Category - Friends

We headed out to help a friend celebrate her 40th birthday last night. We met up for dinner at Jimmy Deans Diner in Midland along with a few other families.

It was a fantastic time to just be with other people.

When we were about to head home we talked about how we needed to catch up again really soon. I hope we do.

Life can get so busy that we never quite get around to catching up with those people who mean the most to us. Do you find that? Does your time get swallowed up by the unimportant while important relationships don’t get the attention they deserve?

Are there some friends that you need to find time for this weekend? Why not put down what you’re doing for a few minutes and make a call or two to arrange meeting up for dinner or a coffee over the next few days? Go on. You’ll be so glad you did.

Posted by Rodney Olsen

Technorati Tags: Friends – Relationships – Life

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I caught up with a friend on Saturday.

Keasty was one of the guys who rode with me when I cycled from Perth to Hobart a few years back. He’s from Dubbo in New South Wales but he’s in Perth for a week or so at the moment.

The best way to catch up with a cyclist is on a bike so we arranged to meet up for my regular Saturday morning cycling group ride. After the ride it was time for a coffee and a chin wag at the local café. Nothing lubricates a conversation like a good coffee.

After all the years I’ve been on this earth I’m still amazed by just how good it is to catch up with friends. We spend so much of our time trying to achieve things that will never satisfy and we leave less and less time to connect with the people that are important to us. I hope you took time out over the Easter long weekend to reconnect with friends.

It was so good to be able to spend time with Keasty. We share a number of interests, including cycling, but I guess the thing that helps to add a different dimension to our friendship is our shared faith. I love the small talk and the laughs but I reckon there’s something even more meaningful when you can talk about the deeper stuff of life with a friend.

We met up again yesterday when Keasty dropped in to the radio station where I work. (He even payed for lunch.)

Do you find that you get caught up in the urgency of the day to day routine and miss out on time with friends? Do you wish you could spend more time developing and deepening relationships? Sometimes it’s a matter of looking at what takes up our time and deciding what’s important to us then ordering our diary to reflect that decision.

Posted by Rodney Olsen

Technorati Tags: Friends – Cycling – Relationship

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The first time I met David he was hauling his mountain bike into the offices of the Bible Society of Western Australia. It was just a few days before we cycled off across Australia on our way to Sydney to arrive in time for the 2000 Olympic Games.

Having crossed Australia by bicycle several times before I was quite concerned at the thought that one of our team would be doing the trip on such a heavy machine. Most of us had thin tyred road bikes. There was only one other mountain bike on the journey and I knew that those on mountain bikes would have to work much harder than the rest of us.

I needn’t have been concerned. David Andretzke was an absolute powerhouse. He was an incredibly strong cyclist and a wonderful person. I think I only saw him looking exhausted from riding once. Mind you, he did learn his lesson. He arrived for our 2003 Bike for Bibles ride from Perth to Hobart with a shiny new road bike.

I got the very sad news last night that David was killed while cycling on Sunday morning. He was out early on a training ride before church. I’m told he was out on his mountain bike when a delivery truck hit him from behind in the Barossa Valley about 6:30 a.m.

The collision happened on the Kapunda to Truro Road, 8km east of Kapunda, as both David and the truck were travelling west towards Kapunda.

David was a single guy who had 3 sisters and a brother. He was part of Gnadenberg Lutheran Church, Moculta. He was a farmer who loved a range of outdoor pursuits.

On the two trips across Australia, we had the privilege of hearing David play the piano for us a few times. He was accomplished on the piano and organ.

One of the main hallmarks of David’s life was his deep love of God. It just poured out of him. He loved God and loved being with God’s people.

When asked to say why he was embarking on the 2003 ride from Perth to Hobart, David wrote that he wanted to come out of his shell a little more, to create friendships and to touch other peoples lives. He certainly did that and more.

David will certainly be missed by all who knew him.

 

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Ingo and Iris have been visiting Perth from Germany for the last few weeks. They began the long flight home yesterday afternoon. From left to right the photo shows Ingo, me and Iris. Click on the picture for a better look.

They managed to meet several local bloggers while they were in Perth. Dee invited them along to the last Perth Weblogger Meetup which I was unable to attend. (I’m determined to get to at least a couple of meetups in 2007.)

When I found out that Ingo and Iris were coming to Perth I couldn’t wait to arrange to meet. We got together for a tour of my workplace, 98.5 Sonshine FM, and a coffee before Christmas and yesterday was time to say farewell. Pauline, Emily, James and I drove out to Perth’s international airport to say our goodbyes. Saying goodbye was a little strange for the rest of the family seeing as it was the first time they’d met Ingo and Iris.

If it wasn’t such a busy time of year we would have spent more time together. I very much enjoyed the short time we enjoyed together and I only wish that it wasn’t at such a busy time of the year. I would have loved to enjoy a barbecue together or to show them some local tourist attractions.

Ingo and Iris, if you can ever make it back here for another holiday (or to stay) I look forward to spending a lot more time with you. Thank you for the opportunity to share your time while you were in our wonderful city.

I still find it amazing that I can get to know people half way around the world and that they can know all about me simply by sitting at a computer. I must admit that as great as it is to meet people online through blogging, there’s still nothing that can beat sitting down face to face with friends. That’s what made our short time together such a privilege.

I met quite a few bloggers face to face in 2006 and I’m hoping I’ll meet even more in 2007. If you’re ever in the Perth area and you want to catch up for a coffee and a look around a radio station, just let me know. (That goes for Perth locals too.)

Posted by Rodney Olsen

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Technorati Tags: Blogging – Germany – Perth

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