Blog | frasergo.orghttps://www.frasergo.org/blog/2022-05-24T13:17:17+00:00BlogThat He Is and No More2022-05-24T13:17:17+00:00david/blog/author/david/https://www.frasergo.org/blog/2022/05/that-he-is-and-no-more/<p>In preparing a message on prayer recently, I remembered a quote that previously impacted me:</p>
<p><em>"What a man is on his knees before God, that he is, and no more"</em></p>
<p>I don't like quoting people without a proper source, and I seemed to remember it was by Robert Murray M'Cheyne, so I set off in search of the original author, to confirm this.</p>
<h4><strong>M'Cheyne or Owen?</strong></h4>
<div>There are a number of unsourced attributions - to M'Cheyne online (<a href="https://www.kingscrossnyc.org/2015/11/what-a-man-is-on-his-knees-before-god-that-he-is-and-nothing-more-%E2%80%95-robert-murray-mccheyne/">1</a>, <a href="https://livethelife.org.za/sermons/1-timothy-2-conclusion-summary-what-a-man-is-on-his-knees-before-god-that-he-is-and-nothing-more/">2</a>), and in books (<a href="https://books.google.co.za/books?id=kjQyEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT79&dq=%22what+a+man+is+on+his+knees+before+God%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi24MG_lPj3AhVBilwKHVGeCrwQ6AF6BAgJEAI#v=onepage&q=%22what%20a%20man%20is%20on%20his%20knees%20before%20God%22&f=false">1</a>, <a href="https://books.google.co.za/books?id=OAVSCwAAQBAJ&lpg=PT235&dq=%22what%20a%20man%20is%20on%20his%20knees%20before%20God%22&pg=PT235#v=onepage&q=%22what%20a%20man%20is%20on%20his%20knees%20before%20God%22&f=false">2</a>, <a href="https://books.google.co.za/books?id=4AUjEAAAQBAJ&lpg=PA137&dq=%22what%20a%20man%20is%20on%20his%20knees%20before%20God%22&pg=PA137#v=onepage&q=%22what%20a%20man%20is%20on%20his%20knees%20before%20God%22&f=false">3</a>), or John Owen (<a href="https://media.faith-bible.net/scripture/matthew/the-lords-prayer">1</a>, <a href="https://www.challies.com/quotes/7-things-that-christ-is/">2</a>, <a href="https://johnowen.org/quotes/">3</a>). The earliest attribution of these was to M'Cheyne in <a href="https://books.google.co.za/books?id=82fMFqbwdDEC&lpg=PA8&dq=%22what%20a%20man%20is%20on%20his%20knees%20before%20God%22&pg=PA8#v=onepage&q=%22what%20a%20man%20is%20on%20his%20knees%20before%20God%22&f=false"><em>Pray in the Spirit</em></a> by Arthur Wallis, published in 1970.</div>
<div></div>
<div>However, it doesn't seem to have been said by M'Cheyne. I found a <a href="http://www.shallwesingasongforyou.co.uk/2017/10/what-a-man-is-on-his-knees-before-god/">blog post</a> by <a href="https://twitter.com/stutefc">Stephen Steele</a> questioning him (or John Owen) ever saying this, and linking to another <a href="https://fauxtations.wordpress.com/2016/06/14/what-we-are-before-god/">blog post</a> by <a href="https://twitter.com/frgeoffhorton">Father Horton</a> on the <em>Fauxtations</em> website, assessing a similar quote to attributed to St Anthony of Padua ("What we are before God we are and nothing more") as a misattribution.</div>
<div></div>
<div>In <em>A Communion of Love: The Christ-Centered Spirituality of Robert Murray M'Cheyne</em> by Jordan Stone, the attribution to M'Cheyne is questioned but a fuller quote from John Owen is given in <a href="https://books.google.co.za/books?id=7KShDwAAQBAJ&lpg=PT151&dq=%22what%20a%20man%20is%20on%20his%20knees%20before%20God%22&pg=PT151#v=onepage&q=%22what%20a%20man%20is%20on%20his%20knees%20before%20God%22&f=false">Footnote 777</a>:</div>
<blockquote>
<div>A similar quote often attributed to M'Cheyne is as follows: "What a man is on his knees before God, that he is- and nothing more." No source exists in those secondary resources that reference it, nor has one yet been found. It sounds very similar to a statement attributed to John Owen that "a minister may fill his pews and communion roll but what he is on his knees in secret before God Almighty, that he is and no more." Thomas, <em>A Puritan Gold Treasury</em>, 192.</div>
</blockquote>
<div>I can't find a copy of <em>A Puritan Gold Treasury</em> in electronic format, but it is <a href="https://banneroftruth.org/us/store/devotionalsdaily-readings/the-golden-treasury-of-puritan-quotations/">purchasable online</a>.</div>
<div></div>
<div>I did search through all 21 volumes of <em>The Works of John Owen</em> on the Internet Archive (indexed helpfully at <a href="http://digitalpuritan.net/john-owen/"><em>The Digital Puritan</em></a>; at over 500 pages each, John Owen wrote a lot!) and couldn't find this reference. But I did eventually find a quote more similar to the original, in Volume 13, <em>The Nature, Power, Deceit, and Prevalency of the Remainders of Indwelling Sin in Believers</em>, on <a href="https://archive.org/details/worksofjohnowe13owen/page/180/mode/1up?view=theater&q=%22that+he+is+in+the+eyes+of+God%22">p180</a> :</div>
<blockquote>
<div>Hence our Saviour lets us know, Matt. vi. 6. what a man is in secret, in these private duties, that he is in the eyes of God, and no more.</div>
</blockquote>
<div>You can read this more easily in a <a href="http://www.onthewing.org/user/Owen_Indwelling%20Sin%20-%20Modern.pdf">modern PDF</a> of the 1885 Glasgow Edition of this book (nicely produced by William Gross), on p115.</div>
<div></div>
<div>I would guess that this is the true quote, and that the preface of "a minister may fill his pews and communion roll" is an embellishment by somebody else - although Owen uses the word "communion" a lot, I can't find one mention of a "communion roll" or "pews" - in his works.</div>
<h4><strong>An Earlier Quote from St Francis</strong></h4>
<p>I did also find a similar (but much older!) quote attributed to St Francis of Assisi in <a href="https://swinzelerblog.files.wordpress.com/2016/09/the-rule-of-the-secular-franciscan-order.pdf"><em>The Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order</em></a>: "Francis reminds us of this in Admonition 19, <em>we are what we are before God and nothing more"</em>. In <a href="https://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/wosf/wosf03.htm#fr_120"><em>The Writings of St. Francis of Assisi</em>, Part 1 Admonition 20</a> we find: "Blessed is the servant who does not regard himself as better when he is esteemed and extolled by men than when he is reputed as mean, simple, and despicable: for what a man is in the sight of God, so much he is, and no more.". This is <a href="https://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/wosf/wosf03.htm#fn_120">footnoted</a> with some further attribution (the embedded links are mine):</p>
<blockquote>
<div>See <a href="http://rilievo.poliba.it/bsc/bsc/st/cc/orm/francescani/fonti/ff_leggendamaggiore_lat.html#Cap_I_6">Bonav. <i>Leg. Maj.</i>, VI, 1</a>: "And he had these words continually in his mouth<b>: '</b>what a man is in the eyes of God, so much he is, and no more.'" See also <a href="https://www.ccel.org/ccel/kempis/imitation.THREE.50.html"><i>Imitation of Christ</i>, Bk. III, Chap. L</a>, where the same saying of St. Francis is quoted.</div>
</blockquote>
<div>The Bonaventure quote from Legenda Maiore gives us this in Latin: <em>"Sed et verbum hoc dicere solitus erat: "Quantum homo est in oculis Dei, tantum est et non plus".</em></div>
<h4><b>Who we are before God</b></h4>
<div>It's interesting to think of the sequence of inspiration and reflection that these gradually changing quotes form over time:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>"When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you". (Jesus, 1st Century, Matthew 6:6 NIV Translation)</li>
<li>"What a man is in the sight of God, so much he is, and no more" (St Francis of Assisi, 13th Century, Admonitions, 20).</li>
<li>"What a man is in secret, in these private duties, that he is in the eyes of God, and no more." (John Owen, 17th Century, <i>Indwelling Sin in Believers).</i></li>
<li>"What a man is on his knees before God, that he is - and nothing more" (possibly M'Cheyne, 19th Century, but equally possibly someone else loosely quoting Owen)</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>The difference in emphasis is interesting:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Jesus' original saying in Matthew 6 emphasizes God the Father seeing and valuing your prayer: God sees what is in secret, where others don't. Although it doesn't clearly state that what is done in secret is the truest reflection of your nature or character, that is arguably implicit in the context of 6:1-6 stating that if the motive of prayer or given is being seen by others, God will not reward you.</li>
<li>St Francis's quote emphasizes that since God sees our true nature, what He sees of us <em>is</em> who we really are. Any other layers of pretence we put on are invisible to God, and are not really true of us. We therefore ought only to value what God sees in us, and not what others sees in us. Prayer is not explicitly in focus here, but rather our reputations.</li>
<li>Owen's quote emphasizes again that God really values who we are in secret, not what we project. The focus is on what God sees, rather than on what our essential nature is. The context is discussing our life of prayer - those "duties of private communion with God [which] are the means of receiving supplies of spiritual strength from him". We need to come to God to receive the grace and strength He gives in communion with Him.</li>
<li>The form attributed to M'Cheyne returns the focus to our nature, character or being, using a similar formulation to St Francis - and pictures us on our knees before God, as though the rest of the universe has become irrelevant. We are once again stripped back to what is really going on in our hearts, and the deepest reality of our hearts is how we relate to God.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>(Of course, "a man" in all of these could better be "a person", since gender is irrelevant here)</div>
<div></div>
<div>All this shows that Christian quotes on prayer can be meaningful, old, and passed down over a long period of time without anyone knowing who originally said them - and that you can spend a long time researching this on the Internet!</div>
<div></div>
<div>Let's pursue genuine communion with God, and not a self-image or image before others that is ultimately a fake.</div>
<p><em>PS I haven't posted a blog post in seven years, and this still works! Phew!</em></p>Old News that's Good News2015-05-04T00:00:00+00:00david/blog/author/david/https://www.frasergo.org/blog/2015/05/old-news-thats-good-news/<p><img src="/static/media/uploads/phone-notifications-old-news.png" style="float: right; border: 2px solid black;" height="400" width="225">My phone has icons for the different apps I use - social media, email, and a program I use to read the Bible. Some of them call out to me with numbers highlighting in red how many unread messages I could look at. But the Bible app just sits there unobtrusively - it never changes.</p>
<p>Modern internet culture loves the high speed of the information super-highway; the emphasis is often on what's new rather than what's profound, and on how much content we can skim over rather than what we can be transformed by. Yet the very word <em>gospel</em> means <em>good news</em>. So how can we receive the Bible with the enthusiasm of someone receiving good news, even though it's thousands of years old?</p>
<p>I've found the <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=yyc9AAAAcAAJ&dq=%22I%20saw%20more%20clearly%20than%20ever%2C%20that%20the%20first%20great%20and%20primary%20business%20to%20which%20I%20ought%20to%20attend%20every%20day%20was%2C%20to%20have%20my%20soul%20happy%20in%20the%20Lord%22&pg=PA409#v=onepage&q=%22I%20saw%20more%20clearly%20than%20ever,%20that%20the%20first%20great%20and%20primary%20business%20to%20which%20I%20ought%20to%20attend%20every%20day%20was,%20to%20have%20my%20soul%20happy%20in%20the%20Lord%22&f=false" title="From "A narrative of some of the Lord's dealings with George Müller"; quoted by John Piper in Desiring God and many other authors...">advice of George Mueller</a> (it's worth reading the extended quote) really helpful recently:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“I saw more clearly than ever, that the first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was, to have my soul happy in the Lord. The first thing to be concerned about was not, how much I might serve the Lord, how I might glorify the Lord; but how I might get my soul into a happy state, and how my inner man may be nourished...I saw that the most important thing I had to do was to give myself to the reading of the Word of God and to meditation on it.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Mueller saw that the Bible is not just a set of content to be processed as information, but is nourishment for our souls. Coming to it as a search for delight in God, rather than to fulfill a duty to God, means that we're mentally tuned in to receive that nourishment. Yes, there are more ways we should study and seek to understand the Bible, but for my own daily growth and the health of our souls, I've found that this has been a huge blessing recently.</p>
<p>The reality is that God's word is <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+4%3A12&version=NIV">alive and active</a>; though the words haven't changed reading the Bible is an opportunity to engage with the living God who's incredibly and graciously eager to speak to us and work in our lives. Rather than seeing ourselves as consumers and producers of news, let's remember that we're branches of the vine. As Jesus said in <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+15&version=NIV">John 15:5&7</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing... If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>We have the opportunity to live in deep connection with Christ, and see wonderful fruit in our lives. Let's not allow the smaller benefits of a digitally connected world to deprive us of living on what will really nourish our souls.</p>John 1: Memorizing Scripture and Poetic Devices2015-04-24T12:07:18+00:00david/blog/author/david/https://www.frasergo.org/blog/2015/04/john-1-memorizing-scripture-and-poetic-devices/<p>For a believer in Christ, memorizing Scripture is a powerful and helpful aid to our faith. Poetic devices such as rhythm, rhyme, alliteration and structure are aids to memorization. Is it possible to produce Scripture translations that use these devices, <em>while remaining accurate translations</em>? These would have other benefits as well (children's illustrated Bibles, audio tapes that flow well, etc), but since memorization is clearly most helpful when as close to the original as possible, there would be challenges. Yet these challenges are similar to any translation effort; the switch of mode of expression is similar to a language switch.</p>
<p><img src="/static/media/uploads/papyrus66.jpg" style="float: right;" title="An early Papyrus - the first page of John's gospel" height="337" width="300" alt="The first page of Papyrus 66, showing the first verses of John's gospel">I've experimented with the first half of John 1. Interestingly, I found that this mode of translation can actually lend itself to a more literal translation in places; for example using the same English word for the same Greek word in the same passage can both be more transparent to the original, and function poetically. (<em>NB: I'm not a Greek scholar, nor am I proposing that this has sufficient academic rigour behind it; but as an experiment.</em>)</p>
<p>So here's my stab at the first half of John 1, drawing on other English translations, with some free verse, and some almost-limericks. In places it's a fairly close translation, in others I've thrown in repetitions or words for the sake of meter. Some lines flow significantly less well than others :)</p>
<p style="margin-left: 5em;">In the beginning was the Word<br>And the Word was with God<br>And the Word was God<br>He was with God<br>In the beginning</p>
<p></p>
<p style="margin-left: 5em;">All things were made through him<br>Nothing that was made was made without him<br>In him was life<br>And that life was the light<br>The light of all mankind</p>
<p></p>
<p style="margin-left: 5em;">The light shines<br>It shines in the darkness<br>The darkness has not overcome it</p>
<p></p>
<p style="margin-left: 5em;">There came a young man sent from God<br>The name he was given was John<br>As a witness he came<br>Witnessing of the light<br>So that through him all might believe</p>
<p></p>
<p style="margin-left: 5em;">He himself was not the light<br>But he came to bear witness to it<br>The true light that gives<br>Light to all people<br>Was coming right into the world</p>
<p></p>
<p style="margin-left: 5em;">He was actually here in the world<br>The world came into being through him<br>But the world didn't know him<br>Though he came to his own<br>His own people did not receive him</p>
<p></p>
<p style="margin-left: 5em;">But to those who received him<br>Who believed in his name<br>He has given the right to become<br>Children of God<br>Who were born not of blood<br>Nor the will of the flesh<br>Nor the will of a man, but of God</p>
<p></p>
<p style="margin-left: 5em;">The Word became flesh<br>Came and dwelt among us<br>And we have seen his glory<br>The glory as of the only Son from the Father<br>Full of grace and truth</p>
<p></p>
<p style="margin-left: 5em;">John witnessed about him<br>He cried out and spoke:<br>"This is the one that I said:<br>'He's coming after me<br>But he was before me<br>And so he ranks first above me'"</p>
<p></p>
<p style="margin-left: 5em;">For from his fullness<br>We have all received<br>And grace upon grace now is ours</p>
<p></p>
<p style="margin-left: 5em;">Through Moses was given the law<br>Through Jesus Christ grace and truth came</p>
<p></p>
<p style="margin-left: 5em;">Though no-one has even seen God<br>The only One (himself God)<br>- so close to the Father<br>That One has made Him known.</p>Birthdays, logic and honesty2015-04-19T16:22:25+00:00david/blog/author/david/https://www.frasergo.org/blog/2015/04/birthdays-logic-and-honesty/<p>A friend recently sent me the fun <a href="https://www.facebook.com/4sasmo">Singapore maths olympiad</a> <a href="http://bgr.com/2015/04/15/math-olympiad-singapore-cheryl-birthday-viral/" title="Hint: use logic">problem in which Albert and Bernard attempt to discover Cheryl's birthday</a>. As well as being full of mathematical knowledge, this implies some philosophical assumptions about knowledge and truthfulness. Here's a slightly expanded version I made up, incorporating the question of honesty:</p>
<p>Albert and Bernard just became friends with Cheryl, and they want to know when her birthday is. Cheryl gives them a list of 10 possible dates:</p>
<ul>
<li>April 3, April 29, April 30,</li>
<li>August 10, August 11, August 12</li>
<li>September 3, September 29</li>
<li>December 3, December 10, December 12</li>
</ul>
<p>Cheryl then tells Albert and Bernard separately the month and day of her birthday respectively.</p>
<ul>
<li>Albert: I don't know when Cheryl's birthday is, but I know that Bernard does not know too.</li>
<li>Bernard: At first I didn't know when Cheryl's birthday is, but I know now.</li>
<li>Albert: Then I also know when Cheryl's birthday is.</li>
</ul>
<p>(pause)</p>
<ul>
<li>Bernard: Actually, I was bluffing when I said "I know now". It wasn't true.</li>
<li>Albert: Well now that Bernard's admitted that, to be honest, I was lying in the first place when I said that I knew that Bernard didn't know too... I didn't know that.</li>
<li>Bernard: Outrageous! Well, at least we both know when it is now (assuming we've been perfectly honest since the pause)</li>
<li>Cheryl: I can see I was wise not to tell you my birthday in the first place, you dishonest scoundrels. But to be perfectly honest, I don't know when my birthday is, and this was all a test...</li>
</ul>Diagnosing and defeating racism through the good news of Jesus2015-01-18T20:46:49+00:00david/blog/author/david/https://www.frasergo.org/blog/2015/01/diagnosing-and-defeating-racism-through-the-good-news-of-jesus/<p>Here are some thoughts on racism that I hope may help Christians to see the enormous difference that the grace of God revealed in the gospel of Jesus should make to racial tensions and division, and to our own hearts, whether we need to repent from racist attitudes and practices, or receive healing from being hurt by them. Other people are far more capable and qualified to write about this, and because these areas are so personally painful to many, it can seem easier to remain quiet, but as I've considered the pain that I hear from brothers and sisters I respect in different places, I felt that silence can exacerbate the pain, and we need to be rather proactive about engaging this issue.</p>
<p>I've found it particularly painful hearing of appaling stories of racism in Cape Town, my home city, in the last few months. For a number of years now people have been saying that the racism they experience in Cape Town is worse than in other parts of South Africa. Many white Capetonians have seen Cape Town as a historically more liberal place, and assumed that we do not have an issue. Yet we must open our ears and eyes to hear the stories, see the pain, and be willing to find ways to transform our city. And we must see that the extreme cases - as shocking as they are - are not the whole story, but we must also deal with the day to day attitudes that do not embrace and welcome all people - in fact we need to go the extra mile to find ways to counteract these attitudes.</p>
<p><strong>The conflict between racism and the gospel</strong></p>
<p>Racism greatly dishonours God by refusing to acknowledge, appreciate and admire his glory in all people created in His image. It leans towards idolatry by exalting a human image typified by race rather than the glory of the one true God. If God's multifaceted glory is only partly reflected in each person, then denying that glory in a certain group is ultimately to reject aspects of who God is.</p>
<p><span>Racism promotes a false gospel that locates acceptance and favour in physical and cultural characteristics rather than in the love of God the Father for all his children, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ in dying for us all, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit who unites us in one body.</span></p>
<p>It is a form of iniquity that shares its roots with pride, and bears the ugly fruits of violence, oppression and hatred, sometimes disguised as indifference. Like any sin it comes in more and less visible forms. Blindness to its existence is a major impediment to dealing with it. As Jesus <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+9%3A41&version=NIV" target="_blank" title="John 9:41">told the Pharisees</a>, they needed to acknowledge their blindness, but in claiming that they could see their guilt remained undealt with.</p>
<p><strong>Roots and fruits in society and the church</strong></p>
<p>Racism entrenched over time produces structures of social evil. We must deal with both the root and the fruits. We cannot only rectify the injustice in society; we cannot only deal with the underlying sin. We need to deal with the smouldering embers of racist thinking and attitudes or we will not put out the fires of racial injustice. And we need to produce fruit in keeping with repentance by dismantling the systems that racism has produced. This includes dealing with the imbalance of power between groups, while finding ways to no longer be defined in those separate groups - valuing and honouring our differences but acknowledging our common humanity as those created in the image of God.</p>
<p><span>In the church, racism is a rebellion against </span><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians%203&version=NIV" title="Ephesians 3">God's eternal purpose</a><span> - to make known his manifold wisdom to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms through the church, which lives out the mystery that through the gospel both Jews and Gentiles (that is, all the other nations), are members together of one body and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.</span></p>
<p>It is ugly when we who bear the name of Christians deny the cries of pain from our brothers and sisters. Those who are experiencing the pain and disgrace of being treated as less than people created in God's image because of their race and then have the courage to stand up and say "No!" show incredible courage and dignity. In the vulnerability of doing so they should be heard, honoured and embraced.</p>
<p><strong>The gospel tells us the truth and calls us to transformation</strong></p>
<p>The true gospel tells that we are all together glorious as those created in God's image, but all marred and broken through our fall away from God into sin. We are all offered redemption and a way back into relationship with God through Christ's death on the cross, and then restored to his image through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. We must not leave these truths to one side; if we understand the spiritual, mental and emotional roots of racism as described above, then we can only fully combat them by wielding the gospel armour that God has given to us.</p>
<p>This means that those of us who have consciously or unconsciously idolized our own race need to repent and acknowledge the glory of God in all those around us. We need to unlearn patterns of thinking that demean and overlook others and be transformed by the renewing of our mind, so that we can appreciate and admire the people He has created them to be. We need to deal with the pride that so pervades our thinking and recognize that we are all dependent on one another in Christ's body. And we need to stand with and speak up for those who are experiencing the painful effects of racism, honouring them as image-bearers of God.</p>
<p>It is good news that those who have been painfully hurt by racism can find grace as they drink from the deep healing wells of the love, grace and acceptance of God, honour as the body of Christ stands together with them, and joy as they see the transforming power of God at work in those who have previously been seen as their enemies.</p>
<p>Let's be the people of grace that God has called us to be and demonstrate the power of the gospel by allowing the Holy Spirit to work in these areas to produce true transformation. As a white South African, I'm learning to ask questions - what have people experienced - rather than assuming I know, and then listen with empathy. I'm challenged to think how I should live this out; let's pray and ask God to help us, with sensitivity enter into conversations across the divides and act towards unity and restoration.</p>
<p>As Jesus told his disciples:<em> “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”</em> <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+13%3A34-35&version=NIV" title="John 13:34-35">John 13:34-35</a></p>Tribute to my father2014-08-05T04:02:34+00:00david/blog/author/david/https://www.frasergo.org/blog/2014/08/tribute-to-my-father/<p><em>Tribute to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/duncan.m.fraser">Duncan McKenzie Fraser</a> that I shared at his funeral along with those by my siblings, by mother, his friend Prof Eric Bateman and colleague Prof Jenni Case</em></p>
<p><strong><span>Gridlines<br></span></strong><span>I didn't often ask my dad for </span><span>advice</span><span> when I was younger, but had asked him about some significant decisions just before his stroke. I'll miss being able to do that. Growing up, my dad and mom were the relational </span><span>gridlines</span><span> that measured the world for me. It feels like all the horizontal lines have been suddenly pulled out and the vertical ones wobbled. I'm so proud of how my </span><span>mom</span><span> has reacted with faith and dignity in her unimaginable loss.</span></p>
<p><span><strong>Mountains and perspective</strong><br><a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:M%C3%A4nnlichen.jpg"><img src="/static/media/uploads/galleries/family/800px-männlichen.jpg" alt="The Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau, view from Männlichen" height="275" title="The Eiger (3970m), Mönch (4107m) and Jungfrau (4158m), from left to right - note that the right-most peak is actually the highest..." width="800"></a><br>In Switzerland, when I was six years old, my dad pointed at a </span>mountain<span> and said “that's the tallest”. I objected because some closer mountains looked taller. He took me behind a car, knelt down with me, and showed me how from that angle it looked taller than the microbus behind it. That was my dad – willing to come down low, not just telling but showing us God's </span>perspective<span> on the world – that God is higher even if closer things seem more important. In our family the worship and prayer you've come to today was not a segment of life but permeated everything – I remember my dad's daily devotions in the lounge with his Bible and journal, and us singing and praying together at home as a family, and as we drove on family holidays. Even after his stroke he was writing down Scriptures that were his strength in suffering.</span></p>
<p><span><strong>Books and integrity</strong><br>My parents read to us from C S Lewis and Tolkien from when we were tiny and I grew to love them and then the rest of my dad's books – Christian biographies, theology and philosophy. My dad's faith ran through his whole life – his heart and mind and strength – and was shown in his love and acceptance and care for everyone around him.</span></p>
<p><span><strong>Running, walking and new paths</strong><br><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2901/14736505902_0d19c327dc_m_d.jpg" style="float: right;" title="My dad finishing a marathon" height="240" width="172" alt="My dad finishing a marathon">My dad was a runner. I started </span>running<span> only in my thirties and he was amazingly supportive – when I ran the <a href="http://www.twooceansmarathon.org.za/events/half-marathon">Two Oceans Half Marathon</a> he would drop me off, then fetch Danielle and James and Charis and find three points along the way to meet and cheer me on. He also loved taking us on walks and especially discovering </span>new paths<span>. This week I tried to go on one of those walks, but the way was closed off. I respect my dad for how he was always openly growing and changing, even right until the end. Like him, we're going to need to keep on growing and finding new paths to walk on.</span></p>
<p><span><strong>Haikus for changing seasons</strong><br>My aunt Lesley composed a beautiful haiku for my dad's sixtieth birthday looking at the </span>seasons<span> of his life</span></p>
<p><i>Summer time is over now<br></i><i>The autumn of your life is here<br></i><i>May harvest be good</i></p>
<p>It's been so hard seeing his life cut off when we still anticipated so much. But God turns all things round for good for those who love him. I'll close with my attempt to follow up with a haiku on the season that has come.</p>
<p><i>Autumn fruits were ripening<br></i><i>When winter's chills so swiftly fell<br></i><em><span>We'll use this fruit for seed</span></em></p>My dad's reached the finish line2014-07-23T07:03:01+00:00david/blog/author/david/https://www.frasergo.org/blog/2014/07/my-dads-race/<div>On Saturday night my dad, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/duncan.m.fraser">Duncan</a>, had a massive cardiac arrest in ICU and died after an intense 12-day battle following a major stroke, subsequent pneumonia and heart issues. The ICU staff tried to resuscitate him but could not.</div>
<div>My dad impacted so many people's lives. I have not yet read any of their tributes to him. For me, <a href="http://books.google.co.za/books?id=aWZzLPhY4o0C&lpg=PP1&dq=%22the%20grief%20is%20still%20too%20near%22%20Tolkien&pg=PA350#v=onepage&q=%22the%20grief%20was%20still%20too%20near%22&f=false" title="Legolas in the Fellowship of the Ring by J R R Tolkien">the grief is still too near</a>.</div>
<div>But one theme stands out to me from his life.</div>
<div>My dad's relationship with God - his trust in Jesus, his walking by the Holy Spirit - is what defined and shaped him. His love and concern for others, his selfless serving of those around him, his devotion to my mom and us children and our families, his decades-long <a href="http://www.academia.edu/7726195/Duncan_Fraser_ChE_educator_feature" title="Duncan Fraser, ChE Educator Feature article by Jenni Case">pioneering work in engineering education</a>, his cross-cultural instincts, his desire to repair the damage in our nation, his love of the beauty of creation, his love of walks and runs - these all flowed both consciously and unconsciously from his Saviour. The narrative of his life, told in many conversations, was about things God had shown him through the Bible in his daily devotions, how the Holy Spirit had touched his heart in worship times. He would write us incredibly vulnerable emails about his emotions, his challenges, areas he was changing in. He was transparently conscious of his weaknesses; he never settled down but kept seeking God and being open to change.</div>
<div><em>But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.</em></div>
<div>Well you're there now dad. You've run a good race, and you've got your prize. It's all God's grace.</div>
<div></div>
<div><em><a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/666088600151046/" title="Funeral for Duncan Fraser">My Dad's Funeral</a> will be on Saturday 26th of July 2014 at Jubilee Community Church</em></div>
<div><img src="http://www.frasergo.org/static/media/galeria/2014-family/two-oceans-with-dad-james-and-charis-2014-04-19-small2.jpg" alt="My dad and kids meeting me after the Two Oceans, April 2014" height="1032" title="Running the race" width="581"></div>On birthdays and grateful joy2014-06-03T16:11:06+00:00david/blog/author/david/https://www.frasergo.org/blog/2014/06/on-birthdays-and-grateful-joy/<p>When James was celebrating his eighth birthday, he made the following comment:</p>
<p><em>I want everybody to enjoy my birthday, because we're celebrating that God made me.</em></p>
<p>To me, this is profound. It's a way of thinking that recognizes the awe of being created with gratitude and joy, and wants to share that joy with others.</p>
<p><img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cd/Great_pershing_balloon_derby_2005_09_04.jpg/639px-Great_pershing_balloon_derby_2005_09_04.jpg" title="Hot air balloons" height="480" width="640" alt="Balloon launch at the Great Pershing Balloon Derby near Brookfield, Missouri on September 4, 2005. Photo taken by Joe DeShon. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Generic license." longdesc="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Great_pershing_balloon_derby_2005_09_04.jpg"></p>Not the One (Lego) Ring2014-01-14T12:09:31+00:00david/blog/author/david/https://www.frasergo.org/blog/2014/01/not-the-one-lego-ring/<p><img alt="Rings" height="187" src="http://thebricklife.com/wp-content/uploads/Lego-LOTR-One-Ring.jpg" style="float: right;" title="One Ring or Three" width="299">As a family, we love both the writings of <a href="http://www.tolkiensociety.org/">J. R. R. Tolkien</a> and <a href="http://www.lego.com/">Lego</a>, so we've really enjoyed the <a href="http://thelordoftherings.lego.com/">Lego Lord of the Rings</a> and <a href="http://thehobbit.lego.com/">Hobbit</a> range... however we were puzzled to obtain not just one, but many powerful magical rings with the various different Lego sets we bought ... What could be happening? Was the Lego company, to save costs, supplying other, less powerful, magical rings (having recovered some of the others mentioned in <a href="http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Ring_Verse">the ring verse</a> - presumably those given to the dwarves, or the elven rings), or had they managed to produce their own rings with identical properties to the original (since that was <a href="http://static1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20060310232855/lotr/images/8/8c/Mount_doom.png" title="it really doesn't look like it made it through intact">quite clearly destroyed</a>)?</p>
<p>We were terribly disheartened to find that none of the tests conducted by Gandalf on the original ring produced the intended results on these Lego miniatures:</p>
<ul>
<li>Placing them onto the hand (they're too big for the finger) of the Lego characters does not cause them to disappear (or have any other apparent magical powers)</li>
<li>Placing them into a fire does not seem to cause fiery lettering to appear on them</li>
<li>Nor do they appear cool immediately after being placed in the fire</li>
<li>Indeed these rings melt quite readily even in a simple candle flame - forget withstandanding the <a href="http://lotr.wikia.com/wiki/Ancalagon_The_Black" title="a winged dragon of the fierce and fiery variety">fires of Ancalagon the Black</a>!</li>
</ul>
<p><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><img alt="Mount Doom blowing up with the ring" height="172" src="http://static2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20060310232855/lotr/images/thumb/8/8c/Mount_doom.png/320px-Mount_doom.png" style="float: right;" title="The One Ring got destroyed" width="320">We have not been able to take the rings to Orodruin to cast them into the fire for destruction, as we hoped, but we doubt that it would have the effect shown in the picture to the right!</p>
<p>Dear Lego ... we really think you should be working harder at this and not disappointing children around the world in search of such natural goals as obtaining magical powers and then giving them up for the good of the world.</p>HarmoniHue - coloring musical notes2013-11-06T09:45:59+00:00david/blog/author/david/https://www.frasergo.org/blog/2013/11/harmonihue-coloring-musical-notes/<p>At <a href="http://za.pycon.org/" title="a conference for the Python programming language in South Africa">PyConZA 2013</a>, one of the speakers couldn't come due to a visa issue, so I volunteered to do <a href="http://za.pycon.org/talks/31/" title="my talk on harmonies and hues">a talk</a> at the last minute. I was already on <a href="http://za.pycon.org/talks/27/" title="panel discussion on effective software team practices">a panel discussion</a> earlier, and wanted to listen to <a href="http://za.pycon.org/talks/13/" title="including interesting lessons we've learnt at St James Software">Matt's talk on caching</a>, so I ended with only three-quarters of an hour preparing the talk! But it ended up being a great opportunity as I decided to talk on a fun project I've been pottering away at in my spare time over the last few years: an experiment in music maths and colours that I've called <a href="http://frasergo.org/projects/harmonihue/" title="HarmoniHue project homepage">HarmoniHue</a>.</p>
<p>The basic idea is to try and associate colours with musical notes in such a way that there's a correspondence between which notes sound similar to / harmonious with each other, and how similar the colours look to each other.</p>
<p>Having a mathematical bent, I've ended up investigating things about colour perception theory along the way and coming up with a simple model of harmonic relations - the project will have some updates to the colour model before I'm happy that it's finished, but since I gave the talk on it I thought I would post my musings on the subject on the web for other people to peruse. Here's a few images from the project:</p>
<table border="0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
<p><img alt="Hues and Rotations on Circle of Fifths" height="400" src="/static/media/uploads/galleries/harmonihue/hue-rotation-circle.png" width="400"><br><i>Hues and Rotations on Circle of Fifths</i></p>
</td>
<td>
<p><img alt="Musical Tones mapped onto a Torus" height="400" src="/static/media/uploads/galleries/harmonihue/torus-tones.png" width="400"><br><i>Musical Tones mapped onto a Torus</i></p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>This is then applied to musical scores as follows (excuse the misplacement of accidentals):</p>
<p><img height="60" src="/static/media/uploads/galleries/harmonihue/chromatic-score.png" width="731"></p>
<p><a href="http://frasergo.org/projects/harmonihue/" title="HarmoniHue project homepage">More information on HarmoniHue</a> including my musings and some sample scores etc...</p>frasergo website relaunched2013-11-04T09:25:26+00:00david/blog/author/david/https://www.frasergo.org/blog/2013/11/frasergo-website-relaunched/<p>In the <a href="http://frasergo.org/blog/2013/11/frasergo-website-relaunched/" title="(this one)">most self-referential of blog posts</a>, I've redesigned and relaunched <a href="/" title="(the one on which this post originally appeared)">this website</a> using <a href="http://mezzanine.jupo.org/">Mezzanine</a>, a <a href="https://www.djangoproject.com/">Django</a>-(and therefore <a href="http://www.python.org/" title="(my happiest programming language)">Python</a>)-based CMS.</p>
<p>I originally implemented it <a href="http://frasergo.org/blog/2006/08/setting-up-drupal/">seven years ago in Drupal</a>... then four years ago was <a href="http://frasergo.org/blog/2010/09/time-in-nagoya/" title="(after getting lots of spam)">heard regretting that</a>...</p>
<p>I've migrated almost <a href="http://frasergo.org/blog/category/old-drupal-blog/">all the original content</a> as well as <a href="http://frasergo.org/blog/category/old-invention-blog/" title="Blogs around software localization mostly">another old nanoblogger blog</a> I had into the new system.</p>Time in Nagoya2010-09-13T08:41:48+00:00david/blog/author/david/https://www.frasergo.org/blog/2010/09/time-in-nagoya/<p>I've posted <a href="/photos/2010-08-nagoya/">photos of my time in Nagoya</a>. It was such a treat to visit friends, and the work arrangements there went well.</p>
<p>PS Just discovered that this blog has been having lots of spam posts ... time to move away from Drupal and admin it a bit better</p>
<br class="clear" />Work in Japan2010-08-20T17:43:18+00:00david/blog/author/david/https://www.frasergo.org/blog/2010/08/work-in-japan/<p>A brief update ... I've had a <strong>fantastically successful</strong> week of work in Japan. We've been working with our partners here developing and configuring a system for a refinery, and today we had a meeting with them and got very positive feedback, which was very rewarding. I'm totally <strong>loving being in Japan</strong> again! So much seems so familiar even after a long absence. I've posted <a href="/photos/2010-08-tokyo/">photos of the trip so far</a> online.</p>
<p>Danielle has been doing a sterling job at home with <strong>Charis being sick</strong> with high temperatures - a bug that's going around Cape Town... Loving and missing the three of them loads!</p>
<p>Tomorrow I go down to Nagoya for a few days to see old friends for the first time in three years. It's quite amazing to think about it! On Monday I have a business meeting in Nagoya, then return to Tokyo on Tuesday to catch my flight back via Singapore and Joburg to Cape Town.</p>
<br class="clear" />News update, Japan trip and some photos2010-08-13T06:42:42+00:00david/blog/author/david/https://www.frasergo.org/blog/2010/08/news-update-japan-trip-and-some-photos/<p>Some brief news updates after a long hiatus:</p>
<ul>
<li>Charis had an eye operation in July to correct a squint. She was very brave and the operation was successful! We're grateful. She still wears <a href="/photos/2010-08-anni-visit/299/img_0164/">very cute glasses</a></li>
<li>David's off to Japan on a work trip for 10 days. He will be in Tokyo for a week working with partners and clients there, and in Nagoya for a few days seeing friends and sorting out company business.</li>
<li>James is heading towards the end of his 3-year maintenance chemo treatment at the end of the year, and starting primary school (at Grove) next year.</li>
<li>Charis has been enjoying a playgroup four mornings a week and is going to the same wonderful preschool that James has been at next year.</li>
<li>I've posted <a href="/photos/2010-08-anni-visit/">some photos from David's sister Anni's visit last weekend</a></li>
</ul>
<br class="clear" />International Day at James's School2009-11-23T20:10:49+00:00david/blog/author/david/https://www.frasergo.org/blog/2009/11/international-day-at-jamess-school/<p>I've posted some <a href="/photos/2009-11-international-day/">photos from James's International Day at school</a> that they had recently - he decided to dress up as someone from Afghanistan with a real Afghan hat that my uncle sent him - the rest was pure improvisation! We're off next week to Kwazulu/Natal for a holiday with Danielle's parents and sister to celebrate her mom's 70th birthday! Really looking forward to it. There's lots of chickenpox going round at the moment so trying to work out what to do about that... and then it's into the Christmas holidays!</p>
<br class="clear" />A happy charging laptop2009-09-10T10:06:53+00:00david/blog/author/david/https://www.frasergo.org/blog/2009/09/a-happy-charging-laptop/<p>In a slight break from our normal family news...</p>
<p>Charis experimented with inserting a mini audio jack into the power connector that plugs into my (David's) work Dell laptop.<br />
It produced no auditory success, but bent the pin inside the power connector. I managed to straighten it, but it subsequently came off inside the laptop power socket.</p>
<p>This pin seems to communicate that it is a valid Dell Power supply, and without it being connected properly the battery will not charge. My battery ran so low that I couldn't use suspend when moving the laptop around because I had so little battery power left... (see <a href="http://lists.us.dell.com/pipermail/linux-desktops/2009-August/003186.html">my plea for help</a> if you want the gory details)</p>
<p>I got a new power supply, but still needed to work out how to extract the pin from the laptop (it was not sticking out at all, and there was no way to grab it with tweezers/pliers etc). I was too nervous of breaking the new power supply or something inside the laptop to try and connect the new power supply.</p>
<p>I tried soldering onto the pin so I could then pull out the solder but all I achieved was melting some of the plastic on the outside. I had various suggestions ranging from superglue on a needle to magnets, nitric acid, and drilling it out. I asked my friend Ian who said he'd have a look... he simply pushed the new power cable in, as he said there's usually space behind the pin. Voila. I couldn't believe it was that simple.</p>
<br class="clear" />Last few months2009-09-10T10:03:32+00:00david/blog/author/david/https://www.frasergo.org/blog/2009/09/last-few-months/<p>Since our holiday it's been the flu season in Cape Town - swine flu, other flu, and serious pneumonia going around. We've all been sick in turns and James has spent quite a while off school - two weeks a few weeks ago, and then the first three days this week. He could have gone back earlier the first time but we didn't want to risk him getting a more serious infection. He's back to school today. Tomorrow is their dress-up-as-a-<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letterland">Letterland</a>-character day which he's really excited about (yes, he's going to be Jumping Jim).</p>
<p>We had lots of fun celebrating Charis's birthday although she was sick around it. One of the highlights was that the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International Space Station">International Space Station</a> was <a href="http://www.heavens-above.com/gtrack.asp?date=40055.7046875&lat=-33.98579&lng=18.48441&alt=0&loc=Kenilworth&TZ=SAST&satid=35811">flying directly over Cape Town</a> <a href="http://www.heavens-above.com/PassDetails.asp?lat=-33.98579&lng=18.48441&loc=Garfield+Road&alt=0&tz=SAST&satid=35811&date=40055.7046875">just around sunset</a> - Danielle and I spotted it the night before (when it came past a bit later) and then on the day we all went outside and saw this yellow "star" moving rapidly across the sky until it disappeared in the Earth's shadow. The next day I found out that the space shuttle <a href="http://www.heavens-above.com/PassDetails.asp?lat=-33.98579&lng=18.48441&loc=Garfield+Road&alt=0&tz=SAST&satid=35811&date=40055.7046875">came past 5 minutes later</a> and that night they <a href="http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/08/31/space-shuttle-station.html">docked</a>. It's fantastic thinking "there are people on that thing whizzing round way up there!"</p>
<p>I've put up some photos mostly from <a href="/photos/2009-06-joy/">Joy's visit in June</a> but also of <a href="/photos/2009-06-joy/252/p1220362/">us being silly</a> - hopefully more will follow soon.</p>
<br class="clear" />Back from holiday2009-07-21T05:49:11+00:00david/blog/author/david/https://www.frasergo.org/blog/2009/07/back-from-holiday/<p>We got back on Saturday from a wonderful holiday in the Eastern Cape. We really benefited from having a concentrated chunk of time together as a family... and we got to see lots of animals, which we loved!</p>
<p>We had been praying particularly that James would be able to see some cheetah as they are his favourite animal ... one evening just before sunset we saw another family who said they had seen some cheetah nearby - we raced off to where they had seen them, and drove along the road but couldn't see them at all! I thought I should turn around to drive back and try find them again, and just as I was doing a U-turn they popped up over the horizon - really special. We also got to go to a <a href="http://www.daniellcheetahbreeding.co.za/">cheetah breeding farm</a> where we were all able to stroke a tame cheetah and play with some lion cubs! (Pictures to follow...) Charis's chest cleared up fairly well, but she was fairly distressed by seeing a half-eaten buffalo in Addo (<i>"I don't think it was very good for him..."</i>).</p>
<p>Yesterday James had his next bone marrow test (which he wasn't not looking forward to but went fine! results should be back next week some time) and amazingly his great-grandfather was in the same ward for a scheduled check-up at the same time, so we shared a room! Then he started school this morning, and also really enjoyed it - a great relief!</p>
<!--break--><br class="clear" />Off to the Eastern Cape2009-07-09T11:21:46+00:00david/blog/author/david/https://www.frasergo.org/blog/2009/07/off-to-the-eastern-cape/<p>We're just sitting at the airport about to go to PE for an amazing treat - a holiday in the Eastern Cape, going to the Mountain Zebra National Park and Addo Elephant National Park for 9 days!</p>
<p>The last few weeks have been busy in a good way with people and work. We're looking forward to a time of relaxing.</p>
<p>James has been enjoying having some time off school, and it's been nice for him and Charis to see each other more. We've all had colds the last few weeks and it seems like Charis may have asthma - she's started on a pump but we'll review it when we get back. Hoping we'll all be healthy while we're away...</p>
<br class="clear" />Time to recoup2009-05-25T21:41:19+00:00david/blog/author/david/https://www.frasergo.org/blog/2009/05/time-to-recoup/<p>We've just come back from a wonderful four days in <a href="http://www.volmoed.co.za" title="An amazing Christian retreat center">Volmoed</a>, in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermanus" title="A small town two hours drive from Cape Town">Hermanus</a> (where we've <a href="http://frasergo.org/node/106">been before</a> a few times). We caught up on sleep (David has only struggled with sleep for one night out of the last two weeks!), had good time with God, praying and reading <a href="http://www.ivpbooks.com/9780851115535">Tested by Fire</a> by John Piper (available online as <a href="http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/OnlineBooks/ByTitle/2423_The_Hidden_Smile_Of_God/">The Hidden Smile of God</a>), which gave us fresh encouragement about God's sovereign purpose... cried, played with James and Charis, made spiders, went for walks, went for a family picnic at a beautiful waterfall, collected fir cones, made a braai and some roaring fires to keep us warm in the evenings, watched movies, looked at the stars (and Venus and Jupiter) and felt very very grateful! We've uploaded <a href="/photos/2009-05-holiday-volmoed/">some photos of the holiday</a>.</p>
<p>
<a href="/photos/2009-05-holiday-volmoed/226/p1220057/"><img alt="At the start of our adventure walk to the waterfall" src="/static/media/galeria/2009-05-holiday-volmoed/P1220057.JPG" /></a><br />
<i>At the start of our adventure walk to the waterfall</i><br />
<a href="/photos/2009-05-holiday-volmoed/219/p1220007/"><img alt="Peeking through the giraffe tree" src="/static/media/galeria/2009-05-holiday-volmoed/P1220007.JPG" /></a><br />
<i>Peeking through the giraffe tree</i><br />
<a href="/photos/2009-05-holiday-volmoed/223/p1220126/"><img alt="Content" src="/static/media/galeria/2009-05-holiday-volmoed/P1220126.JPG" /></a><br />
<i>Content</i><br />
(<a href="/photos/2009-05-holiday-volmoed/">more photos here</a>...)</p>
<p>On the way we were listening to a recording of the story of David and Goliath, which asked the question "David didn't want any armour to protect him. What was David trusting to protect him?" Charis answered "God", and then a few seconds later, "And maybe his monster suit". Both James and Charis have a wonderful sense of humour which really makes us laugh! (Although I think she was serious this time!) When we asked them what they enjoyed most about the holiday, James said "Playing with Charis" and Charis said "The tablecloth"...</p>
<p>James was nervous again going back to school, so we are trying to help him with this...</p>
<p>And we have even more to look forward to because this coming week Joy (Danielle's sister) is coming to visit, which is so exciting!</p>
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