I was reflecting on Philippians 4:6-7 this morning. It reminds me of the last time I saw my Uncle Willis at Crofton Manor on Saturday, April 28, 2012. Stephen was there, and then Auntie Maye came later.
This is what I shared with Uncle Willis...
You know we all know the Phil 4:6-7 verse about "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer & petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."
Uncle Willis exclaimed, "CLAIM IT".
Ah, but, Uncle Willis, do you know what the 4 words are BEFORE that verse? (I thought I would stump Uncle Bill when I asked him that question, but he got it.) How about you? Do you know the 4 words at the end of verse 5?
...drumroll, please...
It is "THE LORD IS NEAR."
I told Uncle Willis that we should start that popular verse with "THE LORD IS NEAR...Do not be anxious..." By saying that the Lord is near, it takes us out of the equation because it is not our action to not be anxious. But rather, we are not to be anxious because the Lord is near. So when Uncle Willis is not well (stage 4 lung cancer), the Lord is near. When my husband and I don't see eye to eye, the Lord is near. When my kids drive me nuts, the Lord is near. When I miss Auntie Vera, the Lord is near. When I think of my dad and his challenges (and my mom who has to clean up after him), the Lord is near. THE LORD IS NEAR.
Uncle Willis said that he learnt from me, and yes, that he would dwell on the words that THE LORD IS NEAR. I am inspired by his positive spirit, and I know that comes from Christ within him.
That would be the last time I saw my Uncle Willis. He passed away August 23, 2012.
About Me
- DD
- I was born & raised in Vancouver, BC but now live in suburban Kirkland, WA. I love adventure although I seem to be more cautious since having kids. Scuba diving, sky diving, two safaris in Africa, backpacking Europe, soul-searching in Israel, and the list goes on, have all been in my distant past. Now, my life is about family and raising my kids to love God, love people and serve the world. I have got one talented husband, one angel child, one spirited child, and a large, supportive extended family. Life is good.
Friday, October 6, 2017
Thursday, September 28, 2017
Normie Kwong clipped barriers - first Chinese Canadian football player
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4lsZ8MbLC8&sns=em
Youtube video. Love hearing Uncle Normie's voice.
Youtube video. Love hearing Uncle Normie's voice.
"Living Legend" was My Uncle.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/norman-kwong-dies-1.3747346
It's been just over a year since Uncle Normie passed away. More and more of the Lee family are slipping away. And this saddens me. Yet, what a special and significant influence all of my aunts, uncles, parents and grandparents have had on me. They have each made me who I am today.
Uncle Normie was special. He was super funny, always teasing me. And yet he had a quiet-nature to him. While he was well-known and famous, he had a "homebody" nature to him. He was content staying at home, watching TV, baking bread and being a devoted family man.
We would go to restaurants, and people would approach him all the time. And he would always greet his fans cordially. Must have been overwhelming for him, especially someone reserved by nature.
People would say, and still say today, I come from "royalty". Or "you're like the Kennedy family but in Canada" because there are so many successful, community-oriented family members of the Lee Clan.
But to me, my family is my family. My Uncle Norm was just my uncle. Football fame was long before I came in the picture. Uncle Normie never flaunted his fame (he didn't have to). He never gave the impression that he was better than anyone else. He was simply someone who worked hard, even with the prejudices he encountered, and succeeded in the process. He had a blessed and fulfilled life.
My kids never knew him in his heyday. They just knew him as a "great uncle". They realized the influence he had on Alberta when they attended his "state funeral". We were driven in limousines with police escorting us on motorcycles. Streets and highways were barricaded for our caravan of limousines. One of my "nieces" said she felt like a rockstar.
Speakers at the service included the current Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, the Premier of Alberta, Former Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper, Wally Buono (football coach), Jim Peplinski (former hockey player). My cousin, Brian, was the emcee. I read Psalm 23. My cousin, Peter, gave the message. It was quite the event. What an experience for my kids. What an honour I had to be his "favourite niece"!!!!
What I have learned from Uncle Normie is that family comes first. That is what stands out most to me. Secondly, dreams can come true if you work hard and overcome your obstacles. Thirdly, greet everyone warmly, kindly and with lots of humour.
Miss you, Uncle Norm. You will always be my "Living Legend".
It's been just over a year since Uncle Normie passed away. More and more of the Lee family are slipping away. And this saddens me. Yet, what a special and significant influence all of my aunts, uncles, parents and grandparents have had on me. They have each made me who I am today.
Uncle Normie was special. He was super funny, always teasing me. And yet he had a quiet-nature to him. While he was well-known and famous, he had a "homebody" nature to him. He was content staying at home, watching TV, baking bread and being a devoted family man.
We would go to restaurants, and people would approach him all the time. And he would always greet his fans cordially. Must have been overwhelming for him, especially someone reserved by nature.
People would say, and still say today, I come from "royalty". Or "you're like the Kennedy family but in Canada" because there are so many successful, community-oriented family members of the Lee Clan.
But to me, my family is my family. My Uncle Norm was just my uncle. Football fame was long before I came in the picture. Uncle Normie never flaunted his fame (he didn't have to). He never gave the impression that he was better than anyone else. He was simply someone who worked hard, even with the prejudices he encountered, and succeeded in the process. He had a blessed and fulfilled life.
My kids never knew him in his heyday. They just knew him as a "great uncle". They realized the influence he had on Alberta when they attended his "state funeral". We were driven in limousines with police escorting us on motorcycles. Streets and highways were barricaded for our caravan of limousines. One of my "nieces" said she felt like a rockstar.
Speakers at the service included the current Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, the Premier of Alberta, Former Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper, Wally Buono (football coach), Jim Peplinski (former hockey player). My cousin, Brian, was the emcee. I read Psalm 23. My cousin, Peter, gave the message. It was quite the event. What an experience for my kids. What an honour I had to be his "favourite niece"!!!!
What I have learned from Uncle Normie is that family comes first. That is what stands out most to me. Secondly, dreams can come true if you work hard and overcome your obstacles. Thirdly, greet everyone warmly, kindly and with lots of humour.
Miss you, Uncle Norm. You will always be my "Living Legend".
Thursday, March 23, 2017
Today I have a teenager!
Monday, March 13, 2017
Old words that still touch my heart...
After what Johanna said to me about Madison tonight, it reminded me of this very touching moment...
A few days after my dad passed away (wow, almost 4 years ago), Madison saw me paralyzed with grief. I remember she looked me straight in the eyes and held my cheeks and said...
"I am so sorry, momma. Gung Gung is still with us. He was so good to everyone. And he loved everybody especially you. But it was his time to die. He was in the hospital too long. Sometimes it's sad but Gung Gung doesn't want you to be sad. I know it's very hard.
Momma, when you cry, I cry, too. I don't know why. When I see people cry, sometimes I cry too."
Madison was only 6 years old.
A few days after my dad passed away (wow, almost 4 years ago), Madison saw me paralyzed with grief. I remember she looked me straight in the eyes and held my cheeks and said...
"I am so sorry, momma. Gung Gung is still with us. He was so good to everyone. And he loved everybody especially you. But it was his time to die. He was in the hospital too long. Sometimes it's sad but Gung Gung doesn't want you to be sad. I know it's very hard.
Momma, when you cry, I cry, too. I don't know why. When I see people cry, sometimes I cry too."
Madison was only 6 years old.
Teacher Compliments
Johanna, Madison's 5th grade teacher, said such wonderful things about Madison tonight. She even got teary-eyed talking about Madison.
Johanna said, "I know you must know this already about Madison. Madison has such a grounded moral compass and yet she is spunky & fun. I can trust that Madison will do what is right, even if she was in a closet by herself. I am Madison's biggest fan and I am going to miss her when she leaves."
She also said that Madison has a high EQ (emotional quotient) and is very generous.
THAT'S MY GIRL!
Johanna said, "I know you must know this already about Madison. Madison has such a grounded moral compass and yet she is spunky & fun. I can trust that Madison will do what is right, even if she was in a closet by herself. I am Madison's biggest fan and I am going to miss her when she leaves."
She also said that Madison has a high EQ (emotional quotient) and is very generous.
THAT'S MY GIRL!
Monday, June 20, 2016
Her 10th birthday is coming up...
Once again, she says, "No birthday party. No presents." She wants to help the poor kids who don't have access to clean water again. Here's a link to her campaign page.
https://donate.charitywater.org/madison-woo/madison-s-10th-birthday
She will be bringing in her 10th year on a plane from Iceland to Copenhagen. That's an exciting way to celebrate!
4th Grade Photo
School is over. And I am behind again in posting updates on this blog. Here was Madison's 4th Grade Photo which was taken last fall.
For pretty much the whole year (and most of her life), her hair has been like this...until 2 days ago. She got her hair cut. Jaclyn says she now looks like Dora!
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
Quick Wit Madison
When I exclaimed "I AM smarter than a 6th grader", Madison started singing "For the First Time in Forever" from Frozen.
Friday, July 3, 2015
How Madison celebrated her 9th Birthday
Then the afternoon was spent with the Moore's. We had lunch at Din Tai Fung (4 orders of juicy steamed dumplings plus other yummy food), spent time at the Lego Store, and then the Microsoft Store.
For dinner, Michael, Jaclyn, Madison and I went to the pool, BBQ'd sausages and celebrated poolside. It seems that a birthday picture in a bathing suit in front of a donut has become the annual tradition for this little one.
Madison's Birthday Wish - to donate her birthday!
So I created a CHARITY:WATER birthday campaign page for her with the goal of $90, and posted it on Facebook. Within minutes she got $49, the first donation from cousin, Rachel and then from my friend, Joan. So we thought, well, $90 might not be a high enough goal, so we raised it to $190. Contributions started pouring in, even from strangers from FB, and a friend we know from Little Gym gave $100. She raised her goal to $309 and then to $409. Donations stayed at $347 for awhile, then the Woo relatives chimed in, and helped Madison achieve her goal of $409. Currently, $489 has been raised.
100% of the money raised goes to funding water projects in Africa. CHARITY:WATER is an amazing charity, and has done great things already. https://my.charitywater.org/madisons-9th-birthday
I am so proud and thankful for Madison's generous and compassionate spirit. How many 9-year olds do you come across that doesn't want more presents but wants her friends to donate money to the poor people instead? What a special heart she has!
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