Do YOU Have This Moment?

Family Tradition.

Those two words have the power to resonate feelings, sounds, pictures, and warmth into your heart. (Maybe even a grumble or two for those that aren't quite old enough to appreciate a family tradition.....just yet.)

As I was reading about family traditions, one family expert said that traditions are the "we always" of families..... Try it: We always ______ for our ______ celebration. Can't you think of countless "we always" situations for your family?

To further the discussion from Wikipedia: "Active family traditions and meaningful participation in them help families to avoid what the social scientists call “entropy”. In physical science, the term entropy means the tendency of the physical system to lose energy and coherence over a period of time, like a gas dissipating until it is all but gone. An “entropic family” is one that loses its sense of emotional closeness because members neglect the family’s inner life and community ties."

There are many Harder family traditions that are hard to imagine now, without Chris. One of the Gerhard & Anna Harder (grandma & grandpa) family songs that they sing at almost every family gathering is "We Have This Moment." The most poignant part (all of the verses are great) being the Chorus:

We have this moment to hold in our hands and to touch
as it slips through our fingers like sand;
Yesterday's gone and tomorrow may never come,
But we have this moment today.


I have to tell you that they have many great traditions...and songs that they sing as a group. Sometimes I glance at Esther's husband, Jason, just to make sure he doesn't really know the song very well either.....haha. (We learn them a little better each time!) The verses of the song talk about enjoying every moment with your children, enjoying the seasons of nature and life, and taking time for your friends and family - because you always have THIS moment, but future one's are uncertain. I can only imagine the array of feelings when the family gathers next...and this family tradition is carried on. I think it's beautiful that the family has truly lived this song - and has enjoyed every moment together, and has had these traditions. Chris will be with us in spirit on those days, and smiling on us from Heaven.


We grieve for Chris every day. We pray for Jodi, Dakota, Mom & Dad - for their strength and peace every day. I think of another song that came out in the early 90's. It's called "If You Could See Me Now." It is about someone that has died and is now in heaven....walking streets of gold, standing tall and whole, he's seen the face of Jesus - and all of his pain has been erased. But, one of the final lines of the song is the best.... "If you could see me now, you wouldn't want me to ever leave this perfect place, if you could only see me now."


We all want Chris back, so bad..... but I have to believe, we have to believe, that it's true, if we could see him, we wouldn't want him to leave that perfect place..... What are some of your favorite, most memorable, or not so favorite family traditions?

Chris Harder ----- Dearly Loved, Dearly Missed

Some of you have heard that Dave's younger brother, Chris, died in a farming accident on Friday, April 4th. Chris always had the biggest, most welcoming smile on his face. When asked what people remember the most about Chris 9/10 would mention his infectious smile. He had a way of making you feel like you were such an important part of his day. We spent the last week in Kansas with family and friends.... it was so important to be together during this time. This surreal time. It just doesn't seem possible, even to this day. There were around 1000 people that attended Chris' memorial service on Tuesday morning. It was a beautiful service, and Chris would have enjoyed the words of salvation, and the songs chosen in his remembrance. When the entire room was singing, "Wonderful Grace of Jesus" it was a feeling of awe - as everyone sang the different parts..... I've never heard a hymn sound so beautiful. I'd like to post Chris' life story, so that you can all have a feeling of the kind of life he led:

Christopher Paul Harder was born August 15, 1983 to Richard and Glenda Harder. He was welcomed by brothers, David and Daniel, and sister, Esther.

Even as a child he loved farming and music. At eighteen months Chris was already humming “Jesus Loves Me,” while driving his tractors on the couch. As a baby Chris already exhibited his infectious laugh and grin. His siblings loved to make him smile and giggle which would always turn into the “belly laugh.”
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Chris always loved to farm. During his homeschooling years Chris spent every recess getting involved in the action out at the shop. Rich will never forget passing Chris in the field as they were both doing field work. Chris would give him a big smile, and a big thumbs up. His love of farming was never a job, but a joy in life. As thoughts on improving the farm came up, Chris would turn ideas into reality almost overnight.

Chris loved music. If there wasn’t a drum set nearby he would drum his fingers on the table top. He became a good pianist – winning a “I” rating at the state high school music contest. Chris directed the Junior High Boys Bell Choir. For the last fifteen months he has been the Song Leader at Emmaus. He would often play piano at home before church to calm his nerves, and prepare for the morning worship.

Chris loved people and people loved Chris. He connected with kids whether teaching Good News Club and Junior Highers, serving as a camp counselor, or mentoring foster kids in the family home. Chris’ friendships were long lasting. He maintained those relationships through every season of his life. He was a friend to young and old alike. Chris made everyday interactions with anyone seem like it was the most important thing on his agenda for that day.

Chris loved hunting and the outdoors. As a child the family went on many camping trips to Colorado. Chris loved hiking and exploring God’s beautiful creation. Chris loved to tell the story about the time he shot a coyote out of his bedroom window at 650 yards. Sometime ask Jodi about the snake under the house.

Jodi was the love of his life. From the time he sorted all of the blue m&m’s out of a two pound bag to play a joke on Jodi, we knew she was special to him. Chris and Jodi met through the Emmaus youth group, and grew closer during a youth work project in New Mexico. Chris asked Jodi to start praying about the possibility of dating each other and Jodi replied, “I’ve been praying about this for one year already, one more week won’t matter!” They were married on Friday, October 14, 2005 in a beautiful ceremony at Emmaus Mennonite Church. They began their married life in the “little house”, the same house where his parents and grandparents started their families as well. God blessed them with Dakota Ryan on August 5, 2007. He has the same contagious smile that we will always remember his father by.

Chris loved the Lord. One evening after family devotions, Chris put his trust in Jesus Christ for forgiveness of his sins. It is because of this we have confidence that he is with the Lord he loved today. Chris was also concerned that each of his friends would come to know Christ and have that same confidence of eternal life.

Here are some pictures, and I happen to have one really short video that I took at the Harder Family Reunion in Havelin, KS in Jan 2007.... Chris on the drums!!

Buried Treasure

We've learned recently that Snickers has a major obsession with sticks --- I guess we've known for awhile, actually. He tends to swallow them nearly whole and vomit them up several hours later. Last week we awoke in the middle of the night to him vomiting....not a nice thing to wake up to, you know!

His stick eating habits have progressed over the last two weeks. We believe that it is because he is now detained to our yard only and to finding something to occupy his time outdoors - other than running around the entire neighborhood. So - he has made it his personal mission to find and eat sticks. We didn't realize how obsessive he has become with sticks.

Today he found BURIED TREASURE. Snickers had been outside for about 30minutes..... Dave was watching basketball.... I was on my laptop. I hear the usual sound of snickers knocking at the door, ready to come back inside. When I went to the door these are the images that were before me:

What he discovered was that underneath this tree there were sticks!!! (ROOTS)

He was in trouble....and he had to come inside for a bath - which is something he is not particularly fond of, anyway. Lucky for us we had some dirt to filll in the hole around the tree - and we think it will survive. At least we hope it will.

We'll have to keep a closer eye on him while he is outside - and perhaps find some "sticks" that he is allowed to chew on to help occupy his time outside.

There's No Place Like Home

We are just settling back in from a little over a week of travels..... Illinois to Kansas to Texas (me) or to Florida (Dave), then back to Michigan - and back to Illinois to pick up our little Snickers.

It was wonderful to see everyone and to have a few days off from the regular routine - but just like any vacation, there is no place like home. :) Even if home includes 10inches of snow!!!

And it does - and we are expecting some more on Wednesday. Oh Well - we know that Spring weather HAS to be just around the corner. Snickers has definitely enjoyed the fresh snow.... it did not take him long to turn the untouched snow into a big mess. All in the fun!!

Here are my beautiful flowers that were waiting for me when I made it home on Wednesday night. Dave picked me up from the airport around 11:30pm in Kalamazoo, MI. It was treacherous flying this time around - lost luggage, delayed flights, horrible turbulence.... but - I'm here, so it all worked out in the end.

I also have a short video that I took of our nephew, Dakota - playing in this new contraption that allows him to jump at his leisure. It looks quite fun - you can take it anywhere and hang it from a doorway. He is almost 8months old. He gets a lot of comments that he looks like his Uncle Dave did as a baby..... from looking at pictures, I'd say that all of the Harder babies are this cute, and have chubby little cheeks! :)

I have one last picture - it is of Snickers (pre-hair cut - he now has a nice trim do.) Anyway - I received this stuffed horse from one of my vendors, and I put it in his toybox without him knowing it was there. Within a few hours he spotted it, and has been playing with it ever since. Unfortunately, he likes to pull out the hair in the mane, and tail and eat it. When I was a kid there was a popular cartoon - "My Little Pony", the theme song ended with "My little pony and me" and I think this is the perfect caption for this photo of Snickers..... he's sitting on the end of the bed and holding on to his little pony with his paws. haha.