Family and Friends

I have just returned from a trip to Florida and Georgia where I was reminded of how great a gift I have been given in the form of my family and friends. Barb and I were able to visit our son and his wife in Savannah, GA where they just purchased their first home. How exciting to visit the house with Kelly and see firsthand the wonderful provision God has made for them. Here are Barb and Kelly in the kitchen of their new home.When Robbie got off work on Thursday, he came home to his apartment where we were able to visit with him before we travelled to Florida where I had to attend some meetings. Here are Robbie and Kelly with their dog, Rosie, in their Savannah apartment.While in Florida we were able to reconnect with some friends we knew when I pastored in Tampa. They have all moved since we used to live there, but we were able to get together in Dowling Park. Here is Barb with 92 year old Velie McFarland and a group of women from her Bible study in Tampa back in the 1980's.While in Florida we also had the chance to take my parents out for mom's birthday which we were not able to celebrate with her on September 2nd. Here are mom and dad at breakfast in Dowling Park.Since we never know how long we will be able to share life with anyone, the chance to be with folks we love is always special. It was really nice that Robbie and Kelly were able to come down to Florida for the weekend and share this birthday breakfast with my folks and with us. Here they are with Barb at the same breakfast.It was also great for me to be able to attend an FSU football game with my son Robbie. While Barb and Kelly were shopping in Tallahassee, FL, Rob and I were able to attend the FSU/Wake Forest football game. While the outcome of the game was disappointing, the chance to attend the game together was a wonderful experience and we both saw people at the game we knew from when we lived in Florida. Here we are together high in the stands at Doak Campbell Stadium.I am so grateful to God for the family and friends he has given me and the opportunity which I had to share these wonderful times with them. I am looking forward to more such opportunities and wonder just who God will allow me to spend time with in the future.

September 4, 1976

Barb and I have now been married for 32 years! I often wonder how she has put up with me for so long. But I am very thankful she has. They have been a great 32 years.

This year our anniversary began like most days in our home. I walked outside and Barb put in her time on the treadmill in our basement. She won't like me posting it, but here she is watching the news as she walks.We spent some time reflecting on our 32 years of marriage as we shared a cup of piping hot Dunkin Donuts French Vanilla coffee after we had each finished our respective walks. We are so thankful for our four sons (and three lovely daughters-in-law), for the churches and ministries we have served in New Mexico, Florida, New Hampshire, Maine and Connecticut. We are thankful for God's sustaining grace which enabled us to face some difficult challenges over the years. The loss of Barb's dad, a time of severe depression, the "accident", all our moves, my dad's heart attack and my parent's car accident, and so many other instances, all reminded us of how important it has been to able to trust in the strong arms of a loving Heavenly Father!

At lunchtime Barb took me to our nearby Ruby Tuesday's for some soup and salad. We ate light since a big night out was planned. Here is Barb just before we entered the restaurant.

As evening approached we purchased Shawn his favorite Subway sub and then Barb and I were off to celebrate our 32nd anniversary in style. We began with dinner at Peppercorn's Grill in downtown Hartford. This is a wonderful Italian restaurant which I found after searching the internet. It is also close to the the theater where we would be heading next. Here are some pictures from dinner. We enjoyed an awesome meal together. We began with bread and olive oil, followed by house salads and bruschetta. Barb had grilled salmon and I had grilled chicken, with Italian vegetables and roasted potatoes. For dessert Barb had Taramisu and I had a couple of homemade chocolate truffles and fresh fruit. We both enjoyed a couple of cups of decaf coffee to wash it down. After spending a couple of hours at dinner we walked a few blocks to the Bushnell Theater for the Perfoming Arts where we saw the musical, Spamalot.
It was a wonderful day that left me with an overwhelming sense of gratefulness that Barb said yes 32 years ago and agreed to become my wife. I am hopeful God's grace will allow us many additional years but it has already been a wonderful "life" as we have served our Lord together and committed our marriage, our children and our family to His purpose. Thanks Barb, and thank you, my Heavenly Father.

Making Memories

Now that summer is over (from a school perspective) and we are returning to our routine, I am aware of how quickly time passes us by and how important it is to make memories we can look back on later. In the past week Shawn and I have taken in two UConn soccer matches up in Storrs, CT. We watched them beat St. Joseph's 4-0 and play Tulsa to at 1-1 draw. It was great to be able to watch this outstanding soccer team (currently ranked #3 nationally) with my youngest son and to be able to talk both on the way and returning home.The UConn team is led by O'Brian White from Scarborough, Ontario and Akeem Priestly from Kingston, Jamaica. O'Brian White is last year's Herman Trophy winner, an award given to the top soccer player in the nation. (O'Brain is second from the left, #7.)Akeem is an exciting offensive player with exceptional ball skill who is fun to watch with his hair flying as he blazes around the field and the defenders. Here is Akeem leaving the field after the team's warm-ups, he is #11.We all had Monday off and decided to join Barb's brother and some of his family in Lee, MA for a Labor Day picnic. It was great to be able to visit with family and reflect on God's goodness, life's challenges and the family reunion we shared in BC earlier this summer. Barb and Dorinda did a great job with the meal, although Dean was the grill-master, and we shared time with all those who were there. Here are Barb and Dorinda resting after dinner, watching a movie on the tv. It was great to see Judah and his family again, as well as Emma and her family, including her mom who is a college student who was working on her homework for much of the holiday weekend. Here are Judah and his folks, with cousin Emma looking on.And below is the college student hard at work, Kelsey Shaw and her computer!
And of course, no visit to the Shaw household would be complete without an unhealthy dose of video gaming, here is Steve giving Shawn still some more insider info on WOW.
We thank God for the proximity of the Shaw family since most of my family and my wife's family live far away and we really enjoy times when we can get together and make memories. And that reminds me, today David and Marianne leave Texas bound for China and a resumption of their ministry there, making memories for their growing family on the other side of the world. I wonder when we will see them again and make some more memories together.