un californien à paris

Genesis 2.18

God saw that it was not good for man to be alone. It is, however, very good for a man to be alone with his family from time to time. Tomorrow will be the only full day this month that I will have alone with Karen, Michaël, and Samuel. And he saw that it was not good... Please pray for Karen as I travel again this coming weekend. I'm planning to stay closer to home in June.

Parenting question: Is it wise to let a three-year old climb tall trees?

btw, you can download the latest finley family update letter here.

her children arise and bless her

Her name is Lois Faye Finley. Most people know her as Faye. Thousands of children refer to her as Miss Faye. My sons call her Grandma. She is my mom. Respect this: I weighed 9lbs 9oz at birth (almost 5 kilos!). She spent the first month of my life in bed. Mom doesn't like Mother's Day, but it's not because of the pain I caused her. (my brother, David, likes to say that my head is the same size now as at birth ;-) Mother's Day, she says, "hurts more people than it helps." She thinks of those who can't have children or who have complicated and sometimes hurtful mother-child relationships. For many, Mother's day is a source of pain rather than joy and for my mom that's not worth another stupid greeting card.. I would like to praise her on this day for a selfless attitude that consistently plays itself out in her decisions and daily life... Even on her day, Mother's day, she's thinking of others.

Mom, you have shown me what it means to love through service. I am still learning from your example. Thank you for giving me life and for showing how to live it to the fullest!

A weekend in Saumur

We're back after meandering like the Loire river through a long weekend in the Saumur region. Here are the PHOTOS.

L'amour est aveugle, mais le mariage rend la vue

This is mon soleil, my sunshine that breaks through the low gray Paris ceiling. I love her with my eyes wide open.

Tomorrow, we will have been married 5 years. We are celebrating our anniversary in the Chateaux de la Loire, near Tour. Strangely, I'll be preaching at our friends' wedding. (I'll post some pictures when we get back). The preparation and time to reflect on marriage in general and my marriage in particular has been good for me. Last Wednesday, the film Mariages opened in theatres across France. The scenario makes good use of various sayings and proverbs about marriage (mostly cynical and bleak, as one might expect).

One proverb in particular caused me to think, L'amour est aveugle, mais le mariage rend la vue. Translation: Love is blind, but marriage gives sight. I don't think anyone would get married if love was not initially blind. If there wasn't that euphoric impression to have found the man or the woman of our dreams, the perfect fit, I don't think any of us would every make it to that proverbial alter.

However, for me, the greatest pleasure in marriage is to know Karen as she is and to be known by her as I am. To love a real person is far richer than to love a fictive character invented in my mind. And there is nothing better than to be seen with clear, bright eyes and to be loved. Yes, marriage gives sight, but to love with one's eyes wide open requires grace, daily forgiveness for one's partner and for one's self. I believe love that lasts is always the fruit of forgiveness. And forgiveness is never blind.

A time for everything? Part I: the Family

I finally got around to writing an official-soon-to-be-approved-by-CBI-finley-family-UPDATE-letter. These letters are mostly for friends who don't read this or any blog, but you, oh faithful blog reader, can download it for free right here and right now, days before my mission agency approves it and puts it on their web site for download and weeks before people receive it in the mail.

Kiss me, Kate

this is Ian, my brother David's son, and Kate, my sister Sara's daughter, the newest member of our family. from the look on Ian's face i don't think he is about to become Kate's kissing cousin.

Katherine Faye Jennings was born on 19 March 2004 at around 11:00 am in Pasadena, California. We all call her Kate.

Welcome to the world, Kate. You are loved.

California Cousins

my brother, david, sent me this post card from southern california. it was great to see him and his family last month. it had been two years since we had all been together at the same place and time. samuel, distinguishingly pictured here with his finger in his nose, did not suceed as he had planned to teach his california cousins to speak french. he did manage to begin speaking english in short, effective sentences (usually bossy little commands for his cousins) by the time we left. this gives me hope that one day my sons will speak my first language, even if it will always be their second . (Hélas, j'ai beaucoup moins d'espoir quand il s'agit d'apprendre aux californiens de parler le français. Quoi que mon frère se débrouille pas mal! Il ne supporte pas de ne pas comprendre quand on parle la belle langue. ;-)

i had a great time riding mountain bikes with my bro in the San Bernadino mountains, too bad we didn't have a camera with us. we played like children, something we need to do more often. here are some photos of our children playing together that david has posted on his web site.

all the finleys around the world are waiting breathlessly for the annoucement of the newest california cousin's birth. my sister sara's due date was yesterday.

desert life

can you guess where we are in the world? Here are some clues.

Unplugged

We’re pulling the plug ‘til 5 March. Vacation! Somewhere, nowhere, home, away? We’re not saying. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be vacation. We’ll be in a warm, wide and vacant space; pouring in some full-bodied, well-aged relationships. We might post a few pics to give you clues about our whereabouts but don’t hold your breath. We’re slowing way down. Deliberate leisure: walking, together, one unhurried step after the other.

Samuel will get to see Grandpa and Grandma, his cousins, and aunts and uncles for the first time in almost two years. For the first time ever, everyone will get to see Michaël, really see him and take all his ample chubbiness into a family of loving arms.

Papa and Maman will have an army of babysitters to set them free to savor each other again as two become one… to be grateful, one breath after the other.

deux mois de bonheur

Our angel-warrior, Michaël, was born two months ago today. Our cup overfloweth. Translate: we haven't slept much lately. He started smiling last week; the joy of receiving something, anything from this little one to whom we would give our last breath was unexpected and intense.

I feel compelled to add that it was Karen who, last night, only slept a few hours between Michaël's bottles at Midnight, 3am and 6am. She wanted to let me rest so that I'd be fresh enough this morning to work on my message for Sunday. Love is like that: Karen poured herself out for me and for our baby so that, Sunday morning, I will have something left, good spiritual milk, to give to others. Together, we pray that, one day, Michaël and Samuel will learn to give their lives away too, just as This Way was modeled for us.