Last month our family (and everyone in our church) were saddened by the sudden passing of a church elder who had married us, and been a mentor we looked up to. We all miss him but we know we will met him again! But even as he went to Glory, we were blessed many times over with the testimonies that came forth. At his funeral, so many came up to share how he touched their lives, even from people who knew him in his teens, twenties, those who did business with him, and of course many in our church. I am so touched and inspired by how he lived his life consistently for the Lord and for His people through so many decades and touched so many lives, even though he was a businessman, father, grandfather, and had so many other roles. What a testimony and example to follow, what a way to live! And the blessing of his life continues to multiply through ours!
At the youth group the following week, the youths were encouraged to think about how they might want to be remembered, how they think those who knew them would describe them, after the great example set by our elder. We were talking about it at home, (and I wondered whether the younger youths like R would be too immature to have a meaningful discussion). I asked my family, half seriously, how they would describe me? It was quite heartening to hear their spontaneous responses, J said, kind, loving, caring, hardworking, creative, organised, strict(!), R said talented, clever, imaginative, protective, generous, and dh said loving, beautiful, sincere, she has done her best, she has no regreats (!!) Haha, hhmmm!
I also shared with them about Ruth Graham, late wife of Billy Graham, the evangelist.
If you googled her name, you'd find descriptions like: she is strong, steady, dauntless, the glue that held their lives together, that her life is ruled by the Bible more than any other person they know, that through the books she wrote, lives she touched, husband she loved, godly children she raised,.. she left a godly heritage here on earth that pointed vividly to the God she loves. Yet, she proposed this phrase that she saw on a road construction site to be her epitaph : "End of Construction. Thank you for your patience". What humilty and what an example. Indeed while we are here, we are a work of grace in progress, as the Lord moulds and changes us, we hope we too are touching lives and making a difference for the better.
Anyways, I was so excited and impressed to find a week later, that R had written down on a card (from youth group): "I want to be remembered as a loyal and devoted friend, son and brother, as well as someone who fulfilled God's purpose in his life". Wow! They are young, but no less able to start making commitments to the Lord for themselves.
May we too not lose focus on that which is truly important.
Speaking of work in progress, I've completed my long work in progress of our 2010 album! Looking through the year through the album is to recall all the blessings we have received, see how the Lord brought all things together for our good, even the challenges and the tough times, changes, highs and lows, God is indeed good! I included a page of my written reflections for the year that God had given us, it was meaningful and so good to have it written out and kept as part of the album!
These are some the last pages that went into the album:
Here's us at the beach again, our favourite pasttime when we have a day to kill - we always have a good time! I loved the Royanna alpha and the Lynn G paper from her Summer Flash kit (this is T245 in the store)
And here's our Christmas celebration with our close friend, it's wonderful that our best friends' children are best friends with each other too! The alpha is from Stephanie2! (T244)
Here are the same bunch of friends spending a day at the beach (T
We joined a bank-organised Night Walk around our central business district Bay area which was a first for us as a family! (T 93)
Me and dh on a night out
The boys and their dad at one of their games (too complicated for me to join in, haha!) - it was Battlestar Galactica! (T75)
My cousin who lives in NZ came for a visit!
DH's birthday where we went to a concert in the Old Parliament House - what a setting, we sat in the pews where the parliament members sat!
My mom in law's birthday! She and my father in law has 7 children and 12 grandchildren so every celebration is a huge affair.
A final layout on the stuff we gave away before our renovations - this time its the dollhouse furniture I had collected before I had the boys, it's time for them to go!
Even the school projects had a layout of their own!(T113)
And for my mom's birthday we got to take a free ride in the Singapore Flyer (a giant ferris wheel like the London Eye) courtesy of my brother, this photo was taken by dh and deserves a full spread, so I created this layout for it. I booked a restaurant in the vicinity of the Flyer, but when we got there after our ride, we found it to be empty of diners, and was not sure if we should dine there (??) but finally took a chance and it turned out to be a wonderful meal with an entire restaurant to ourselves! Plus, the Chinese new year Parade rehearsals passed right in front of us - front row views from the restaurant! A most memorable night!
Download
Template 247 here
Last month a lady asked if I could post the template to this summer layout:
This template is now available as
Template Pack 8 in the Store. Thanks for your interest!
Well, as always, so glad you dropped by to share my joys and thoughts, thanks for your comments and have fun scrapbooking!
