NAMING NAMES!
There are some important names to remember this time of year – such as Father Christmas, AKA Santa Claus, AKA Saint Nicholas. But you might also keep in mind a few other names as well – less well known, but quite significant in our family…
Annie – or Anne – comes from the Hebrew ‘Hannah’ , meaning ‘Full of Grace’
She’s certainly lived up to that this year. She’s had to! Quite apart from all the normal demands imposed on her by being a Deacon, being a Mum and being my wife, in January we began fostering Jayden. And I think it’s fair to say that it has therefore been a very challenging year. But throughout it she has lived up to her name. OK, some days maybe more than others. But without the grace she manages to bring to every situation and every person, it would have been a lot more difficult. What an angel… see picture above!
Tom – Thomas – meaning ‘The Twin’ - which he isn’t. Truth is he was named after a famous Thomas. Yes, you’ve got it, Thomas the Tank Engine! Or it could have been Doubting Thomas?
A lot of Tom’s year has been taken up with wedding planning! Yes, March 2019 will be when he and Charlotte enter into a binding contract to share the contents of their refrigerator, and we’ll all be there to cheer them on and make sure he doesn’t chicken out. (Not an option, I’ve bought new shoes for the occasion).
It’s been a busy time for him – at work as well – but the venue is sorted, the food is planned, the guest list worked out, the suits, dresses and other wedding apparel all chosen… he must have doubted sometimes if they’d ever get to the end of the to-do list, but everything’s on track! Looking forward to some big celebrations next year.
Matt – Matthew - ‘A gift of God’.
Of course, Matt’s always known he was God’s Gift to someone! Perhaps to Music? He’s know in his final year studying composition, so we may find out soon! In the meantime, life is cool and he’s chilled with it. So chilled that he’s taken up Warhammer for a bit of excitement...
Andy – Andrew – ‘Manly, Brave. A Warrior’.
Andy’s been a real worrier this year. Sorry, warrior! Firstly, with getting the A-level results he needed for university. Then in getting the work experience he needed to be able to do Veterinary Science. Then in actually getting everything together to move up to Liverpool and start the course.
But he manned up, bravely faced all the challenges – and won! With a bit of help from his Mum, who sorted out a few details for him (see above, under ‘Grace’). He’s settled in at Liverpool Uni and enjoying his new life as a student.
Jayden – A fairly recent name, this, so it doesn’t have much history. But there is a Jadon in the Bible: Jadon the Meronothite, who helped build the walls of Jerusalem. It means ‘God has heard’ or ‘He will Judge’ or ‘Thankful’ - take your pick!
Jayden has been with us nearly a year now, and we’ve all learned a lot in that time! One thing is we’ve had to re-discover how much energy a young boy needs to burn off! The new trampoline in the garden helps with that, and he can do some pretty cool stuff on it already. But then, he’s really good at any sort of sport. Just recently he tried out ice-skating for the first time and, although he did fall over quite a lot, he always got back up, and by the time the forty-five minute session was over, he was getting all the way round the rink and staying upright!
During the year, he’s changed schools, which was a challenge for him but he’s settled in really well. He’s also been on holiday with us twice, and now he’s looking forward to his first Trembling Christmas – which, as you see from the picture above, he’s already getting into!
Blaze - on a horse, a white stripe. Or of course, it’s a fire.
Sadly, Blaze’s fire is burning a little low nowadays. Of course, he’s quite an old dog, so that’s to be expected. But he doesn’t walk as much or run as fast as he used to, and he’s had to go to the vet’s a lot with he various old age problems. (Don’t ask for details, you wouldn’t like them). He can still manage a good appetite though, and even a wag of his tail on occasions.
Paul – small. Or humble. Whatever you say.
As Churchill said of Attlee – ‘A humble little man, with a great deal to be humble about!’
Well, actually I’m a little bit proud of having managed to finish another book in the ‘Local’ series, despite the steep learning curve of that is Fostering and all the other little things going on. ‘Local Legend’ is a story of friendship, betrayal and football which should be published in November 2019.
So that’s the Tremblings in 2018… apologies if this year’s letter is short on details, but as you see, it’s been busy enough without writing it all down!
And in any case, the most important name this time of year isn’t any of ours! It’s Immanuel… which means of course, ‘God With Us’.
May the joy of that be with you this Christmas, and the blessing of it with you throughout 2019!
There are some important names to remember this time of year – such as Father Christmas, AKA Santa Claus, AKA Saint Nicholas. But you might also keep in mind a few other names as well – less well known, but quite significant in our family…
Annie – or Anne – comes from the Hebrew ‘Hannah’ , meaning ‘Full of Grace’
She’s certainly lived up to that this year. She’s had to! Quite apart from all the normal demands imposed on her by being a Deacon, being a Mum and being my wife, in January we began fostering Jayden. And I think it’s fair to say that it has therefore been a very challenging year. But throughout it she has lived up to her name. OK, some days maybe more than others. But without the grace she manages to bring to every situation and every person, it would have been a lot more difficult. What an angel… see picture above!
Tom – Thomas – meaning ‘The Twin’ - which he isn’t. Truth is he was named after a famous Thomas. Yes, you’ve got it, Thomas the Tank Engine! Or it could have been Doubting Thomas?
A lot of Tom’s year has been taken up with wedding planning! Yes, March 2019 will be when he and Charlotte enter into a binding contract to share the contents of their refrigerator, and we’ll all be there to cheer them on and make sure he doesn’t chicken out. (Not an option, I’ve bought new shoes for the occasion).
It’s been a busy time for him – at work as well – but the venue is sorted, the food is planned, the guest list worked out, the suits, dresses and other wedding apparel all chosen… he must have doubted sometimes if they’d ever get to the end of the to-do list, but everything’s on track! Looking forward to some big celebrations next year.
Matt – Matthew - ‘A gift of God’.
Of course, Matt’s always known he was God’s Gift to someone! Perhaps to Music? He’s know in his final year studying composition, so we may find out soon! In the meantime, life is cool and he’s chilled with it. So chilled that he’s taken up Warhammer for a bit of excitement...
Andy – Andrew – ‘Manly, Brave. A Warrior’.
Andy’s been a real worrier this year. Sorry, warrior! Firstly, with getting the A-level results he needed for university. Then in getting the work experience he needed to be able to do Veterinary Science. Then in actually getting everything together to move up to Liverpool and start the course.
But he manned up, bravely faced all the challenges – and won! With a bit of help from his Mum, who sorted out a few details for him (see above, under ‘Grace’). He’s settled in at Liverpool Uni and enjoying his new life as a student.
Jayden – A fairly recent name, this, so it doesn’t have much history. But there is a Jadon in the Bible: Jadon the Meronothite, who helped build the walls of Jerusalem. It means ‘God has heard’ or ‘He will Judge’ or ‘Thankful’ - take your pick!
Jayden has been with us nearly a year now, and we’ve all learned a lot in that time! One thing is we’ve had to re-discover how much energy a young boy needs to burn off! The new trampoline in the garden helps with that, and he can do some pretty cool stuff on it already. But then, he’s really good at any sort of sport. Just recently he tried out ice-skating for the first time and, although he did fall over quite a lot, he always got back up, and by the time the forty-five minute session was over, he was getting all the way round the rink and staying upright!
During the year, he’s changed schools, which was a challenge for him but he’s settled in really well. He’s also been on holiday with us twice, and now he’s looking forward to his first Trembling Christmas – which, as you see from the picture above, he’s already getting into!
Blaze - on a horse, a white stripe. Or of course, it’s a fire.
Sadly, Blaze’s fire is burning a little low nowadays. Of course, he’s quite an old dog, so that’s to be expected. But he doesn’t walk as much or run as fast as he used to, and he’s had to go to the vet’s a lot with he various old age problems. (Don’t ask for details, you wouldn’t like them). He can still manage a good appetite though, and even a wag of his tail on occasions.
Paul – small. Or humble. Whatever you say.
As Churchill said of Attlee – ‘A humble little man, with a great deal to be humble about!’
Well, actually I’m a little bit proud of having managed to finish another book in the ‘Local’ series, despite the steep learning curve of that is Fostering and all the other little things going on. ‘Local Legend’ is a story of friendship, betrayal and football which should be published in November 2019.
So that’s the Tremblings in 2018… apologies if this year’s letter is short on details, but as you see, it’s been busy enough without writing it all down!
And in any case, the most important name this time of year isn’t any of ours! It’s Immanuel… which means of course, ‘God With Us’.
May the joy of that be with you this Christmas, and the blessing of it with you throughout 2019!