January 2020
Dawson Creek, BC

Hello, from Ray and Betty living in Dawson Creek, BC, where we are presently coming out of a brief hibernation into just below freezing temperatures. Sunrise this morning 9:13a – sunset at 5:12p – days are getting longer by miniscule increments every day as we head towards winters’ end with spring to follow.

2019 is now history, don’t look back on yesterday’s disappointments. No one can go back in time and change the past. Look ahead to God’s promises yet to unfold. Forgive all those who hurt you and be open to making new relationschips, with open arms. It’s a New Year, so make it “New”. The New Year ahead will bring oportunities for you to set things straight and open up a new chapter in your life. Just the moment you feel like giving up, victory is always within reach! Remember this moving into the New Year – God has the perfect timing; never early, never late.

We are entering our 8th decade wondering where did the 1st 7 go and feeling somewhat left behind as we observe the lives of our granchildren and the world around us. We try to keep up but when technology seemingly has no relevance to us it is difficult to be motivated to enter a world we know little about or feel we have no use for. Now we are beginning to understand why our parents made the decisions they made when we tried to introduce a thing or two that we thought would make their world a little easier or better, but they were content with the way things were and what they were used to.

Usually we, in our New Year letter, attempt to relate what we had done or experienced, during the past year. However in my four score and two years I have difficulty remembering only 365 days ago. So I’ll go back further where my memory seems brighter. It was 1946 and I was in a one room school with five other “English” students with the rest all Amish, and I was writing a report with the date at the top of the paper stating it was 1946. Then I wrote 1947, 1948 and even 1949, but I couldn’t even imagine writing 1950 as that was way too far in the future. Let alone 2020. There I learned my first new language, other than English, which was “Pensylvania Dutch”. I remember going home and sharing with my parents my new language skills. I wasn’t aware that the new words I had learned were swear words. I did learn from that, that all new things I had learned were not necessarily to be shared. An appendicitis opertation meant 6 weeks of recuperation time, although I believe my older brother stretched his out to 8 weeks. I suspect it was because that meant no feeding the chickens, milking the “stupid” cows or hauling the cinders and clinkers out of the basement furnace tp place on the drive way because there was no gravel. And today a knee replacement surgery takes place in the morning, you’re forced up out of bed that evening and sent home the next day. The telephone had 8 other members on our line which meant that when our phone rang, 8 other people picked up their phones to listen to the conversation. Long istance calling was only for emergency calls and often the operator would tell you that no lines were available to where you wanted to call, but she would call you back when one was available. Today cell phones are now carried on our person and we can call anywhere in the world whenever we want. Or we can text, twitter, instagram and other things too numertous to mention. Let alone check the weather, google my sister’s new garage roof or find out what a peck basket is. We didn’t have a TV but sat around the radio to listen to Fibber Mcgee and Molly, while today I (not really I) can down-load movies or live-stream news events. And I don’t even know what those words mean. We don’t have to “kick out ” the family living in our garage so we can park the car we just were able to purchase, in it. So if some time I appear to you a little “cranky” it’s because I’m desparately trying to adapt to all the changes taking place. Well, really, some times I DON’T EVEN TRY. But I do ask questions of myself to see if I’m happier, more content, sharing more, caring more, loving more, or closer to my Creator than I was in the past. And my answer to myself is YES. And our wish for you in this year of 2020 is that can can give the same answer.

January 14th word of the day “mythomane” – know what it means?
– a person with a strong or irresistible propensity for fantasizing, lying, or exaggerating.
Remind you of someone you know?

Phone – 250-782-7266
email – rbgood1@telus.net

Thanks for being in touch – Thank-You for Loving Us!