Father's Day 2009

September 7, 2009
by Rodney Olsen
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fathersday.gifI love my kids … and it would seem they love me. 🙂

They put a couple of notices in the Father’s Day section of yesterday’s Sunday Times newspaper.

Emily wrote:

Daddy, thank you for being my stronghold when I don’t know what to do. Thank you for giving me hugs when I really need one from you.

I pray the Lord will answer you every time you pray. And that you have a really special Father’s Day!

Love, Emily

While James said:

Dear Dad, thank you for teaching me how to ride my bike and for teaching me about God’s love.

I hope you have a great day today.

From your loving son, James.

PS: I love you.

I am truly blessed.



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Home Sweet Sweet Home

August 10, 2009
by Rodney Olsen
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I haven’t been around here for a while. I’m sure that you figured out that it’s nothing you said or did, it’s more the fact that we’ve been moving house.

We are now proud co-owners, with the bank, of our lovely new home. Well, it’s new to us. It’s actually an eight year old home but it’s so much nicer than the home we sold. And the best part? It already feels like home. In fact, it felt like home almost as soon as we got here last Wednesday.

We are surrounded by boxes and our days have been filled with wondering what goes best where. We’ve also had a few friends and family members dropping in to see our new place. The busyness is sure to continue for quite a while. I had last week off work to help make the move happen and this week off work to try and get things in some kind of order. We’re discovering all the things that don’t quite suit our style of living and making plans to make the minor changes required to have it even more feel like ‘our place’.

The new home is within walking distance to the school that Emily and James are attending. Up until now, Pauline had been driving around 130 km a day to drop them off in the morning then to go back and pick them up in the afternoon. We had planned this move last year and so Emily and James started at their new school in February, at the beginning of the new school year. We had imagined that Pauline might have a few weeks of driving that distance. We never imagined that it would be over half a year.

It’s so very good to finally be here and settling in.

I certainly couldn’t write this post without acknowledging the fact that so many people helped make this happen. I won’t start mentioning names because I’m sure to forget someone. I’ll just say that from our real estate agent to family members, friends from our old church, friends from our new church and various other dear friends, this whole process has been an incredible team effort. Those who have helped may never know just how much we have appreciated their kindness and extreme generosity.

We also need to thank God for teaching us so much about patience and for providing the right home at exactly the right time.

It’s good to be home.



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We're going to get along fine

June 20, 2009
by Rodney Olsen
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coffee_cup.jpgI made a new friend last night. I get the feeling we’re going to be spending a fair amount of time together over the next few years.

After dropping Emily off at youth group last night I had a couple of hours to kill. I was already fairly close to where we’re going to live once we eventually move so I decided to drive past our new house before dropping in to the local cafe. It’s about a kilometre from the new house and I reckon I might be seeing a lot more of that cafe.

I ordered a long black and a melting moment biscuit then sat down with a book I need to read for a review on my radio programme. It felt like home, or at least a home away from home. The staff were friendly, the atmosphere relaxed, the decor warm, and the coffee was just right.

Things don’t always turn out as you plan but I can imagine that I’ll be back at that cafe very soon. I can imagine spending time there alone with a good book or three. I can imagine taking Pauline there for a bit of time out together. I can imagine taking Emily and James there for a treat now and then. I can imagine drinking coffee there with cycling friends that I haven’t even met yet. If you’re in the area you might drop in and have a coffee with me there too.

That cafe and me, I think we’re going to get along just fine.



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I'm not scared

June 12, 2009
by Rodney Olsen
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13.jpgSomething happened to me today that would scare many others but I’m absolutely fine with it.

I became the father of a teenager. Our daughter Emily turned 13 today.

I know that the teenage years can be pretty rough, both for those going through them and for parents, but I’m not too concerned. There may be challenges along the way and we’ll face them if and when they come.

In the meantime, we’ll just keep on enjoying the company of our beautiful young girl who is rapidly becoming a beautiful young woman. Emily is an amazing person. She’s thoughtful, clever, funny, intelligent, sensitive and so much more and it’s a delight to watch her as she grows up to be more and more the young woman that God has created her to be.

I figure that if she turns out anything at all like her mum she’ll be doing very well indeed.



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Dispensable

May 11, 2009
by Rodney Olsen
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It’s good to be back. I will admit that I could have spent some more time on holiday, resting and relaxing, but it’s the day to day stuff of life that makes holidays so special when they come along; and I love my job so that helps.

I spent the past week on Rottnest Island with extended family.

The weather was perfect and being with family is always a good thing.

I swam, I read, I cycled, drank good coffee and enjoyed good company.

Today looks a little different. I’m back at work, on air at Sonshine FM.

The interesting thing I find about holidays is that they prove just how dispensable I am at work. Don’t get me wrong, I think that’s a good thing.

When I get wrapped up in my work I can start to think that I’m absolutely necessary for the smooth running of wherever it is that I’m employed. Wisdom comes with age and as I get older I realise more and more that I have a part to play but that the world won’t fall apart if I’m not at work. Holidays help to remind me of that and reinforce the fact that the world doesn’t really depend on me. It’ll keep turning with or without me. I’m completely dispensable.

Announcer Peter Rowe did a wonderful job with my morning radio programme and the world didn’t fall apart over the past fortnight.

Does that mean that I don’t matter or that my efforts are for nothing? Absolutely not, but it does remind me of where my striving and attention is of most use. Who would miss me the most if I was no longer around? My radio audience? No. My workmates? No. My friends? No. They might all miss me to one degree or another but it’s really my family who would miss me the most if I wasn’t around.

That’s a great indicator as to where I should be putting my efforts and energies in life.

How about you? Have you discovered that you’re dispensable, yet at the same time valued and needed by those who love you?



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