A LOVELY CHURCH FAMILY

Sometimes an opportunity presents itself and you just have to forget about challenges and “go with the flow”.  Today was such a day.

We had a great service at Church and it was good to see our friends Howard and Lillieth there with their family, both of whom are now back from university - Aaron having completed his degree with flying colours and Kathryn part-way through her course.  I have kept in touch with both of them over the years, sending them little cards of encouragement whenever I heard they were struggling and often hearing back from them to let us know how they were doing.  It has been good to watch them grow in so many ways into the lovely people they are today - and of course, they have wonderful role models in their parents.

After the service, I asked them if I could take a photograph and perhaps use it as my Blip for today, and they all graciously agreed.  Lillieth said that she loves the photographs I take of them and treasures them - I tend to make them laugh - then just press the shutter while they are all smiling - but it does help to have such photogenic models!

I remember when Aaron and Kathryn were much younger - probably about 4 or 5 years old - when digital cameras were just beginning to be popular - that if ever I took photographs of the children after Sunday School, they all then clustered round me asking to see the shot, because it was such a new thing to be able to see it straight after it was taken.  Sometimes it was hard to get them all to smile as some would pull faces and most of the boys loved messing around, but I used to promise them that if they let me take a shot where they were all smiling (and being sensible!), then they could all make funny faces and I would take another one to show them, and this seemed to work.  The same thing happened this morning (see extra), so Aaron, Kathryn and I then had a wonderful conversation about all those we remembered from their Sunday School days - where do the years go?

Aaron and Kathryn have grown into two lovely young people - Mr. HCB and I love them dearly, and we love their parents too, having been friends since before the children were born - how blessed we are to have such wonderful friends.

“The most beautiful discovery 
     true friends make
          is that they can grow separately
               without growing apart.”
Elisabeth Foley