Philly! Has it been that long?
I guess it has been that long. A couple weeks ago, Rhi and I made our pilgrimage to the city of brotherly love. We visited with friends and family, ran in the Gary Papa Run 4 Your Life prostate cancer run and sweated our butts off for 9 days. (Someone has to do something about that humidity. Sheesh!) Here's a slideshow of our visit, followed by some notes:
- As I mentioned above, we ran in the Gary Papa Run 4 Your Life race, which was wh that at prompted this trip. This race marks the one year anniversary of Gary's death, and we miss him so much. It was a blessing to see Kathy and the boys, and we were honored to cross the finish line with Tucker who completed the whole race! We were very proud and enjoyed that time with him and of course Nathaniel as well who finished on his own. Thanks to everyone who participated and/or donated to the cause. You will be glad to know that the money we raised for the run was matched the morning of the run by Jim Dougherty, and the event raised over $250K for Prostate Cancer research for around 3,000 runners. Gary would be amazed.
Here are some additional highlights:
- We got to see both Chuck and Ray for father's day, which was great. Chuck came over to Jen and Rob's for dinner on Saturday night, and we met up with my dad (and my grandpop and most of the Benner clan for that matter) after the race on Sunday.
- We also got to eat and drink at McShea's a couple times. Man do we miss that place.
- Thanks to Jen, Rob and their incredibly cute boy Aiden for being such excellent hosts! We spent our first few nights in their guest room and it was like staying in quaint B&B with a cute kid and goofy dog running around.
- Joe and Meryl went out to dinner with us, which of course was a wonderful treat. We miss Joe and Meryl, a lot, all the time. They should move to LA. So should you!
- Matt and Jenn Lozano, of the Naylor's Run Lozanos, happened to be out of town while we were in town. Which was a bummer as we didn't get to see them much - but we made lemonade with those lemons when they said we could stay in their house while they were gone. Yay! Free house all to ourselves! It was actually a really nice blessing and we are so thankful for it, and were even more thankful when they came back on our last night and hung out with us. (Which also happened to be the night that USA lost to Ghana, but whatever.)
- We got to see Gwenyth, Rhianwen's mom who brought us some toys made by children in Liberia that had been given to her 30 some years ago. Gwenyth is working on a massive cleaning/clear out project in their house and rediscovered these treasures. The children that Gwenyth met in Liberia didn't have toys so they made their own - an old ovaltine can and wooden spools of thread were repurposed to create a car - see the photos to see what we mean. We got to bring one of the toys home with us and have it proudly displayed in our living room. What an interesting story!
- We got to see Miss Abigail, Greg and Trish's beautiful baby girl --- and of course we saw Greg and Trish! It was nice to just hang out at their place and marvel at all the new things Abigail is doing. She enjoyed putting things in Rhianwen's purse and we may have made it back to the left coast with a puzzle piece or two. She is a doll!
- The Lozano kids are getting bigger and bigger - and more and more grown up! Jamie was going through Vacation Bible School that week and he and the cousins performed a couple of the songs they had recently learned - with much excitement and vigor! Lots of jumping and song all for Jesus. Fun to see!
- We got to see the lovely Chandler and Maureen as well! They are quite the happy and handsome married couple. Maureen made a most scrumptious monkey bread and joined us for a dinner filled with laughter and stories. I always enjoy watching Maureen interact with kids - she is just so good! You'll see her holding a content Abigail. You'll see the moments I captured with just me were pre bed time and I wasn't as lucky:)
- We had a great visit with the Benners and walked through Grandpop and Grandmom's house for the final time since it is up for sale. One cool piece of history includes a servant call box personalized for Mrs. Strawbridge! There is a photo in the slideshow above. Grandmom's garden is thriving and beautiful thanks to her faithful hands and hard work. A nice gift to the new people who will live there.
- We always enjoy seeing our family, our parents (and Benner's brothers) of course but also aunts, uncles, cousins and hearing anecdotes about daily life. Everyone is keeping busy and its great to be able to catch up in person! Aunt Marge, Lia, Dave and the kids, big boy Matthew, Babe and Aunt Janet, Aunt Janet, Steve, Maddie, Regs and Stephen, Uncles Richard, Robert and John....family is a gift!
- As always, it was an extremely busy trip in which we crammed in as much as possible, and we were so thankful to get to see all the people that we did. We certainly love all our Philly peeps!
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Sarah's baby shower!
That's right! That baby is comin', which means we gotta shower it! So Rhi, Gwenyth and I headed up north to San Francisco to give that baby the ol' what for!
Rhianwen managed to pack our entire kitchen into the back of the Versa and made the trek 8 hours north with her Mama (for work reasons, I was to follow the next day via aero-plane.) We had a big task ahead of us: shopping, cooking, decorating, baby showering, puppetry... Rhi had a vision for Sarah and Steve's baby, and I think we achieved it:
Of course, it was a labor of love. (Get it? Eh?) But we are so excited to welcome little Benneretta Wilson (still trying to win them over to this name) that we were glad to do it. Here's Sarah and Steve (and us too) enjoying all the super cool loot they got! Er, I mean the baby got.
The above quilt was made by my amazingingly talented Great Aunt Jean -- isn't impressive?
And a super special thanks to Mama/Gwenyth, Carrie and Nicole who helped out with much-needed details for Sarah's shower. Also, thanks to Rhi's cousin Tegwyn and her partner Carmen, who we were blessed to hang out with and who were also suckered into helping us prep some food at the last minute.
Also we had a great time hanging out with them. Can't you tell I love my cousin?
Thanks guys! Only 3 weeks to go until Baby Wilson!
Rhianwen managed to pack our entire kitchen into the back of the Versa and made the trek 8 hours north with her Mama (for work reasons, I was to follow the next day via aero-plane.) We had a big task ahead of us: shopping, cooking, decorating, baby showering, puppetry... Rhi had a vision for Sarah and Steve's baby, and I think we achieved it:
Of course, it was a labor of love. (Get it? Eh?) But we are so excited to welcome little Benneretta Wilson (still trying to win them over to this name) that we were glad to do it. Here's Sarah and Steve (and us too) enjoying all the super cool loot they got! Er, I mean the baby got.
The above quilt was made by my amazingingly talented Great Aunt Jean -- isn't impressive?
And a super special thanks to Mama/Gwenyth, Carrie and Nicole who helped out with much-needed details for Sarah's shower. Also, thanks to Rhi's cousin Tegwyn and her partner Carmen, who we were blessed to hang out with and who were also suckered into helping us prep some food at the last minute.
Also we had a great time hanging out with them. Can't you tell I love my cousin?
Thanks guys! Only 3 weeks to go until Baby Wilson!
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Updates to Come!
Happy Summer everyone!
We have updates to come: Sarah and Steve's Baby Shower in San Fransisco, the Gary Papa Run and our trip to Philly, Fourth of July and our adventures with a certain house guest we have with us right now. Many fun stories to come this week so keep an eye out!
In the mean time, here's a sweet photo of Benner and a cute dog he found outside of an In N'Out burger location. Hope everyone is having a lovely summer!
We have updates to come: Sarah and Steve's Baby Shower in San Fransisco, the Gary Papa Run and our trip to Philly, Fourth of July and our adventures with a certain house guest we have with us right now. Many fun stories to come this week so keep an eye out!
In the mean time, here's a sweet photo of Benner and a cute dog he found outside of an In N'Out burger location. Hope everyone is having a lovely summer!
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Grand Vanity's "Got A Nerve"
Our friends Greg and Dani are also a band called Grand Vanity. This is a music video they made, and it's awesome. You should watch it, then go to iTunes and download the single, and then show everyone you know.
Ever make a mistake and then find you can't sleep?
That is precisely the scenario I find myself in this evening. What a yucky feeling it is, when you know both your mind and body are tired but something, that switch in your brain that says "systems off" just won't unhinge. I hear the air conditioning humming in our bedroom and know Benner is fast asleep. There was no point for him to stay up while I dwell on my mistake, afterall there is nothing either of us can do about it now. I'm sure if you ask me in a day or two or three it will not feel as catastrophic as it does right now but right now in this moment, I need peace.
All of us make mistakes and fall short from time to time in our lives. I know this truth about myself and about the people around me. It's quite annoying really as I imagine that even I would like myself so much more if I were perfect. Even the people who love us most with their best intentions can still disappoint. We make mistakes at work, in relationships, in the seemingly minor and mundane and it situations that have implications far beyond what we could have expected. Typically we gauge the level of mistake by the ramifications of our act (or failure to act). Sometime it's just a typo. Sometimes its a blatant lie that never comes back to haunt us so we think its ok. Perhaps we chose something that benefits us over someone else. Selfish ambition, greed, pride. We think it through and sometimes decide to do it and sometimes not. Sometimes we don't think it through at all and aren't aware that we've made a mistake until someone reveals it. Oh the countless situations and kinds of mistakes and sin we can find ourselves in. There is a difference though between sin and a mistake. While both are "off the mark" one is premeditated and speaks to the heart while the other is not done with intent. Yet are part of our experience in being simply human.
So does the fact that we are "simply human" get us off the hook? Surely not. God is perfect and expects holiness. Not even one of us is holy which is a dire place to be. Right now I am counseling my heart in the fact that despite my sins and errors, God loves me. And that beyond this, I have value and redemption for this spiritual state of sin that I am in because the debt has been paid for. You see, God knows everything from the number of hairs on my head to the thoughts of my heart to all the mistakes I will ever ever make and he chooses to love me because of what Jesus accomplished in his life and death on the cross. Maybe you've heard this before or a million times. Maybe you already believe it or maybe it feels abstract and weird and you don't know what it is but you don't trust it. What you believe about God is in my opinion the most important question you can ever ask yourself. If you are unsure just ask God to reveal himself in his power to you in a personal way. He wants to have a real relationship with you and if you are Earnest in this request, I promise you that you will see God go big for you.
So I can be secure in God's love and have nothing to worry. My life is in his hands. I know this in my head and yet right in this moment I think if I fully were able to absorb this reality I may not be reeling or blogging but would be asleep in my bed. But he knows that too and his grace is still available and free to me. If you've ever sat by still waters, you can imagine the peace that comes from God himself. All of creation and the still waters are merely works of his hands. What does that say about him?
I have a couple thoughts to end with:
1) Have you personally experienced the grace of Christ in your life? Do you know what its like to have peace with yourself and with God when you error in life?
2) Can our own errors serve as a reminder of God's perfect love and forgiveness for us? Perhaps they can even work to inspire us to forgive others when we don't feel like it, knowing that we have been guilty of the same error and offense. While I hope I can be met with forgiveness by my fellow people I can be confident to know that because of Christ I am in right standing with God. That is truly and incredible gift.
3) When we sin or error we can take the opportunity to dwell on the sinless life that Jesus led when he walked the earth. Though he was the son of God he never considered himself above anyone else. He was tempted by sin just like we are - to lie, to steal, to self promote, be greedy, or simply not love others and he never did. All these sacrifices he made to please the Father and ultimately to live the a life qualifying of the sacrifice to die to sin in our place.
No matter what I do or don't do, regardless of what other people may choose to do to me, I am secure in God's perfect love. He is so faithful and I have seen him work in my life time and time and time again. His plan is perfect and he is sovereign over all our errors, sin and all. He orchestrates circumstances according to his will and can redeem every part of us and this world. He is doing it now. Moment by moment, heart by heart and we WILL see his glory here on Earth. Amen!
I'm ready to sleep now;)
All of us make mistakes and fall short from time to time in our lives. I know this truth about myself and about the people around me. It's quite annoying really as I imagine that even I would like myself so much more if I were perfect. Even the people who love us most with their best intentions can still disappoint. We make mistakes at work, in relationships, in the seemingly minor and mundane and it situations that have implications far beyond what we could have expected. Typically we gauge the level of mistake by the ramifications of our act (or failure to act). Sometime it's just a typo. Sometimes its a blatant lie that never comes back to haunt us so we think its ok. Perhaps we chose something that benefits us over someone else. Selfish ambition, greed, pride. We think it through and sometimes decide to do it and sometimes not. Sometimes we don't think it through at all and aren't aware that we've made a mistake until someone reveals it. Oh the countless situations and kinds of mistakes and sin we can find ourselves in. There is a difference though between sin and a mistake. While both are "off the mark" one is premeditated and speaks to the heart while the other is not done with intent. Yet are part of our experience in being simply human.
So does the fact that we are "simply human" get us off the hook? Surely not. God is perfect and expects holiness. Not even one of us is holy which is a dire place to be. Right now I am counseling my heart in the fact that despite my sins and errors, God loves me. And that beyond this, I have value and redemption for this spiritual state of sin that I am in because the debt has been paid for. You see, God knows everything from the number of hairs on my head to the thoughts of my heart to all the mistakes I will ever ever make and he chooses to love me because of what Jesus accomplished in his life and death on the cross. Maybe you've heard this before or a million times. Maybe you already believe it or maybe it feels abstract and weird and you don't know what it is but you don't trust it. What you believe about God is in my opinion the most important question you can ever ask yourself. If you are unsure just ask God to reveal himself in his power to you in a personal way. He wants to have a real relationship with you and if you are Earnest in this request, I promise you that you will see God go big for you.
So I can be secure in God's love and have nothing to worry. My life is in his hands. I know this in my head and yet right in this moment I think if I fully were able to absorb this reality I may not be reeling or blogging but would be asleep in my bed. But he knows that too and his grace is still available and free to me. If you've ever sat by still waters, you can imagine the peace that comes from God himself. All of creation and the still waters are merely works of his hands. What does that say about him?
I have a couple thoughts to end with:
1) Have you personally experienced the grace of Christ in your life? Do you know what its like to have peace with yourself and with God when you error in life?
2) Can our own errors serve as a reminder of God's perfect love and forgiveness for us? Perhaps they can even work to inspire us to forgive others when we don't feel like it, knowing that we have been guilty of the same error and offense. While I hope I can be met with forgiveness by my fellow people I can be confident to know that because of Christ I am in right standing with God. That is truly and incredible gift.
3) When we sin or error we can take the opportunity to dwell on the sinless life that Jesus led when he walked the earth. Though he was the son of God he never considered himself above anyone else. He was tempted by sin just like we are - to lie, to steal, to self promote, be greedy, or simply not love others and he never did. All these sacrifices he made to please the Father and ultimately to live the a life qualifying of the sacrifice to die to sin in our place.
No matter what I do or don't do, regardless of what other people may choose to do to me, I am secure in God's perfect love. He is so faithful and I have seen him work in my life time and time and time again. His plan is perfect and he is sovereign over all our errors, sin and all. He orchestrates circumstances according to his will and can redeem every part of us and this world. He is doing it now. Moment by moment, heart by heart and we WILL see his glory here on Earth. Amen!
I'm ready to sleep now;)
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