Sunny Days Apr. 6-13, Covid-19, Social Distancing, Drives in the Convertible Keeping Distances

April 6 2020 

Can’t let a sunny day go by without a ride ... For Langley, a ghost town, but the Fifties Diner served milk shakes out the door, then down the river road as far as possible and south to 0 Ave., and west to 184 and north to home where I began to paint a landscape.

April 7, 2020
Sunny again. We’ll take it. Morning walk, Washed windows; a drive in the sun, Brodeur's Bistro (takeout only) Montreal Smoke Meat Sandwich (embarrassingly huge & good); tailgate party of 2. (wasn’t close to anyone .. that’s for my children)


April 8, 2020
Sun. 15C. Milkshake Country. Planet Java 50’s Diner. Can’t go inside. Shout in an order. It’s brot out. Thru farm country, top down on the Miata. What a win! & we were distanced from everyone.

April 9, 2020 Today, warmest of the week, Miata open, ohhh so nice, to a friendly farm, wiener roast in isolation. I even distanced from my car. Eugene &  Elaine invited us. We shouted to one another from adjoining fields. Fuel on Fri. in Aldergrove was .80/litre. Last year it was $1.60. 

April 13, 2020 Easter Sunday
Sunday. Easter. Streaming Church Service. Easter Bread & sprinkles delivery to our Kids. Miata top down & what can I say, Open Road, few cars out, Mountain views spectacular, Vanilla shakes from Planet Java 50’s Cafe (takeout, nothing but distance), stopped @ Chaberton, home for dinner - Christine’s Rouladen, (beef roulades filled with bacon, onions, mustard and pickles, then browned and simmered in the richest gravy imaginable). But sad without family.

EASTER SUNDAY FAMILY BRUNCH CELEBRATION

 As we have done in past years, Christine and I reserved a table for eleven at the Northview Golf and Country Club Buffet. Our five grandchildren eagerly look forward to eating their favourite indulgences and to getting their faces painted, and watching the slight of hand by one of the best magicians in the business. The six adults in our family group also anticipate being able to sample the variety of savouries and sweets. And the day itself, absolutely stellar, clear sky, bright sun, spring blossoms and flowers and weatherman promises of more days of the same. I love doing this for us all but not sure that the economy of it will be manageable after this year. That's life.

Back to two taxes on all items starting today, Monday. As much as people may not have liked GST, this reversion to the tax system is going to be a pain in the neck. And the redo, I remind you is due to the Liberal Party in power bungling yet another business item. The inept quotient of this government is demonstrably high. We have a provincial election in a couple of weeks and presently the Liberals are running behind the New Democrats which may not be the solution to ineptitude. NDP's track record as a party in power is abysmal here in B.C. So the sun is shining again today but it's grey on the horizon.

That, having been said, Easter Weekend was all about Jesus Christ. This is not an afterthought, even though I may have left that impression. Rather, Good Friday, as is customary, observed the events of that day when Jesus was executed by a first-century Roman form of punishment. His body was removed from the cross and placed into a secure tomb. I was invited to preach at Port Coquitlam Chinese Church and Pastor Tin Pong So was my interpreter. The seeming finality of Christ's death was affected supernaturally by almighty God's purpose for Jesus' incarnation, that is, that sin should be atoned, that death should be conquered and thereby Satan could no longer win victories in human lives. All that was accomplished on the morning that Jesus rose to life again, and appeared to more than 500 people over a space of many days. On Easter Sunday morning, Jeff and Gina and their children Kale and Kadence, and Cari and Tim and their children, Kailyn, Ryan and Jayden attended church in the Cloverdale plant located in the Clova Theatre. Christine and I attended our Fort Langley Evangelical Free Church service. Later we met at Northview.


Everyone came back to our Carriage Home for the afternoon. Kids found easter eggs that Grandma placed outside around the complex. The rest of us sat and sipped and talked and enjoyed a delightful day. To God be the Glory.

EASTER SUNDAY 2011

It is Easter Sunday morning. There are so many fine paintings from which to choose one that depicts the the intelligent movement from conjecture and hypothesis to conviction and faith. Many great paintings illustrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Most show Christ with scarred hands outstretched, or the risen Christ standing outside the now empty tomb, or otherwise revealing his victory over the grave and death. Perhaps no artist has captured the bewilderment and the emotion associated with human intellect coming to terms with the truth of Jesus' supernatural identity than this beautiful painting by Caravaggio called “Doubting Thomas.” It is an outstanding piece. Caravaggio makes flesh come to life. He brilliantly and dramatically stages the scene. This is Christ living and breathing despite his mortal and still open wounds, standing with his disciples eye to eye. Thomas had expressed his doubt about the report of the other disciples that Jesus was alive again. He said he would not believe unless he himself touched Jesus' wound, actually put his finger in Jesus' gaping side wound. Jesus permitted Thomas to do this, and in this moment, Thomas, astounded and convinced said, "My Lord and My God."

Caravaggio lived from 1573 – 1610. His Christ lives forever. And his visualized victory here is shared. The promise to us is this. Whoever believes in him will not utterly perish but will have everlasting life.