cancer clinic and from a private counsellor.  I also received support from my special life giving friends who made time to meet for coffee. In spite of all the things I did right, I still had to do the hurting.  In July 2018, I decided to go on happy pills.  You do what you have to do.  Depression and grief aren’t like a little sadness.  They are is big sadness.  If you haven’t experienced it, you really can’t appreciate the magnitude of emotional pain.  

Then came the reorder.   I stuck my hands in Jesus’ side.  All this pain led me to seek some answers that would reorder my life.  I will withhold the details right now.  That’s another sermon.  Let’s just say, I have learned some new and wondrous things.  Out of great pain comes great learning and growth.  I am not the man I was a year ago.  The certainty that I lived by before gave way to doubt and the doubt led to questions and the questions led to experiences and discoveries and the experiences and discoveries led to answers.  Out of all the disorder came reorder.  I am in a better place now.  Last week, I took my last happy pill.  The pills had helped, but the real solution came from having doubts and finding answers.  I know I haven’t reached nirvana.  The work continues.  The cycle of death and resurrection, order, disorder and reorder will continue for the rest of my life.

To conclude, let me just encourage you to be like Thomas.  You will never have all the answers. Don’t be afraid of doubt.  Ask questions. God can handle your questions.  Life can be tragic, but the good news is: we can survive and even grow from this tragedy. God’s favor lasts a lifetime;weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. Amen

April 20

Happy Easter!  Well, hockey season I winding down.  One more week.  My gal jokingly refers to an Alvin Kolach kinda day.  Coffee with the Kelvington boys at 8, volleyball at 9:30, eat, hockey at 12:40, siesta, go for a long walk, eat, ukulele group at 7:30, home in time for TSN highlights, sleep, wake up to you know, read daily meditations, meditate, pray for everyone and everything, sleep more...repeat.  Next week is an Alvin Kolach kinda week.  Hockey Monday, Slow Pitch Tuesday, Volleyball Wednesday, Slow Pitch Thursday, Hockey Friday.  I'll have to make some adjustments now.  Substitute hockey with golf and pencil in kayaking/biking for volleyball. Life is good.  Oh yeah and I have another preaching gig on April 28.  Pastor Ali always asks me to preach the Sunday after Easter because he has to preach 8 times during Holy Week.  No problem for me.  Funny thing is:  the text is always about Doubting Thomas.  I always find a new way to approach the text.  My family is doing well.  Luv Bug had her first birthday on April 12.  Mary had the party on April 13.  There were 28 people at the brunch birthday party.  I was pleased to have my brother, Vince, and his wife, Booba, attending the party.  They came up on Friday so we could attend a dance at the Scandanavian Club.   I told Vince, "The Scandinavian Club dances will make you feel young mainly because the average age is 75.  Mary was back to work on April 15 after a year long maternity leave.  She is enjoying her new school, Warman Elementary.  Morgan continues to be a partner for Mary.  He drops Luv off at the daycare on his way to classes and picks her up.  Bug is adapting well to daycare.  One little girl at daycare can't pronounce Luvisa.  She calls Luv "Pizza".  Luv is walking now and learning a few words.  Of course, her first word was "Grandpa".  Haley and Dustin are doing well.  They hosted a lovely brunch yesterday.  Haley is leaving tomorrow to Las Vegas for Easter Break with some friends.   Dustin's business continues to do well.  As you probably know, I take my gang on a trip every year.  The trip is my Christmas, Birthday, Valentines, Easter gift to them.  We are already booked for next February.  Destination: Kauai, Hawaii.  My gal and I are already booked for nine day trip to Nashville in October.  We even have our tickets to the Grand Ole Opry.  Yee haw!  Our summer plans include a trip to Red Deer to see my sister's clan in May.  We are camping in Cypress Hills in June.  Hopefully, we are going to Craven Jamboree in July and the Gateway Festival in July as well.  Of course, I will be going to the lake to spend time with my gang.  Throw in two summer weddings and there you have it.  And...my momma turns 91 on April 22.  She is healthy and happy.  Mom loves to hear my Luv Bug stories.  Mary, Bug, and I have made a couple trips to Tisdale and Mom has come to my place for a visit with Bug and Mary.  Mom has some dear friends in Tisdale who relay Luv pictures through Facebook.  I am truly blessed.