Philip and Amanda were away this week and we were charged with watering the plants. I think it is so wonderful that we’re this close to them…and these are the small things we can do for each other. I had to grab this picture of their sunflower, with the sun directly behind it, one evening. It was just spectactular. The leaves are the size of a backpack – they are enormous.

Summer 2022 has been very different from last year. Jason and the kids did not visit, we had covid for a bit, I went back to Toronto in July and we’ve actually been able to take some vacation and rest. By rest I mean work around the house, do some day trips and eat out.

The other evening we sat out the front of the house. It was quiet, very comfortable, and refreshing in a way that you sense when you come to the end of a day and all your memories of the day are positive.

We were, once again, recounting the many ways that we feel that God has blessed us. We do not prescribe to any theology that suggests God provides a financial benefit to those who follow Him, but we do believe He blesses and those blessings show up in all sorts of ways – sometimes it is about timing, sometimes it is about the people He brings along to you, sometimes it is about a deep sense of satisfaction with life and living.

Our hope that we might be pastors in this small community keeps developing and today we had a lady come to tell us about a recent experience that hurt her deeply. It was an interesting moment as she opened up to Wendy and I while we simply stood in front of our house.

Time will tell what happens to us here, but in the summer of 2022, we sense God’s rich blessing on our lives.