A Family Christmas

メリークリスマス

お久しぶりです。今年のクリスマスイヴの朝は、おうちで家族そろって迎えました。クリスマスツリーの下で、１日早めのクリスマスプレゼント　オープン。その後すぐに、ハミルトンの両親＜子供たちの祖父母＞のお家に移動。クリスマスの日は、ウォーレス家一同揃って祝いました。

All The Wallace Cousins

     This Christmas, for the very first time, we spent Christmas day with all our family.

     On December 24th, after opening our presents hidden beneath our own tree here at home, we set out to Hamilton to celebrate with the rest of our relatives. We picked up our one and only dearest sister Elena on our way, and woke up Christmas morning to spend the day all together at last!

 Sweet Grandpa and Grandma had a huge (like super duper huge) delicious pizza waiting for us, and made us feel right at home camping out in all the rooms available and sitting in Grandpa's favorite chairs and getting into all Grandma's goodies! We love you Grandpa and Grandma!

Our Uncle Jason and Aunt Karen put some of us older ones up in their beautiful home and we had the best accommodations and service ever during our stay in Hamilton--they didn't even mind that Greg ate all their food, and we girls took over Uncle Jason's computer room! That's real family, that's real love. Thank you Uncle Jason, Aunt Karen and Caitlyn for taking such good care of us. We loved every minute of our time with you.

Aunt Karen brought over a huge plate of all kinds of wickedly delicious homemade cookies which a friend gave her. Every last cookie was gone before the day ended.

Then it was present opening time AGAIN!!

Grandpa and Grandma got the grandsons underwear which they were awfully happy to get

And new pajamas for the granddaughters, and grandpa seemed to have gotten a nice blanket which he took to quite nicely

 

The Uncles

叔父さんたち

Too many handsome men in one shot...so we added some beautiful ladies and this is what we got

Now that's Christmas Spirit!
All the Uncles and Aunts together
お父さんのお姉さん夫婦たちと共に、

And the Beautiful Christmas Couples

Our Cousin Craig with Melanie and Our Cousin Kyle with Serena
Greg and Our Cousin James gave us a live concert and we can't forget Dante who kept everyone very entertained to be sure!

CHRISTMAS DINNER

 

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MERRY CHRISTMAS

メリークリスマス！
　お元気ですか。いつも、ありがとう。皆さんからの応援は、私たちにとっていつも励ましです。どうぞ、主から、多くの祝福がありますように！そして、みなさんの健康、心の平和、幸せをお祈りすると共に、お友達やご家族一緒に、楽しく素晴らしいクリスマスを送ってください。We Love You!　　

The Love Goes On...

　12月は、年寄りの方のレジデンスホーム、老人ホーム、身障者の方々の施設、事故による脳障害の人たちの施設など、9つのショーをこなしました。忙しかったけど、とても貴重な人々と会え本当に良かったです。ちっさな愛は遠くまで広がりました。
These are the pictures of our last show of the season. We visited a retirement home up in Bellville where again we were warmly welcomed and enjoyed an hour of dancing, singing carols and hymns together, hugs, kisses, disco dancing by Jason showing off, and not to be out done, dad told his latest "Forest Gump in Heaven" joke which always gets the laughter rolling. We ended our visit with gifts and refreshments and a tour of their beautiful home. We all had a wonderful time and hope to be visiting again in the New Year!

 

今年最後のクリスマスショーの様子です。

ダンス、歌、キャロル、そして賛美歌、ハグなど、又孫1歳3ヶ月のジェイソンの大胆なディスコダンスの披露、それだけでなく、パパのジョーク＜天国のフォーレストガンプ＞は、いつも皆の笑いを呼びます。ショーの後のスナックは特別。ここでは、セントリーハウスのツワーまでしてもらいました。凄くステキ！多くのところと同じように、来年のはじめに又招待されました。

God Is Love

Understanding

    It was a cold winter morning. The shopping center parking lot was ridged with piles of fresh snow. I parked my car and headed for the sidewalk, the only exit that had been freed from the drifts of snow. But there was a car left directly in front of the shoveled pathway! I had to trudge around the vehicle, wading into snow up to my knees, to get onto the walk. "How thoughtless can people be!" These words rang through my mind along with a few others. But as I turned to stamp the snow off my trousers, there, struggling along the walk, was a lady with crutches extending from both arms, her legs encased in braces. Slowly, ever so slowly, she inched her way along the slippery pathway, got to the car blocking the walk, tussled herself into the front seat, and drove away. I stood for a moment, ashamed that I had felt the way I had. In seconds I had changed. I saw the woman and her plight. Suddenly I understood!
    The absolutely indispensable ingredient to getting along with others is understanding! Differences, displeasures, wrath, frustration, conflict, and separation start where understanding stops.

理解すること

ある寒い冬の朝のことでした。ショッピングセンターの駐車場には、降ったばかりの雪が、うね状
に積もっていました。私は自分の車を停め、入り口に続く歩道に向かって歩き始めました。それは、出入り口に続く、雪かきされた唯一の歩道でした。けれども、その道のすぐ前に車が停められていたのです！　そのため、歩道に出るまで、膝まで積もった雪をかき分けながら、その車のまわりをぐるっと回って歩かなければなりませんでした。「自分勝手にも程がある！」この言葉は、似たような他のいくつかの言葉と共に、私の脳裏を駆け巡りました。けれども、振り返って、足を踏鳴らし、ズボンの雪を振り払おうとすると、そこには、両腕から伸びた杖を突きつき、金具で固定された足を引きずりながらやっとやっと歩道を歩いて来る女性がいるではありませんか。それはそれはゆっくりと、彼女はすべりやすい歩道を少しずつ進み、その歩道をふさいでいた車にたどりつくと、運転席に格闘するかのように乗り込んで、車を走らせて行きました。私は、しばらくそこに立ちすくみ、批判的な思いを巡らせていた自分を恥ずかしく思いました。けれども、私は一瞬にして変わったのです。その女性とその窮状を見た時、すぐに理解することができたのでした。
他の人たちとうまくやることにおいて、決して省くことのできない要素は、理解することです！　
相違や不快感、怒り、欲求不満、摩擦、分離、このすべては、理解が止まるところで始まるのです。

God's Hand

    In a prayer meeting a man prayed with great fervor. The burden of his prayer had to do with a family that had suddenly been bereft of the father and husband. "O God," pleaded the intercessor, "do send someone to that grief-stricken family to touch them for You!" Suddenly the man lapsed into silence. Quietly he withdrew from the group. Before the prayer meeting concluded, he returned. Asked why he concluded his prayer so abruptly, and why he withdrew without explanation, he said, "As I prayed that God would touch that sorrowing family, He seemed to say to me, `You are My hand! You go and touch them for Me!'"

神の手になる

祈りの会合で、ある男性が熱心に祈っていました。それは突然、父親と夫を失った家族のための祈
りでした。「ああ、神よ」その祈り手は嘆願しました。「悲しみに打ちひしがれたこの家族の心を慰め
られるよう、あなたの代わりに誰かを送ってください！」　そして突然、この男性は黙ってしまいま
した。そして、静かに立ち去ったのです。会合が終わるまえに彼は戻ってきました。なぜ、祈りを突
然にやめてしまったのか、またなぜ何も言わずに立ち去ったのか尋ねられ、彼はこう 答えました。「神がこの悲しみに暮れた家族を慰めてくださるよう祈っていると、『あなたこそ、わが慰めの手だ！あなたが行って、わたしの代わりに慰めてきなさい！』と告げられたように感じたからです。」

Sharing Love

Jesus says, "Whatever you do for one of the least of these, you've done it for Me."

Since we want to give Jesus lots of special gifts of love, songs, laughter, smiles and hugs and kisses for His birthday, we are doing our best to give as much as we can to others.

Here we are at "Caressant Care", a retirement home here in Marmora. Last week we visited and did our performance for the residents there. We ended with singing some Christmas carols and other classic hymns all together and then went around to give a hug and take some time with each one. It really did feel like a Merry Christmas!