All Posts By

sean

Health Journey Update

This Made My Day

Posted on July 24, 2016

Today has been a pretty good day so far! For some reason I thought it might be somewhat emotional with this being the one year mark since the diagnosis. Just yesterday Jamie admitted to me for the first time that there was a time when she didn’t think I would make it to see River’s 5th birthday.

Well, I am still here and still fighting!

It was nearly 6 months ago when I experienced a breakthrough in regards to the mental game of fighting for your life. The first six months being I was consumed with my mortality and actually believing I would survive this diagnosis.

Then the breakthrough came!

Since then, death is not something I give any thought to. I take each day I am given and do my best to make the most of it. Today was a good day, and for a couple of reasons, but only one I want to share here in this post.

This morning before church I was sitting on the bench outside of the school where we meet each Sunday. I happen to be sitting with my two boys – chatting about the day and what may happen. As we were sitting there, Jill Burkinshaw – a woman who was instrumental in pairing up Jamie and I 12 years ago was walking down the path towards the front of the school.

(Not only was Jill key to Jamie and I meeting, and eventually getting married – she has been an incredible blessing to our lives and the lives of many others.)

In her hand was a white bag and she headed straight for the boys and I. We greeted one another and then she handed me the bag. In it was a beautiful potted, yellow flower. At first I thought it might be for Jamie, but she handed it to me and congratulated me on making it through this year.

What a thoughtful gift!

Even in the midst of Jill walking out her own journey with her husband’s health she thought about the importance of this day, and gave such a beautiful card with such meaningful words – and a beautiful flower!

This definitely made my day!

Thanks Jill for your thoughtfulness and your love for us as a family.

We love you!

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Blog

I Lost My Wedding Ring In The Garbage Dump

Posted on July 22, 2016

Yup, you read the title correctly. I lost my wedding ring at the Point Roberts garbage dump yesterday! Obviously, not one of my best moments in life – but hey, we all have our moments from time to time.

After loading up the Flex yesterday with a bunch of stuff from the cabin, I headed out to the local dump to dispose of everything. It wasn’t a busy day at the dump. Usually, the line up to get into the dump is enormous! I received my instructions from the guy who was working the scales and headed to the bins where I was to dispose of all our garbage.

I backed up the Flex and started to unload. Now, before I continue any further, you need to know that because of my recent health issues, I have lost some weight – even in my fingers. I have know for some time that my wedding ring doesn’t fit the best, but hey, it’s my wedding ring, and I wear it faithfully! It is a daily reminder of the vows I made to my wife over 11 years ago. My ring is important to me!

Back to the story…

As I was unloading all the garbage from the Flex, I needed to throw it all in a large bin below me. Everything was going according to plan, when all of a sudden I threw two bags at the same time into the bin, and my ring cam flying off into the bin! Crap! Where did it go? Now you need to understand that the bin was pretty much completely filled to the brim with small, disgusting garbage. What was I going to do?

I approached the guy who was working near the bins and told him about my dilemma. It wasn’t to keen on allowing me to enter the bins to search for my ring. He cited safety reasons. I told him it was my wedding ring and I really wanted a chance to look for it. He was reluctant at first to allow me to get into the bin, but after some convincing he let dumpster dive! This was nothing new to me. Not that I am proud of it, but I have entered many garbage bins in my time.

I jumped right into the bin without any hesitation. I was a man on a mission! After about 10 minutes of searching the area where I thought it was – there was a small part of me that wanted to quit. How was I going to find a needle in a haystack? I can’t quit! This is my wedding ring. I said a quick prayer in my head and continued to search. At that time, a couple of guys showed up and started throwing things out in the same bin I was crawling around in. They looked at me and stated the obvious – did you lose something? I said, “yes, my wedding ring.” The one guy looked at me said, “I hope you find it.” My response was “so do I.”

Not two minutes later I looked down at my feet and staring right at me as it clung to a black garbage bag was my wedding ring! Can you believe it! It was a miracle! I was in shock! Honestly, how do you find a wedding ring in the midst of all the garbage that filled that bin. ONLY GOD!

I climbed out of the bin and headed back to the top of the hill where the Flex was and the three guys who were there also. The one guy responded when I yelled out – “I found it” by saying praise the Lord. I looked at him and said – “you’re right, Praise the Lord.” I continued to tell him I was a Pastor and that I had just prayed a quick prayer in my head. He responded by saying – “hey, I am a Christian too.” The two other guys who were there then responded by informing us that they too were Pastors from East Vancouver. What a crazy experience! We all just stood there and marvelled at what just had transpired.

This was another reminder to me about how much God really cares about His kids! He really does. He cares about every detail of our lives – whether you believe that or not.

I said my goodbyes and hoped back into the Flex and headed back to the cabin. The entire ride home I kept looking at my ring! Even as I write this post, I am in awe of what transpired at the dump in Point Roberts.

Anyways, thanks for reading this! I hope you have a great day! Remember, God cares about you!

Sean




Family

Happy Father’s Day

Posted on June 19, 2016

To my dad, and to all the dads out there today – HAPPY FATHER’S DAY! I hope you have a great day! Here is what the internet has to say about the history of Father’s Day. I had no idea…

In 1910, a Father’s Day celebration was held in Spokane, Washington, at the YMCA by Sonora Smart Dodd, who was born in Arkansas. Its first celebration was in the Spokane YMCA on June 19, 1910. Her father, the civil war veteran William Jackson Smart, was a single parent who raised his six children there. (GOOGLE)

Food Health

The Glycemic Index

Posted on June 18, 2016

For those who were asking yesterday during the Facebook Feed, here is a copy of the Glycemic Index we use. Please feel free to download it and print it off. We hope it will serve as a guideline when deciding what foods to eat.

(from the internet)

The Glycemic Index is a scale that ranks carbohydrate rich foods by how much they raise blood glucose sugar levels compared to a standard food. The Glycemic Index measures the increase in blood glucose levels during the two hours after eating a particular kind of food. Some foods that contain carbohydrate create a quick and more dramatic rise in blood glucose, such as white rice and dry cereal.

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Life

The Truth About Cancer

Posted on June 17, 2016

Nearly a year ago I was introduced to a powerful web series called, The Truth About Cancer. This is a 9 episode documentary which you can watch all 9 videos below. I hope you enjoy, and I would love to hear your thoughts.