One more day

Well, I suppose me posting something is really long over due. Much has changed for us. We recently moved from Mitchell into Steinbach. I always chuckle when I think of it because there will always be a childhood part of me that looks at Steinbach as "the place to be." In truth we moved because it was closer to my work and the house was bigger and Doris was able to start a daycare. WE now live in a 1300 sq foot bungalow with a finished basement as opposed to a 950 ft 1 1/2 story house. Its quite a boost in all respect. Overall a great deal has shifted due to this move. Doris has a full out day care, which has proven to be a great source of income as well as an opportunity to minister to kids and to be a stay at home mother to her son. She is enjoying it and I am grateful for a circumstance where she can both make money and be a mom. As for myself, same old same old. I am currently taking a course at my old seminary and finding it difficult to get back into the swing of things. Once you've been out of school for a while getting back into a place where you can wrap your mind around concepts that dont immediately relate to finances, family, friend's or any of your other immediate priorities. I suppose the fact that I am not immersed is making the challenge of doing school bigger. IF you spend the bulk of your time in school, its much easier because it occupies a bigger component of your time. On a unrelated note, I am trying to create some amount of home automation going in my house (when you walk into a room the lights turn on by itself and that sort of thing). Just a side project that is meant to amuse me. An odd anniversary is coming up this July. It will be the 16th anniversary of the passing of my father. My father died when I was 16 years old, which means as of July 14,13 he will have been gone for as long as he was my father. I will have been fatherless for as long as I have been "fathered." Just an interesting idea of the personal definition that I have lived with being "fatherless." At the some time I credit this identification with several benefits: 1. My love and affection for people in my life is significantly greater (I believe because of it). 2. I am a more open person because of it. There haven't always been people who loved me and I cherish those people because I know how rare and fleeting those relationships are. 3. It makes me aware of the need to be a present father to my son. As for Azariah. We celebrated his first birthday about a month ago. What an amazing journey it is to have a child. He has grown up and morphed in some truly amazing ways. He has such a fun personality and I genuinely enjoy being with him and his mother. Some talk about an idyllic world of the single person with no responsibility and I truly dont understand why because with no responsibility also comes no privilege. The privilege of being with Doris is the greatest blessing and I willingly take the responsibility of husbanding her to take that privilege. My son's laugh and energy are in themselves so great a thing to me that I couldnt think of an responsibility or duty so great that I would ever deny taking part in it. My father set a fabulous example for me and I hope I can exceed that by being as active as I can in his life and he in mine. I dont want my family to be a family of individuals, but a whole unit. If he plays video games, I want to play with him. If he plays sports I want to practice with him. These things are difficult for me, but they are important to remind him of the connection that binds us and the blessing that comes with having a father who lifts you up and blesses you rather than a father that burdens you. I know I will fail, but I would rather fail at an ideal to high then settle knowing that my son was not loved as well as he could. May God show me grace. On a lighter note, he experienced a couple of first. He got a hair cut and he visited Santa. Now we aren't really Santa people, but it was just something we wanted to try, he was less than impressed. As for his hair cut, that was something else. He was entertained and was generally quite good. And now because you dont come here solely to hear my ramblings, here are a few pictures of these highlights in his world.