family

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We All Need Great Neighbours 

It’s really nice to live on a street with great neighbours; it’s not something you should take for granted.

We’ve lived on the same street for 21 years. It’s a small cul de sac with only 10 houses on it, so basically all the homes face each other.

Most of our neighbours have lived on the street for many years – three of the families longer than we have, so we have gotten to know each other a little bit.

We talk more in the summer time, and we keep tabs on each other’s homes when someone’s away.

We even have a street BBQ once a year, and I don’t think we’ve missed a year in all the time we’ve lived here.

Sunday was a particularly busy day for Lily and I. We had church and then a seminar afterwards that kept us hopping right up until we left for the Junior hockey game.

By the time we were driving home from all the activities, we had been going for 11 hours and we were both kind of tired.

Oh, and by the way, it had been snowing all that time. … We haven’t had much snow this winter – I can count on one hand how many times I’ve had to shovel – but we got a pretty good dump yesterday.

It was probably the biggest snowfall of the year.

So when we pulled into our driveway after being away all day, I said to Lily, “Let’s tackle this snow in the morning.”

We pulled into the garage, shut the door and didn’t look back outside.

Instead we changed into sweats, ate some comfort food and watched a movie.

Well, Lil watched a movie … it was a romantic flick and I slept through most of it.

And that was all we did.

You could picture it like a movie scene where the snow outside is flying and the wind is howling, but you, the characters, are all warm under blankets, sitting next to a blazing fire in the fireplace. And there is a soft, warm glow of light that breaks through the curtains and casts a pattern on the snowbanks outside.

… Just take away the fireplace, the warm glow hitting the snow, and the howling wind and you pretty much have a good idea of our evening.

That was Sunday. The next morning when I got up and looked outside, the snow had stopped, and the plow had come by our street and cleared the road.

As I looked closely, I could see that someone had used a snowblower on our driveway – probably the previous night because there was a thin layer of snow covering the pavement.

Wow, that made my day!

My biggest problem with it is, I’m not sure which neighbour did it. It could have been any of three neighbours, or the son of a neighbour who is out of town.

Having great neighbours is never something to take for granted. … Thanks guys, whoever it was.

Here’s the thing: In life and on your street, it’s great to have neighbours you can count on. In your Christian walk, it’s also important to have people you can count on. They can help you through difficult times, and celebrate with you when you’re full of joy. They’ll be there when you need another set of hand, ideas, or support. Don’t take for granted Christian friends; they are there when you need them.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: When has a friend come to your rescue? Leave your comments below.

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We Just Got A Laundry Room Makeover

In a lot of homes, when you have guests over for a visit, one thing you are sure to do is close the door to the laundry room. … You don’t want to show off what’s happening in that part of the house because it just might scare people off.

It’s like if you ever worked in the kitchen of a restaurant, that’s one eatery you are not going to frequent in the future … you know what goes on back there!

I don’t know this first hand, but when my son was 15 he worked at a fast food place and, let’s just say, probably some customers’ life expectancies got lowered by a few years from eating there.

But back to our laundry room … I would almost consider taking the door off the room to let people see inside now.

This transformation happened because we needed to purchase a new washer and dryer.

It never ceases to amaze me how the need to do or get one thing has a ripple effect on so much more.

There was a lot of research that went into that decision and the new appliances are quiet and don’t leave black marks on the clothes like the old ones did.

The last straw for Lily was the black marks on the white towels. But for quite some time we had put up with the sound of a jet engine taking off when our washing machine was on the rinse cycle.

It was time.

In order to get these new machines in our house we had to do something with the laundry room, just to create some space to get the old ones out and the new ones in.

Lily had been thinking of keeping the laundry door closed to even the delivery guests. That was not going to work; we had to let them in.

There wasn’t much room to move around in there. There were boxes, files, and other equipment cluttering up the floor. You always felt like you had to get in and get out as fast a possible.

Not now. You could hold a small meeting in our laundry room. In the middle area, there’s a part of the floor that I haven’t seen for about 10 years!

It’s really great.

The downside is that we lived with a laundry room that collected things that didn’t have any place to go. It took a new purchase to motivate us to do something about all the stuff that had piled up in that room.

To be honest, there are several things that we still have to do something with. There will be a garbage run, and electronic waste run … and a run on old sentimental trunks that aren’t worth anything.

As a bonus to the neat and more spacious laundry room, I got a do-over of our exercise room. We reorganized the room, and made a space for another piece of equipment (treadmill) that had been lurking in the laundry room.

And it all happened because somebody from outside the home was going to see inside the laundry room.

Here’s the thing: There are parts of our lives that we don’t want anyone to see, so we keep them hidden. We are all good at hiding things from the people around us. But God sees it all; there is nothing that is hidden from Him. Keep that in mind and be quick to confess your sins. Don’t leave them to clutter up your life and your relationship with God.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What do you need to spend some time cleaning up? Leave your comments below.

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I Was So Tired After My Recent Road Trip

There is something about being on the road that tires me out.

I’m not sure what it is … maybe it’s not sleeping in my own bed or maybe it’s keeping later hours, but being away from home just tires me out!

I don’t know how many times I’ve come home after a vacation and said, “Man, I need a vacation from my vacation!”

The whole idea of vacation is to relax and rest, but I’m always tired after my rest and relaxation time way.

It must be a bit of a mental thing, because when I lived in a dorm for four years I was able to feel rested, even though home was really halfway across the country.

Home is where you tell yourself it is, but once you settle on it, you get your full rest there; anything else kind of drains you a little.

This past week both my wife, Lily, and I were away from home – in separate directions. I was in the Toronto area for three days and Lily was in Ottawa for that same period of time.

I stayed one night in a hotel and the next night at our daughter’s place. Lily spent her nights at her mother’s. We were both in pretty familiar and friendly territory.

But when we both arrived home Saturday afternoon, we were wiped. If we hadn’t had things to do, both of us could have easily taken a big ol’ afternoon nap.

In fact, that might have made us more productive!

Our time away was spend with people we knew well. Both of us had a mixture of business and family time in our itineraries. But it seemed to drain us and not give us renewed energy.

I’ve talked to other people who share similar thoughts. The consensus is if you can make it back home after a full day away, it’s better being home than staying overnight somewhere else and getting back the next day.

You might think this feeling would be detrimental to hotels and resorts, but they seem to be able to sustain a good business. We like home, but obviously we also like to travel and experience other places.

I’ve been on vacations, missions trips, and business trips, some lasting as many as four weeks. But no matter where I’ve been, or how long I’ve been away, when I get back home it feels different.

When you get home, that’s when you really are at rest. Your whole body relaxes physically and mentally … that is unless you’ve been at home for a long period of time and find yourself a little stir-crazy. That’s when some time away from home will “reset” home for you.

It’s like a computer that’s been working for a while but then freezes. You can’t get it to do anything; the mouse won’t work and pressing the buttons does nothing.

All you have to do is hit reset and the computer comes back on, working like it always did.

A brief time away resets home so that coming back, walking in the door, flopping on your bed brings you back to the rest that comforts your body, soul and mind.

It’s home!

Here’s the thing: When you spend regular time with the Lord, that’s home. You know the place, the setup, the atmosphere; there is rest there. But sometimes that regular time gets disrupted, making you spiritually tired. You need to reset, get back to your time with God and find rest.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: When was the last time you reset your time with God? Leave your questions below.

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The Father Daughter Game

She took me! My daughter took me to the game!

Karlie took me to a Toronto Raptors’ game; it was her Christmas present to me. We just went, having planned it for a time I had some business in the area.

I haven’t been to a Raptor’s game in a long time, so I wanted to go to a really good game. You always want your team to win, but especially when you attend a game live.

The trouble with this game was that the Raps were on a 5 game losing skid and their big star, DeMar DeRozan, was injured and not in the lineup.

The good news was they were playing a team that was well below them in the standing.

But my focus was on how my daughter was going to take in this game.

… The last time I took Karlie to a basketball game was in Edmonton. Now Edmonton has never had an NBA basketball team, but a minor league team was operating out of the city for a few years when we lived there.

I took a group of students from our church to a game and had an extra ticket.

I can’t remember the reason why, but I brought Karlie along to the game … she was three.

I’m not sure what I was expecting – an instant love for the game? an ability to understand the intricacies of the play? a keen interest in the players’ skills?

But what Karlie zeroed in on was the team mascot. Though we were sitting way high up in the stands, this fuzzy, energetic animal captured her attention.

I don’t think Karlie watched the game; she just kept her eye on that mascot.

When the game was over, she didn’t want to leave. She wanted to stay. I couldn’t figure out why she wouldn’t want to get going – the game was not a big hit for her. Then she started pointing right at the mascot.

I realized that this event wouldn’t end well without us at least trying to see the mascot.

We headed down to the floor level, and I maneuvered us over to where the mascot was giving high fives to all the kids swarming around him.

We got close but then he turned and started walking away from us. I thought we had missed our chance for Karlie to  get up close with the star of the game.

Just then the mascot stopped. He turned around, looked right at Karlie, got down on one knee and put out his arms.

That was all the invitation Karlie needed; she ran to him and got engulfed in his fur.

That was the highlight; we could go home.

This time around for Karlie, it was all about the skill, the plays and the intricacies of the game – not the mascot … oh, how 24 years changes things.

Here’s the thing: We are supposed to grow in all areas of our life as we get older. To stay the same in an area doesn’t make sense and really only stunts us. Be sure you are still growing in your relationship with God. Don’t be stunted spiritually.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What area of your life have you seen growth in over the last five years? Leave your comments below.

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Frustration Won Me Over

I was frustrated last night and I carried that frustration to bed with me.

It was the day that determined the two teams that would go on to the Super Bowl.

My frustration was not with the games or the teams; in fact, both the teams I wanted to win, won.

The first game I watched rather intently, but the second game … well, I was interested; I wanted to see it, but I had watched so much football already that I was a little football weary.

I didn’t want to entirely miss the game, so I turned to multitasking.

Now, I am not a great multitasker; I need to focus on one thing at a time. So when I do a couple of things at the same time, my productivity goes way down.

Yesterday that was okay; I didn’t mind. The game was going to be on all evening; I had time on my hands and just needed a slight distraction, while still being able to follow the action of the game.

There were a couple of multitasking possibilities for such a situation: I could play pool – the TV was right there; all I’d have to do was turn it – or I could fly my new drone around the family room.

… I tried both of these activities and still there were 3 1/2 quarters of football to go.

I then resorted to my go-to TV multitasking standby: my computer. I wanted to make some changes to our church website that I hadn’t gotten to in a long time.

Since I was doing two things at the same time – watching a game and working on the computer – I wasn’t frustrated at first when I ran into problems making the changes I wanted to make.

I knew that I had plenty of time while the game was on, so I just turned my attention to the plays for a few minutes.

As the game neared the end, I really wanted to be at the end of making those web changes … but I still couldn’t figure out how to do them.

Long after the game was over, some show was on TV that I was not one bit interested in, but it provided background noise that kept the frustration from really taking hold of me.

I looked at the time – it was way later than I wanted to be up and working on this! Then the frustration set its hooks into me and I laboured on it a little longer, with a little more angst building inside me.

I finally gave up for the night; frustration had won, but I planned to try another approach the next day.

It was time for bed, but how could I sleep? I was all keyed up, frustrated and not really ready to settle down.

So I put on a movie and let my mind chill out. It worked; it wasn’t long before I started to nod off.

… I had just needed to turn my attention to something else.

Here’s the thing: Frustration captures and controls our thoughts and emotions. If you turn your frustration over to God, and focus your attention on Him instead of your frustration, He will give you relief in mind and emotion. He will also give you a way out or through your frustration.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What kinds of things frustrate you most? Leave your comments below.

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Customer Service Frustration

Gone are the days when the customer was always right. I think things started to change when retail began leaning towards “self serve” rather than “we serve”.

Frustration with Customer service

Now you have to fight for everything you get from a company.

This Christmas I bought a present for my wife, Lily, and a few days later I noticed that another company was selling it cheaper.

I researched the product and whether it was available in the other store. And only with all my ammunition properly documented did I go in and get a price break.

What really brought home this change though was our satellite provider. We had ordered HD sports, so that I don’t have to struggle watching hockey in standard definition any more.

The price was clear on the website so we had ordered it. The transaction went through and we were informed that it would take up to 48 business hours for them to punch a code into their computer to give us the new service.

That was okay … the World Juniors were not starting for a few days.

However, after we received the HD channels, we got an email stating that, because we had a limited satellite package, the price of the HD channels was $3 more per month.

I guess $3 is not that much … $3 is almost the new loonie.

But the thing is, nowhere on their website do they mention there is a price difference for HD channels depending on your package.

We called and spoke with three different levels of customer service people. The bottom line was that’s their price.

… You know, if I go into a store and purchase a product with a price sticker on it, if that sticker price is lower than what they have in their register price, they sell me the product for the advertised sticker price.

Then they go and correct the sticker price for everyone else who will buy the product.

You shouldn’t be able to mislead people with your pricing policy.

Well, we stuck to our story and in the end the best they would do is give us a year free and then we would pay the increased price for the HD channels based on our satellite package.

It’s a good deal for this year, but then we will be paying more than most other people for the same service.

It took a lot of persistence and a lot of time on the phone to get the company to concede and give us some kind of deal.

They layer their customer service so that the first person you talk to doesn’t really have the authority to give you anything. I think they hope you will give up. It’s not until you talk to the next level or the level after that where you get a shot at getting some satisfaction.

Their idea of customer service?: wear the customer down so they just leave frustrated and angry.

… They are doing a good job because, even in the end, we were still frustrated with them.

Here’s the thing: Sometimes we can feel like we are not getting the service we want from God. Our prayers are not answered the way we think they should be. Unlike stores and satellite companies, God knows what’s best for us; He gives us what we really need. Be persistent but also be accepting of what God brings you. He’s looking out for your best interests.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: How have you generally found customer service to be? Leave your comments below.

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Comfort Is A Problem Moving Forward

There is something about old things that draw us back to find comfort in them.

I was just realizing this in the aftermath of Christmas.

My wife, Lily, and I had our two children home with us for a few days over Christmas. Yesterday we said goodbye to our daughter. Now that the house is a little more spacious, I realize that it’s really a little more empty.

Those few days with the family home brings back a comfort that we don’t want to end; we want it to stay.

That’s why we like old music; we find a comfort there that we don’t want to see leave.

That’s why it’s hard to make eating changes; there is a comfort in having that chocolate bar at 9 pm.

We can’t stop time, that’s for sure. We also can’t stop our kids from developing their own plans, dreams and pursuits. But it’s not like we can’t go on without the comfort of the old.

So what happens when we feel a little empty, when the comfort of having our children back home comes to an end?

We suck it up and accept it!

There are, however, some things we have much more control over. It is with those things that we struggle with leaving the comfort behind.

The comfort is like a craving – a craving that is stronger than your willpower, stronger than what you know is best.

Food is one of those areas for me – junk food, that is. It’s hard for me to say no to it. I crave sweet things more than most people.

But in the last month, I’ve tried to cut a lot of sweet stuff out of my life. … I know, this was a crazy idea to have around the Christmas season, but you have to start sometime.

This is what I’ve found: I feel better when I cut sweet things out of my life. I feel healthier, I lose weight, and it probably lowers my cholesterol all at the same time.

It sounds good, but in the evening when I look in the pantry, or on the counter, or if I walk into the living room, there are dishes of candy everywhere – sweet, mouth-watering candy!

Even though I have more reasons to say no to eating the sweets, there is a comfort in indulging in them.

I know I will not feel as good having that third cookie or eating several chocolate-covered almonds after already having a little of my toffee. But you know what? There is comfort in doing it anyway.

… That’s just one example. It really comes down to not being controlled by our comforts.

What do you want to do or change as you enter this new year? Start by figuring out how you are going to do without the comfort you find in whatever you want to change.

That’s the key.

Here’s the thing: At the beginning of a new year, make a commitment to God that you want to deepen your relationship with Him. To do that it will mean you have to make some changes that will most likely include doing away with some comforts. Figure out how you will put those particular comforts behind you so that you are free to move forward.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What is one of your comforts you don’t want to part with? Leave your comments below.

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A Word On The Last Day Of The Year

The last day of the year is a perfect time to reflect on the past and dream about the future.

It’s like you have one foot still in the past and one foot ready to step forward. It’s like a freeze frame for a brief time.

… Kind of like those ultimate mannequin challenges that are all the craze right now.

They’re a moment in time that tells a story, or something … I’m not sure I really get them.

But they’re much like the last day of the year. It’s a moment in time that tells of what was and points to what might and could be.

I guess the caution is not to stay there too long or you end up getting stuck in time … caught listening to 70’s music over and over and sporting a mullet haircut.

It’s good to reflect back, but you don’t want to do it for too long. Just take the best from the past and continue it; take the worst and learn from it. The rest you won’t remember.

The older we get, the more life speeds up. There is a tendency to try to put the brakes on to stop your life from flying by. You end up staying in the past in some way.

When I was a child I remember that a year felt like a long time. Once Christmas was over, it felt like three years until the next one came around.

Now it feels like Christmas comes around every six months.

Don’t fight the speed of life. Embrace each moment but don’t hold on to it too long. There is more to experience just around the corner.

Look to the future and make plans for what you want it to be. If you make no plans then other people’s plans will become yours.

You can end up getting into a routine or rut that you feel trapped in with no way to escape it. In reality, it is only a lack of planning and future thought that keeps you from breaking out.

I remember as a teen sleeping in on Saturdays until 11 or 12, or even 1 o’clock. I would get up and feel tired because I had overslept. I would feel that the day was half gone which also made me feel frustrated that the day had been wasted.

But I couldn’t seem to do anything about it; every Saturday was the same.

That was until I decided I needed to have a purpose to get up. I set my alarm and had something I wanted to do. I ended up reclaiming hours of my precious day off.

It was my purpose and planning that helped me make that change.

The future is unknown and therefore it can feel scary. But put fear aside and look at the future as exciting, with new adventures that await.

On the last day of the year, you have a foot in both the past and future. Use it wisely.

Here’s the thing: No matter how you look at life, if you know Christ as your Saviour, this is what the Bible says about your life: Your past has been taken care of and, as for your future, He has a wonderful plan for you. Step into it.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What is one thing you are going to do in this next year because of this past year? Leave your comments below.

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Christmas Tradition

The Silcock Christmas wouldn’t be the same without our annual tradition.

It’s not a generations old tradition, passed on down from great grandparents. It’s a tradition started with my generation. We keep it every year when we get together for our Christmas gathering.

We play hockey.

My father passed away 11 years ago and, since that time, we decided to do something special when we got together for Christmas.

Hockey is a unifying thing in our family … though over the years there are less and less of the women involved.

When we started, the kids were still pretty young. We would pleasure skate for a bit and then start a game, during which the pleasure skaters were just more obstacles for us to deke around.

It got to the point where the pleasure skaters didn’t really like the pucks whizzing by their heads. They have slowly dropped off over the years.

This year my wife, Lily, was the only pleasure skater and my daughter, Karlie, played hockey with us guys.

In the early days, when the kids were younger, my brother and I kind of dominated the game. It was great having all the ages on the ice working together.

Between my brother, sister and I, we have 8 children. Their ages span 12 years.

Each year we invite a few friends along to round out the teams, and the calibre of hockey is pretty good.

The last two years, the games were really fast-paced.

However, not everything is getting faster. The kids are faster, and their friends they invite out are faster … but my brother and I are slower. We don’t dominate the ice any more.

In fact, my brother John hurt his knee the night before and he didn’t play in our Christmas tradition this year.

I was the old guy.

Now even the youngest of the kids can hold their own, make plays and pass well.

I was the one who was gasping for air and needing to come off for more than regular breaks.

It’s not like I didn’t contribute at all but by far the tables have turned and the young guys are taking over.

It reminded me of a time when my son’s hockey team had a father and son game. The sons were talking like they were going to take it to us and that we didn’t have a chance.

I thought they would be surprised that the old men still had it in them. I guess I was wrong. The other dads either hadn’t played in a very long time, had never really played before, or were really out of shape.

The long and the short of it was, us dads didn’t look good and we got creamed by our boys.

From now on every year I will measure my decline by our Christmas family tradition.

Here’s the thing: As time goes on, we take more of a backseat to those coming up. As the younger generation starts to shine, and we take more of a supportive role in life, don’t merely bow out of the scene. Our role is to instill values and character in the young ones so that as they shine, they shine with the light of Christ in them.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What Christmas tradition do you make sure you keep? Leave your comments below.

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Our Annual Christmas Trip To Toronto

Christmas is fast approaching and it’s time for our annual trek down to Toronto to celebrate Christmas with my family.

It’s always a guess as to what the weather will be like for the trip.

The gathering is a one-day event. We leave early in the morning and come back after dinner in the evening.

Sometimes the weather is just fine both way. Sometimes we get good weather one way but miserable the other.

The worst trips are when the weather is bad both ways. That’s when the neck gets stiff and the hands get sore from tightly gripping the steering wheel.

The all-time worst trip was about ten years ago. We were driving a GMC Safari van at the time and my daughter had just got her license.

As we piled into the van, Karlie said, “Hey, can I drive?” Without a thought I said, “Sure”.

By my wife Lily’s face, I could tell she didn’t think this was a good idea. But I got in the passenger seat and Karlie got behind the wheel anyway.

Backing out of the driveway, I could tell the road conditions would not be ideal. At the end of our street, the van slid a little when Karlie put the brakes on, eliciting a few comments from the backseat … nothing that you could remotely consider as encouragement. I could tell that those in the backseat felt their lives were at risk.

I couldn’t say I felt comfortable either, but we kept going. The snow was deep and there was a layer of ice underneath.

It was ten kilometres to the highway and I really hoped that the 401 had been cleared and we would be fine.

That wasn’t the case. As we rounded the cloverleaf to merge onto the highway, Karlie spun the car.

Lily could not contain herself any longer. “That’s it! She’s not driving!” Lil exclaimed in no uncertain terms.

I could tell this woman was scared to death. At that point I got behind the wheel.

It was a good thing. We had a 1 pm family hockey game to get to and I wasn’t sure we would make it; we really needed to make some time.

As we started down the 401, my hopes of playing hockey were disappearing. Cars were traveling at 40 km/hr in single file in the right lane. The huge ruts between the lanes made it very risky to venture into the left.

I was fairly sure we were not going to make it when a bus went by us, traveling in the left lane, going about 100 km/hr.

I thought to myself, “The only chance we have of making the game is getting behind that bus.”

So I pointed the van into the knee-high snow ruts and we bounced through them.

I swerved and steered into the tracks the bus made and pushed the pedal down.

We motored by all the cars in the right lane, making great time. After about an hour of horrible conditions, we ran out of the snow.

As I caught up to the bus, I could see the driver looking at me in his side mirror. I waved thanks to him, and drove on by.

Without him blazing the trail, we never would have had a chance.

… Well, this year they’re calling for that same kind of weather. I sure hope the weatherman is wrong … or that there is a bus driver who needs to get to Toronto on time.

Here’s the thing: In life there will be trouble. The key is to recognize when something comes along to alleviate the trouble. Two thousand years ago a Saviour came on the scene to provide a way past sin and hell. Recognizing this Saviour, Jesus, will alleviate your guilt and suffering.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What helps you out of trouble? Leave your comment below.