The Tender Mercies of the Lord

Although busy with tasks and errands as we prepare for mom’s funeral, being in Winnipeg has been somewhat difficult with reminders of mom’s recent presence all throughout popo's house – clothes draped neatly on chairs, grocery items carefully wrapped and labeled to take home, reminder notes to herself scribbled in permanent marker, and most poignantly, personal effects – glasses, wedding ring, watch – that mom will never wear again.

After receiving a disappointingly inconclusive preliminary autopsy report yesterday, I picked up mom's journal hoping to find some extra clues to why this might have happened. As I leafed through the last few pages, I found no such clues, but noticed that over the days since her arrival to Winnipeg, she'd written of day outings she’d taken with popo, favorite foods she’d enjoyed while here, wonderful friends she’d met at church, and noted each day whether she’d had the opportunity to talk with dad.

Most touchingly, among these descriptions of the daily events of her visit with popo, the last paragraph of her last journal entry was a reflection of her life and the Lord's tender mercies towards her -- the bounty she'd enjoyed, the variety of her experiences, and, above all, her wonderful family – husband, sons, daughters, and grandchildren. “My cup runneth o’er with richness,” she seemed to say, “and my life is abundantly full.” Although lamenting her imperfections, she expressed her fervent, sincere gratitude to the Lord for all the blessings bestowed upon her, not knowing that within the next 24 hours, she would be unexpectedly called home to that God who gives us all life, her final testimony borne, her mission in this life inexplicably complete. And though we who were left behind carry heavy hearts, yet we may rejoice that we were so privileged to have known, loved, and been loved by such an one as my mother. Merciful indeed is our Lord!

My Siblings are Awesome

Mic's tribute to mom
Ange's tribute to mom
J's tribute to mom
Nana's tribute to mom

Look forward to seeing everyone soon!

Mom (1947-2008)

LOYAL AND TRUE

All through my life
You were there
Loyal, devoted, true

Hungry, you nursed me
Helpless, you cradled me
As an infant, you nurtured me well

Inquiring, you taught me
Excited, you encouraged me
As a child, learning from you was my joy

Rebellious, you prayed for me
Unrepentant, you chastened me
You were a steady rock in my turbulent youth

Wandering, you anchored me
Unsure, you counseled me
Away from home, you continued to light my path

Impatient, you reasoned with me
Discouraged, you buoyed me
As a father, so often I sought your advice

Now I'm a man
Career and family in hand
And the sure hand I relied on is gone

But I know who you were
I know how you lived
And though I wish so much you were still here

I'll be loyal and true
To the example you've been
I promise my children will know you in me

Mom, I love you
Mom, I miss you
Mom, I'll see you again someday

          - Clarence Tang

As If You Needed Another Reason to Visit...

Yesterday, dad's good friend Dave Jarvis came up from Ohio to visit with his family (mom, Micheline; James, who's exactly my age; and Andrew, who's about Lilly's age) for the day. We went and toured a cider mill, drank cider and ate donuts, played with his kids in our basement, and went out for dinner together in the evening -- fun! But, as if all those activities weren't good enough, Dave also brought the Best Present Ever as a belated birthday gift for dad. I'll give you one guess as to what it was and three hints to help out:

1) It's the same present Dave got for dad about 20 years ago for his birthday!

2) It sets up like this:


3) The box cover looks like this:

********************

Okay, fine, the last image gives it away (didn't want to make it too hard, you know). I'd never even heard of this game before, but now I'm a full convert! I can assure you that if quality death and destruction is what you seek, look no further -- this game is IT. I fully admire and appreciate both dad and Dave's good taste -- I mean, it's no wonder this game has been in production 20 years!

So, gameplay is simple enough -- you first set up the Knights (the good guys),


then you set up the Orcs (the bad guys),


and then -- smash, crash, bash -- you shoot away at each other's fortresses until they're completely destroyed!



And, lest you think this is a game only for boys -- Lilly even got in on the action with us (just look at the intensity in her eyes -- this princess means business)!


We're not picky -- whether you be young or old, male or female, all challengers are welcome. Come visit us -- we'd love to blow you away!

Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus

In high school, while rummaging through my parents' closet one day, I found an old camera my mom had gotten from her dad -- on old half-format that was so primitive you had to have a separate light meter to set your aperture/exposure time, a manual focus ring you had to set by measuring (estimating, rather) the distance between  you and your subject, and although it had a jack for a flash, you had to hold it in your free hand because there was no flashmount. I thought it was the coolest little camera and ran around for two weeks taking pictures of everything... until I had to get the film special developed for over 20 bucks, as I remember. Boo! Anyhow, in that two-week burst of photocreativity, I snapped this choice one of mom and dad in their room one evening. I love it!