In Canada for a Visit!

We arrived on June 7th at about midnight, but didn't make it through customs, etc until about 1:30 am! It was nice to see my dad, waiting for us on the other end.
We drove to Bridal Falls, where he and my mom were camping, and crashed for the night. In the morning, Arryn and Marshal met us for breakfast and then we drove to Kamloops. It is so nice to be able to spend some time with family!
It is hard to believe that our time home is already 1/2 over! It goes so quickly! But that is okay. I spent Sunday to Tuesday with Arryn in Chilliwack. We visited family in Chilliwack and Vancouver and just hung out together. I sure miss that!
Tonight, all the family in Kamloops is getting together at my sister's for the final game - go Canucks, go! - and supper.
God has blessed us with an incredible family! We all get along and enjoy spending time together - what a gift!
Blessings on you and yours,
Karren

Ugh! Flies!

It is fly season in Tactic! UGH! Everything is covered in flies. Not just one or two, but 10 or 15 all over the coffee pot, or, as the photo indicates, all over the kitchen table. It is Rocky's 51st birthday today, so I baked him a cake. It was quite a feat to get it mixed and into the oven without a fly sneaking into the batter. Then, once I iced it, I had to cover it with a pot (so I didn't wreck the icing) and then make sure all the possible gaps were filled with plastic wrap, so that the flies didn't enjoy the cake before we did!

When I took this photo, there were a total of 12 flies drinking water off of the table. It doesn't seem to matter how clean we keep things or how many we kill, they just keep coming. At first we thought it was because of the market that moved in directly behind our house. You know, rotting fruit and vegetables are bound to breed flies. But, we were assured it is bad all over town, so we have resigned ourselves to living with flies for now.

Why did God create flies? I don't know. I cannot see the purpose of a fly, other than to annoy me, yet they are God's creation, so they must have a purpose. I am sure by the time I get to heaven, I won't really care about flies; I am simply going to sit at the feet of my Father. But today, here on earth, flies are a part of my life. As I swatted and sprayed, trying to rid the house of at least a few of these nasty critters, I started thinking.

There are a lot of things in life that are a little like flies - annoying and difficult to understand why they exist. I fight against them, and yet they persist. Perhaps the "flies" in my life are simply around to remind me that I need to adjust my focus and not make such a fuss about things that don't really matter. When I look up...way up...everything changes.

This picture also is of a fly, but when you focus on what else is there, the fly almost disappears. This is exactly what happens in my life when I have challenges that are driving me crazy, but instead of focusing on what I cannot change, I focus in on the Lord, and suddenly what I see is completely different. It isn't that the "fly" is gone; it is just now in its proper perspective.

Thank you, Lord, for your gentle reminders that You give me everyday. I need You to help me focus on what really counts.