October 2010 Lower family Newsletter

[Chad T. Lower]

To say that things have been hectic for the last few weeks would probably be an understatement.  Usually I try to write the newsletter the first Sunday of the month.  As a result, the next newsletter may be following this one shortly if I am able to get back on schedule.

 

In our house, September will always be remembered for two important events -- Isabella's birthday and the Harmony Grange fair.  Isabella turned 8 this year.  We had two cakes for her; one with just the immediately family and one with Suzy's parents.  For the family cake, Suzy decorated it with a violin since Isabella has decided she wants to play the violin in the school orchestra (see Suzy's blog at http://susanlower.com/2010/09/23/a-tune-of-her-own/ for a picture).  For the second cake, Bella decorated it with fondant and made a Poke-Mon cake complete with Picachu and Manaphy (see Suzy's blog at http://susanlower.com/2010/09/29/pikachu-vs-manaphy/ for a picture).  Bella has even decided to be Manaphy this year for Halloween.  Suzy will have to be creative making that costume.  Suzy enjoy making costume's anyway, but even if we were to try to buy a pre-made costume, Manaphy is just not that popular to have a costume of his own.

 

Ali started school at the beginning of September.  The first couple of days, she was eager to get to class.  So much so that she would tell Suzy, "Good-bye" before they even entered the school.  After taking and picking up her brother for the last couple years, she already knows the layout of the school and most of the teachers.  For some reason, after the first few days, she did not want to go to school.  She would cry and scream clinging to Suzy as they approached her classroom.  I am hoping as the year progresses, she we be more comfortable going to school again.

 

Chi is loving school.  He was even excited the night he brought home his first homework assignment!  He is learning "sight words" at school -- words that he should recognize by sight, like a, I, is, it....  Now when we read to him before bed, he is helping to read the stories.

 

Although Suzy had initially planned to go to the library to write while Ali is in school, she has been spending her preschool mornings in the den in our home. For the past month and a half she's been revising, rewriting, and preparing to send out two manuscripts. One manuscript is going to an agent currently interested in her work, who asked her to do a major word addition to make the manuscript more marketable. The second manuscript will be mailed out this November for the RWA Golden Heart Contest (RWA - Romance Writer's of America).

 

Although, she's been doing some painting and organizing around the house before winter, she's hopeing by November to fill her spot at the library as she begins a new book project.

 

Motorcycle Safety classes wrapped up in September.  Our site had to cancel a few classes this year due to low enrollment, but the last few classes of the year were well attended.  Apparently, the state has also seen a decrease in attendance, as has the nation, but our rate has not dropped nearly as much is it has in other states.  I think a large reason for that is because the two different courses we offer (the BRC and the ERC) are both free to Pennsylvania residents.  Since many people are tightening their belts, they don't have to find extra money to pay for our course.  In many other states, there is a fee for these classes; I believe the BRC usually costs $250 and the ERC runs $150.

 

So the lack of enrollment isn't due to not being able to afford the course.  I think it is primarily due to less people buying motorcycles.  In general, motorcycles tend to be an "extra" vehicle for a household.  In our house, I do not have a car, so the motorcycle is my only means of transportation unless I borrow Suzy's van.  I have also been riding my bike more (to work, to the courthouse this past summer, to donate blood).

 

On the topic of motorcycles, the motorcycle club that I belong to (Sonrise Riders) had their annual picnic in September.  Suzy and I brought the kids and they had a great time.  My club also planned on doing an ERC in September.  Although initially we had 12 people sign up, after life happened, we only had 4 able to attend.  There was a 5th rider from the local community who just stopped by (we call them "walk-ins") and I was the instructor for that class.  We had a lot of fun and are talking about possibly doing it again.

 

Of course, so as not to have nothing to do, since the Motorcycle Safety classes are no longer running, I am doing the play at our school again this year.  Last year, you may remember I was in the musical I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change.  This year, they are doing a British farce called Run for Your Wife.  The cast is 2 women and 6 men, although one of the male actors just quit.  As a result, we were suppose to perform in November.  The date has now been rescheduled for next March so we can find a new actor and plan accordingly.

 

Continuing with our love definition, the next part we read is that "love always hopes."

 

If we are full of hope for the future, it means we are not giving up today.  We will come up against struggles everyday of our lives.  Some will be internal struggles, others will be external.  Some struggles we bring upon ourselves, others are brought upon us.  Some struggles will seem large in magnitude, others will be relatively minor.  But regardless of the struggles we encounter, Paul tells us to clothe ourselves with the Armor of God.  By having His protection around us, we are better able to deal and defend against struggles that come our way.  Ephesians 6:13 reads, "Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm."  Notice what happens after the battle -- you will still be standing firm.  You don't lie down and hope to die.  You don't hide and tend to your wounds.  You stand firm with hope for the future.  You stand firm knowing God will provide.  You stand firm and never give up.

 

Another reason we should always hope and never give up is because God has never given up on us. "For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son."  Romans 5:10 tells us that while we were still enemies of God, he didn't hold that against us.  He didn't pause or question his next step.  He allowed his one and only son to be murdered.  An innocent man killed because we were enemies with God.  When we love others, we need to show the same kind of hope.  We were enemies of God and he showed hope for us.  How much easier is it to show hope towards those we love?  Yet, often we don't.  Sometimes hope has to be intentional.  When we noticing ourselves not believing in those we love, we need to take a step back, readjust our thoughts and attitudes, then come back forward with the hope in others that we should have.

 

Yet another reason to continue hoping is because we should expect good things to come to us from God.  Jesus said (Matthew 7:11), "So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him."  God wants to give us gifts, loves to give us gifts, an knows how to give good gifts.  Knowing that these things are coming, it should be easy to continue to hope!  We already know what the end result is!  It would be different if the future were a complete mystery, but it is not.  God tells us what he intends to do.  There are the specifics that we aren't aware of, but looking at the whole thing in context, we can be hopeful for what is yet to come.

 

I pray you continue to be hopeful.

Chad T. Lower
a.k.a. Chopper
http://chadtlower.tripod.com/
 
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Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others.
Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.
Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.
                               Philippians 2:3-4