click....click....there's no place like home.

Happy Easter !!!

I'm writing from beautiful British Columbia. It hasn't changed too much since the last time I was here - that was...well...Christmas. Before it seemed like everytime I came to visit, something changed around here - mostly the amount of trees. When I was a kid, you had to imagine where you wanted to go, now pretty much you can see it with your eyes. The "forest" by the graveyard is gone, my "bmx track" is now a casino, but the thing that hasn't changed is the feeling of coming home.

I went to church this morning, to the church I practically spent everyday of my childhood, from grades 4 - 12 to be exact. Westside Family Fellowship, well ...it felt just like family, like I was at a family reunion! Seeing people that I haven't seen for more than 15 years, and to see their kids...wow! There was one girl, I didn't recognize her, but when I saw her daughter- I KNEW who she was! I laughed, I cried..I hugged, and was hugged in return.

It's weird, I actually went to a different church on Sundays growing up, and went to school at Westside. I don't have the connections like I have at Westside. People are so real at Westside, they don't try to hide their struggles. The times that I have come to visit, Pastor Marlo usually asks people to come up to the front and share what God has been teaching them, situations He's been guiding them through, battles and struggles. I'm impressed with how comfortable people are with standing in front of a crowd and sharing what's on their hearts. How eloquently they can pour out the situations they are in, the struggles and put it all out for everyone to see. What's even more impressive is the response from the congregation. You can feel that there is no tension, or judgement- only love. My favorite story in the Bible is where the Pharisees bring this woman who was caught in the very act of adultry. They would normally stone a woman, if there was even a rumor of this, but they CAUGHT her in the middle of it! Jesus could have said alot of things, but instead he focused on her accusers and said, "he who has no sin, let him cast the first stone". They all slowly go away, and she left alone with Jesus. And He simply says, where are your accusors? has no one condemned you?" And she says no one. He then in reply says, then neither do I. Go and sin no more.

I could talk SO much on church politics....but I will save that for another day. But I will say this. This is the kind of attitude that we need to have in church, and in our lives. We're so quick to point out other people's faults, but quickly forget that one slip and we could be in the same place. sin is sin, and to God it's all the same. To think that can treat someone without dignity and respect, based on what we see or perceive is wrong. We don't know people's hearts, only God does. And we should leave the judging up to Him.

I dream about alot of things, and one of them is to be able to move back home. I miss Prince George. I really do. A few summers ago, I got to spend a WHOLE month here. Brian hated it, because I ditched him...but I loved it! And it was so comfortable. I know the courses I would take at the college and university here. The places I would take the kids to explore- teapot mountian is tops on the list, and there are always places that still need to be discovered.

But on the other hand, I know that it will never happen. The money is not there, and I'm married to a guy who grew up in the "big city". Prince George was too small for him, and that's a big reason why we moved- oh, and did I mention the money. Still waiting for it. They never tell you that one of hardest things about marriage is sometimes you have to let go of some of your hopes and dreams, and replace them with different ones. Though, another dream that I had when I was a teenager was to live in Edmonton, and be able to shop at WEM whenever I wanted. And yes, that dream has come true, now if only I had the money to go support it!