Summer Saturday

This is one of those beautiful summer days where the sky is a perfect blue, no clouds, and the humidity is low, the temperature warm, but not suffocating. A day when dinner in the backyard, even if it is pizza, is a wonderful treat, especially when it is with the man you love. The little moments in life meant to be treasured and remembered. Have a good one!!

Catching up

It's been awhile since I posted...forgot my password...oh well, what can I say. But I am back, and I hope I can keep up with this.

My husband and daughter returned from their mission to Honduras and now are both dealing with significant health problems. Keep them in your prayers for the restoring of health and energy. Even with these repercussions, they had an incredible experience, and would go again should the opportunity present itself. It has definitely changed the way they view our lives and our culture.

Today is my youngest daughter's 30th birthday. Does not seem possible. I can remember so well how excited we were for her to be born. I do not feel like I am old enough to have daughters 32 and 30 years old. But the joys of having them all these years is fantastic! I have learned so much from them about life. They are a delight. Sometimes it is hard for me to remember them as little girls, because as they have grown into women, I have grown with them, and I truly love the gift of being women together. Thank you God for the gift of being mother and daughters.

Strange Calm

Yesterday was a very strange day for me. Started out with a much too enormous bill at the garage just for getting my car serviced. Wasn't even anything wrong with it, just routine maintenance...then I rushed to work for a bit, and then off with the crisis team to respond to a group of teen missionaries who had experienced a violent event. Came home, met with our own teens for our Dragon Boat League... Paddlers for Peace...and then came home to find that the house had been burglarized. Nothing too dramatic, not still sure just what they took...don't know if Bob had money that they found or not...but it was very unsettling.
However, I surprised myself that I held it all together...called the police, dealt with them, called some friends to come help me fix the door, then locked up and went to bed and slept soundly. All of this of course is still while Bob is out of town. What is giving me a sense of satisfaction is that I am not afraid. I wondered how I would feel during the night, but I was fine. I felt normal. Some of my friends were worried about me coming home this afternoon, but I wasn't. I did feel a little apprehension as I turned the corner, but I was fine when I opened the door and came inside. I have had both front and back doors open ever since I got home, and I am not jumpy or anything. Guess I have more courage than I knew I had. That feels good. I am angry that someone violated our home, but at least it was not as bad as it could have been. They didn't damage anything other than the back door window. They didn't ransack or mess things up, just opened drawers and such. I am really grateful that it was not worse.

Bob called a little bit ago, he is waiting for his last flight home. It was so good to hear his voice, even just for those few sentences. I can't wait to see him...and of course, his plane is delayed...I don't want to tell him all the bad news since he left, but I am so eager to see him and hold him and feel his arms around me!

Thank you God for all the blessings you bring!!

Home & Technology

Just returned from a conference on violence prevention. Hubby is away on a mission trip where there is no water or electricity. I feel so disconnected. Realizing even more how dependent we have become on technology and in the same instant I am resentful and grateful. Angry that I am dependent on it, grateful that we have it. When I was in my hotel room and couldn't get my cell phone to turn back on I literally panicked. No one could reach me without that. I was terrified for a few moments, until I took out the battery, banged the phone on the table, and all those ridiculous things we try when something won't work. Needless to say I could have picked up the phone in the room and called my family, but it was that sense of being so disconnected that was anxiety producing. I looked up the T-mobile phone numbers in the phone book, of course having no idea if any of them were close to where I was in the strange city...once I got it going again I did not turn it off until I came home last night. I haven't tried to turn it on yet today.

Coming home was such a relief. I had a great trip, met lots of wonderful people from around the world, but felt so good being at home. Running into my niece in the grocery store was a wonderful blessing because all of sudden I felt connected again...someone I really knew was right there. These are wierd thoughts, but I am so grateful for having family and home and realizing how very special their presence is in my life. There really is "no place like home".

Saturday Thoughts

Today is a beautiful Saturday...not too hot, not too cool, sun is shining. Just finished a really good book that many of you have already read, THE KITE RUNNER. Makes me think about guilt and forgiveness and redemption. Also love the image of the kite...soaring, flying, and symbolizing the relationship of Amir and Hassan.

Finishing a wonderful book is a grieving time for me. I want them to keep going. I become attached to the characters, they feel like friends. I can't just pick up another book right away, I have to grieve the loss for a bit.

Wondering if anyone will really read this blog. It feels very strange, like you are putting yourself out there...it's a vulnerable feeling. Yet, it is a yen for connection...for meeting someone new...for seeing what people think of you without all the baggage of a REAL relationship. You don't have to like me or care if I like you. You just respond to what I put out there. Hmmmm
Am I ready for this?

SOARING TURTLES

Now what in the world are soaring turtles? Turtles don't fly! However, in my world they could, and probably would.

Welcome to my first attempt at creating a blog. I have enjoyed reading blogs created by friends and family, so decided to take a shot at doing one myself.

I hope to share some of my writing, some of my rambling thoughts, and some of my questions about life, faith, and journeying. I hope you will share them with me also. Two of my most special totems are turtles and birds...so why not merge them?

I love the slow deliberate caution of a turtle. I need to slow down my pace and look closely at the earth. The turtle is always at home, wherever he lands. The turtle is an introspective creature.

So, now just imagine that a turtle could fly...where would it go?

I love the freedom of the birds, soaring high above earth and looking down, floating freely through the sky...above the hustle, bustle, cruelty and materialism of humankind. ANd always singing...songs to warn, songs to charm, songs to woo, songs to praise...turtles are quiet, birds sing.

I hope this will be a place to help me grow and where I may help someone else along the way.
Welcome to my world.