It's Halloween. How did that happen all of a sudden. Weren't we just experiencing lovely summer weather a couple weeks ago? Now we're socked in with clouds that can't seem to stop dripping (although we really can't complain in comparison to the mess in the East! Blessings on those poor folks...)
For some reason I have a poem I wrote in college stuck in my head. Okay, the reason is pretty obvious, seeing as you it was all about Halloween. I was in this creative writing class, where most of the students seemed to think that their writing was so far beyond the understanding of mere mortals that any interpretation or critique was clearly nothing but foolishness.
No doubt, it was arrogance that provoked me to write a poem in a standard rhyming format, littered with innuendo regarding the world of masks we live in, and how only on this classically darkest of days can my real self be revealed. I wanted them to sweat through interpretations:
It's Halloween, Oh Halloween,
A night by ghouls and goblins seen,
Oh what a dream, a perfect dream,
To dance with death on Halloween.
It's getting dark, I see a spark,
I wonder, could it be a lark,
Or could it be, a breath so free,
That only darkness lets me see.
A mask comes out, a scream a shout,
Now freedom, true, can come about,
etc, etc.
I can't remember the whole thing verbatim, but you get the gist. Seems to me, my classmates weren't quite so savvy.
Anyhow, I'm dressed in black today, in silent witness to the bygone era of trick or treating in the past. I left my eyeliner stitch marks by the wayside this year, figuring they wouldn't fly so well for postal customers :) All the same, I'm full of memories of years gone by. Mark and I did get a little pumpkin to carve and stick outside our door, although it'll be after 7 by the time I'm home, so we're not likely to have any trick or treaters this time around, but at least a couple cuties have come through the shop today, so I'll enjoy it all I can.
Showing posts with label Holidays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Holidays. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Tri králové (three kings)
Yesterday (January 6) is the day traditionally observed as Three Kings Day. This would be when the three wise men arrived with their gifts to bring the baby Jesus. While gifts are not exchanged, I have been told that people dressed up as the three kings do wander around and leave blessings on the lintels of doors by writing this symbol K+M+B+12 (the 12 represents the current year. I have not ever actually seen the kings at their work, but have seen the chalk markings throughout my travels through the Czech Republic.
This day also signifies the end of the holiday season. Decorations are taken down and the tree is removed. The flat we live in here is on the fourth floor of an apartment building. Even though the tree is not very big, it would be a bit of a hassle to carry it down the elevator, not to mention the big mess that the needles would make. The solution? My mom-in-law opened the window while Mark and I went downstairs to make sure the area was clear. We were only just in time to see the tree taking flight and landing on the snow below. Wow. I guess that's one way to do it.
Speaking of snow, it seems to have returned. On Thursday, we took a little drive over the Germany to check out an electronics store there. Mark doesn't seem to understand how his mother and I can enjoy hours on end of shopping in clothing stores, but you put him in a big room filled with electrical wires and headphones and he could wander around talking about circuits and gadgets all day long. Sure, he might be speaking English, but I have no clue. All the same, I'm happy enough as long as he's enjoying himself. There's something about new things wrapped up in plastic packaging and shinty new boxes that always gives me a thrill. Blasted consumerism. I'm a total sucker, but also completely happy to leave empty handed. Looking is good enough for me.
On the drive home, the wind and rain continued to make an absolute nuisance of themselves. As I watched out the back seat window, the racing drops of water seemed to collect themselves into waves that shifted into ghostly appartitions in the wind. It was really fascinating to watch. Then, all at once, the rain morphed into snow. My eyeslids grew heavy, and a few minutes later Mark woke me up and pointed out the window. What had been a water logged landscape on our drive in, had turned to snowy fields and trees blessed with sparkling white frocks. A total turn around.
Later in the afternoon, the in-laws went for another little drive and came back with a brand now 42" widescreen 3D television. Wow! It's pretty cool. There are 7 pairs of glasses in an array of colors. My father-in-law was a bit distressed that there was only one black pair. :) The TV has this nifty feature where it can even take regular 2D programming, and translate it into 3D. Who knew?
And now for the news I'm sure everyone has been waiting for with bated breath: The book is done. And by done, I mean that there is a decent quality first draft resting peacefully on my ipad until I have a chance to start editing. I've decided to give it the weekend to rest, but then I intend to go over it with a fine tooth comb. Unlike the books I have completed in the past, this one was written with no prep work. I came up with the basic idea about 5 years ago on a drive from Blodgett, OR to Moscow, ID. It's sitting somewhere in a journal, but I never forgot the premise, so when Mark gave me the 90 day challenge, I thought it would be a good story to start with. Now I need to go back and make sure things fit together. The problem with just letting a story take you where it will without any sort of outline or character sketches is that it is easy to have the end disconnect from the beginning. Of course, having written it over such a short span of time has made it easier to keep a handle on things, but there are still adjustments that have to be made. And after that? Only time will tell.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
First Photos of 2012, and a few from '11
It's been a while since I added in any photos. I got a bit wordy there at the end of the year, so here's a chance to mix things up a bit once more. We'll start off with a couple from Christmas. Sorry no people. They're a bit shy around here, and rather cautious about being posted all over the internet. Perhaps I'm just naive in thinking it's not such a big deal, but I do my best to preserve the preferences of others, so I give you a mostly person free photo post.
Here's your chance to see a bit of my mom-in-laws style. Her cookies are fabulous (and still coming out of boxes every few days to maintain the beauty of the cookie plate. It seems they make up a ton of cookies before Christmas, and then continue to dole them out over the next month or so) and the Christmas tree is exquisite. I got to help with the tree, but wisely stuck to putting only the variety she was currently hanging on at any given moment.
We had a lovely layer of snow everywhere from Christmas up through New Year's Eve. It was positively festive, but now it has been completely washed away, leaving the ground all soupy and g-ross! These shots were from one of my Christmas shopping days :)
On the day Tammy and I went to visit our friend Che, who now lives WAAAAAY out in the middle of Czech nowhere, I had flashbacks to my Winfield days with this little lunch snack. My first year I had one of these cheese buns with cheese spread, meat and tomato together with coke and paprika potato chips essentially every school day. Yes, boring it may seem to some, but I'm rather a creature of habit if the truth be known. Perhaps the very fact that my life has been so random and all over the place necessitates such food rituals. Right now I'm eating primarily a roll with yogurt every day for breakfast, and any time I prepare food for myself it's a sandwich similar to those I ate back at Winfield.
Before making this little trek, Tammy and I searched the internet to discover "things to do in Olovi" and came up with a big fat lot of nothing. For those with a vague feeling for this part of the Czech countryside, it's a little village tucked up in the forest about 11 KM from Sokolov. We really had to slog through some nasty stuff to make it to Che's house, but it was worth it to have a chance to visit with her and to see her adorable baby Kathleen ;)
Perhaps the oddest bit of the journey is what we found in the Sokolov train station:
Really not sure where all the fantasy came from, but it did amuse us, especially since my book deals with dragons...Just a little teaser as the countdown to the end of my challenge is seriously on. I'm down to just a couple of days, and am at 93,554 words and 184 pages...
Here are a couple more pictures leading up to New Year's and the end of the snow. Marianske Lazne is a lovely place to be certain.
These, by all rights, should be in my last post, but I'll just tack them in here. They are the before and after fireworks photos. Seriously, an amazing display of pyrotechnics :)
And now to finish it all off, yesterday we finally had a chance to go back and see the cottage. It made me quite nostalgic for all that back breaking work during the summer I spent here. There is still a long way to go, but it's looking great from the outside. Oh, and I did manage to squeeze one person in. That's right, the one who's not afraid to pose, despite being completely not photogenic.
Hope you enjoyed the show. Stay tuned for more to come :)
Saturday, December 31, 2011
And, wait for it, wait for it...it's here!
Well the moment is now very nearly upon us. 2012. My friends in Hong Kong have already arrived, it's about two hours away here in Czech, and the US is just behind the times. They'll catch up eventually, but it's interesting to think of the time wa that is the world. I don't know that I have much to share about new Czech traditions I have learned for New Years because I really haven't learned any. We've been eating little chlebičky bites all day, and there is a serious pyrotechnic planned when the time is right,mbut that's about it besides parties on tv. Not a whole lot different from the US, except I thi the fireworks are a bigger deal here, more like 4th of July stateside. It's been quite a year. There have been ups and downs a plenty, but in the end I am happy I have found my Live and that we have the chance to ring in this new year together. So at the end of my record breaking post year, I wish whoever reads this all the best and a very Happy New Year :)
Monday, December 5, 2011
Making Christmas, Making Christmas, Making Christ-mas, It's Czech This Time...
First line of business this morning? Making Czech Christmas cookies with my mother-in-law. Now I woke up around 7:30, thinking I should still have a decent amount of time to get ready for the cooking plan, but by 8:30 when I'd finished my journal writing and getting dressed, she already had things well in progress.
Perhaps before I get any farther under way I should explain a couple of things.
Thing One: The Czech Christmas Cookie Tradition
Czech's really go all out with their holiday cookie making. Yeah, we like cookies and other sweets at the holidays in the US too, but here it's a big deal. When I was teaching my students would start talking about how they were already making cookies for Christmas a good month in advance. The cookies, or cukrovy, are really something special. Most people make a number of different varieties, I think we have four or five here this year. They're tiny little delicacies, more mouthfulls than the American variety, and are passed out as gifts and shared at parties and consumed in mass quantities at home.
Thing Two: My Mother-in-law
She's really quite a wonder. She's a full time nurse and an immaculate house keeper. After a long day at work the first thing she does when she comes home is to clean. As spotless as the place looks to me, she always seems to have this need to make it even cleaner. She reminds me a lot of my Grandma in that sense. Everything she does, she does to perfection. Cooking, cleaning, and her other passion - shopping - are all perfectly executed.
So back to my story, I got up thinking I could really learn something today about making Czech Christmas cookies. I was all set. I had my iPad prepared to write down recipes and serve as a translator when necessary, as well as taking photos to better illustrate what was going on. However, there wasn't really anything left to mix up when I got there. I still got to help, but it was beyond any point of actually learning what went into them, so in the future I guess I'll just have to look up recipes and figure it out on my own.
The first thing she had me do was pipe a nougat paste onto some nutty crescent cookies. At first I thought it was going to be a filling, but once they were all topped with the cream she put them out on the balcony (this is what she uses instead of refrigerator space) to cool and harden. Later on in the afternoon they were topped with a chocolate drizzle, but I missed out on that bit. At least I played some small part in their creation.
Okay, so I've just discovered that for some unknown reason my iPad doesn't want to let me upload photos to my post. I'm really not certain why, I mean I even figured out how to do it on my phone, but for now I guess this is going to be a rather bland post. I have some fun photos too :( Ah well.
Guess I'll just have to make do with words. The next cookies we worked on were my favorite ones. They are pretty similar to sugar cookies. I was responsible for rolling them out and cutting the shapes. It was fairly easy at first, but as the dough got softer and softer it became really difficult to get it to hold together. The very last shape Anna had to do for me because after I don't know how many pans of cookies I just couldn't make the last one come out in one piece. They only cook for about five minutes until they're lightly brown. She was in charge of the cooking and cooling bit, and she commented on how thankful she was to have me helping because it really makes it easier to manage it all.
Two more things I should add:
Thing One: my mother-in-law speaks no English.
Thing Two: despite having already baked cookies all morning there was no evidence of any dirty dishes becasue she just keeps it that clean. This isn't any huge American kitchen. I can just hear the annoying chicks on House Hunters complaining about how small the galley style kitchen is and how they'd never manage to do anything there, but she does it all and keeps it spick and span. Yes it can be done.
While keeping the cookies cooking, she also boiled off the skins of a huge bowl of almonds. She talked about making a final kind of cookies, but if she did them today it was while I was out with Mark and his friend so I wasn't involved.
The cookies we were working on had to cool and were later filled with jam and closed together, then were finished off with chocolate drizzle on top. The first pan we cooked I'd just been cutting shapes at random, but then she pointed out that there have to be an even number because they're little sandwiches. We really managed to communicate quite well, or at least she communicated and I did my best to keep up. She also made sure to separately bake the ones I didn't roll out thinly enough from the ones that were the proper thickness. She didn't actually point it out to me, but I noticed and was glad she was the one in charge.
In the end, we have a great little collection of cookies. She told me that most Czech women these days don't take the time to make the cookies and buy them at the store instead. We both agreed that the store bought variety are not nearly the quality of homemade.
Overall, it was a great practice for me, even though I still have no idea how to make them on my own. The plan is for me to continue cooking with her to learn how to make other traditional Czech dishes. Next time I'll just have to be sure what time she's going to start so I can actually be awake for it. :)
Perhaps before I get any farther under way I should explain a couple of things.
Thing One: The Czech Christmas Cookie Tradition
Czech's really go all out with their holiday cookie making. Yeah, we like cookies and other sweets at the holidays in the US too, but here it's a big deal. When I was teaching my students would start talking about how they were already making cookies for Christmas a good month in advance. The cookies, or cukrovy, are really something special. Most people make a number of different varieties, I think we have four or five here this year. They're tiny little delicacies, more mouthfulls than the American variety, and are passed out as gifts and shared at parties and consumed in mass quantities at home.
Thing Two: My Mother-in-law
She's really quite a wonder. She's a full time nurse and an immaculate house keeper. After a long day at work the first thing she does when she comes home is to clean. As spotless as the place looks to me, she always seems to have this need to make it even cleaner. She reminds me a lot of my Grandma in that sense. Everything she does, she does to perfection. Cooking, cleaning, and her other passion - shopping - are all perfectly executed.
So back to my story, I got up thinking I could really learn something today about making Czech Christmas cookies. I was all set. I had my iPad prepared to write down recipes and serve as a translator when necessary, as well as taking photos to better illustrate what was going on. However, there wasn't really anything left to mix up when I got there. I still got to help, but it was beyond any point of actually learning what went into them, so in the future I guess I'll just have to look up recipes and figure it out on my own.
The first thing she had me do was pipe a nougat paste onto some nutty crescent cookies. At first I thought it was going to be a filling, but once they were all topped with the cream she put them out on the balcony (this is what she uses instead of refrigerator space) to cool and harden. Later on in the afternoon they were topped with a chocolate drizzle, but I missed out on that bit. At least I played some small part in their creation.
Okay, so I've just discovered that for some unknown reason my iPad doesn't want to let me upload photos to my post. I'm really not certain why, I mean I even figured out how to do it on my phone, but for now I guess this is going to be a rather bland post. I have some fun photos too :( Ah well.
Guess I'll just have to make do with words. The next cookies we worked on were my favorite ones. They are pretty similar to sugar cookies. I was responsible for rolling them out and cutting the shapes. It was fairly easy at first, but as the dough got softer and softer it became really difficult to get it to hold together. The very last shape Anna had to do for me because after I don't know how many pans of cookies I just couldn't make the last one come out in one piece. They only cook for about five minutes until they're lightly brown. She was in charge of the cooking and cooling bit, and she commented on how thankful she was to have me helping because it really makes it easier to manage it all.
Two more things I should add:
Thing One: my mother-in-law speaks no English.
Thing Two: despite having already baked cookies all morning there was no evidence of any dirty dishes becasue she just keeps it that clean. This isn't any huge American kitchen. I can just hear the annoying chicks on House Hunters complaining about how small the galley style kitchen is and how they'd never manage to do anything there, but she does it all and keeps it spick and span. Yes it can be done.
While keeping the cookies cooking, she also boiled off the skins of a huge bowl of almonds. She talked about making a final kind of cookies, but if she did them today it was while I was out with Mark and his friend so I wasn't involved.
The cookies we were working on had to cool and were later filled with jam and closed together, then were finished off with chocolate drizzle on top. The first pan we cooked I'd just been cutting shapes at random, but then she pointed out that there have to be an even number because they're little sandwiches. We really managed to communicate quite well, or at least she communicated and I did my best to keep up. She also made sure to separately bake the ones I didn't roll out thinly enough from the ones that were the proper thickness. She didn't actually point it out to me, but I noticed and was glad she was the one in charge.
In the end, we have a great little collection of cookies. She told me that most Czech women these days don't take the time to make the cookies and buy them at the store instead. We both agreed that the store bought variety are not nearly the quality of homemade.
Overall, it was a great practice for me, even though I still have no idea how to make them on my own. The plan is for me to continue cooking with her to learn how to make other traditional Czech dishes. Next time I'll just have to be sure what time she's going to start so I can actually be awake for it. :)
Monday, October 31, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Orange and Unassuming
They sat there still,
All round and orange and unassuming,
Nestled in big cardboard boxes,
An Autumnal premonition.
The turn in weather,
Not always received with welcome,
Echoes the assumption,
Autumn is coming.
Something in their aspect,
Their lackadaisical nestled posture,
Was warmly comforting,
This Autumn morning.
Soon life transpires,
They'll change their shape,
All fang-toothed smiles
One Autumn night.
For now they sit,
Still striped with dirt in cozy piles,
Not knowing their fate
As Autumn falls.
This morning on my drive to work, I passed by Winco in the early morning. Despite the months I've worked this job, and the past few weeks when I've managed to ride my bike to work, early mornings are still not my friends. Something about the big pumpkins poking out of their display boxes in around the sliding doors warmed me inside. Fall always promises certain things. The skies turn gray and the rain begins to soak the ground, but the trees go all ablaze in a display of the fires inside. My birthday will come (not always sure how welcome that is at this stage, but I still like presents ;). Halloween will have it's day, bringing with it some ghoulish delights and age old traditions. Then there's Thanksgiving and all the taste sensations it inspires: pumpkin pies, turkey, endless treats. And this year the promise of another round of change, both professionally and then personally. In the midst of life that is ever flying, something about those pumpkins helped my mind to settle. They reminded me of the promise that every day is new, but that there are also sweet reminders of the past, those remembered traditions, to be enjoyed. They got so in my head that I thought of them all day, and even though I wrote a post earlier today I felt the need to write again. Just had to get it out, to help memorialize the moment.
All round and orange and unassuming,
Nestled in big cardboard boxes,
An Autumnal premonition.
The turn in weather,
Not always received with welcome,
Echoes the assumption,
Autumn is coming.
Something in their aspect,
Their lackadaisical nestled posture,
Was warmly comforting,
This Autumn morning.
Soon life transpires,
They'll change their shape,
All fang-toothed smiles
One Autumn night.
For now they sit,
Still striped with dirt in cozy piles,
Not knowing their fate
As Autumn falls.
This morning on my drive to work, I passed by Winco in the early morning. Despite the months I've worked this job, and the past few weeks when I've managed to ride my bike to work, early mornings are still not my friends. Something about the big pumpkins poking out of their display boxes in around the sliding doors warmed me inside. Fall always promises certain things. The skies turn gray and the rain begins to soak the ground, but the trees go all ablaze in a display of the fires inside. My birthday will come (not always sure how welcome that is at this stage, but I still like presents ;). Halloween will have it's day, bringing with it some ghoulish delights and age old traditions. Then there's Thanksgiving and all the taste sensations it inspires: pumpkin pies, turkey, endless treats. And this year the promise of another round of change, both professionally and then personally. In the midst of life that is ever flying, something about those pumpkins helped my mind to settle. They reminded me of the promise that every day is new, but that there are also sweet reminders of the past, those remembered traditions, to be enjoyed. They got so in my head that I thought of them all day, and even though I wrote a post earlier today I felt the need to write again. Just had to get it out, to help memorialize the moment.
Friday, April 22, 2011
It is Finished...
A few years ago, rather a long time ago I suppose when I really think about it, my dad asked me to speak at our Good Friday Service. It was quite an honor really. I can't say that I enjoyed the Good Friday services of my early youth. Back in those bygone Horse Creek days the speakers were all men, and most of them seemed overly excited by the opportunity to hear themselves speak. Probably they were nervous. After all, they were mostly working type men, not at all speakers, but it seemed to me that they would go on and on for hours and my child brain had trouble retaining any of what they said.
Maybe before I drone and on and on and get totally off subject I should explain a bit about these services. I realize that first paragraph really can't be called a well constructed paragraph anyway. If I was turning that in for a class or anything real I would be laughed at for putting so many different ideas together and pretending they were somehow cohesive. Anyhow, that's all beside the point.
So these services are a time to reflect on the 7 sayings of Jesus when he hung on the cross. It's a very profound time to really imagine the suffering he went through and to reflect on what that should mean to us in our lives today. I love taking the time to really meditate on these words of pain, suffering and victory, all poured out in the midst of the most intensely horrifying experience imaginable. It's not the sort of thing I love in a warm fuzzy sort of way, but in the way it impacts my soul every time I force myself to deal with these important truths.
At the service, Dad would always choose different people to speak about each saying. As I stated before, when I was a kid these were always men. Perhaps it was suited to the era and location. Whatever the reason, they didn't impact me quite the way they do now. Except I always looked forward to hearing Nancy Hood, the amazing woman who devoted months of her life to living basically in solitary confinement in a forest service lookout tower, singing "Were You There," in her mellow tenor voice. It was a haunting experience that has stayed with me from early childhood, and was later carried on by my sister Julie singing the song at the Blodgett services. It was also in Blodgett that Dad broadened the scope of the speakers he used. Soon it was a glorious mix of men and women of a variety of ages.
The year I was chosen to speak I was just back from my first year in Hong Kong, all raw with emotion, and uncertain about the future. (Yes, that's a pretty common theme for me.) True to his discerning character, Dad chose just the right passage for me to speak about. The misplaced English Major rejoiced in having the shortest verse, only three words, in which to pour all her thoughts and reflections. I knew I would have to present the topic in at least three different ways in order to really do it justice, and no doubt now I'd add even more layers.
I made one large mistake, however. When it came time to speak, perhaps it was out of foolish pride, I chose just to speak my thoughts, rather than to read the words I'd carefully thought out and typed up. I've always been better at writing things right than at speaking them. I'm not a story teller but a story writer.
So now I thought it would be nice to share the written version with anyone curious enough to read it.
John 19:30 "It is finished."
When Jesus proclaims, "It is finished," just prior to his death on the cross, the words take on a multitude of meanings. The word "finished" brings about a closure to all that has come before. Jesus' ministry is finished. His time on Earth as the Son of Man, is finished. The prophecies that have been spoken throughout time concerning the Messiah have come to an end, all of them having been satisfied in the life and death of Christ. Along with these finales, Jesus is closing the door on the sins of the world. His task on earth is complete. In his deepest moment of despair, these words are a sign of relief. The end is at hand as he "[gives] up his spirit," and leaves this mortal life.
In the book of John, much emphasis is placed upon Jesus' "in the role of the Jewish rabbi" (Thomas/Gundry 296). This can be seen in the entire passage on the crucifixion in his gospel. Throughout these verses he details all the ways in which Jesus is fulfilling prophecy. In verse 28, Jesus has gone through all that has come to pass and realizes "all was now completed." He then goes on to die so that scripture will continue coming to pass, by preventing his legs from being broken to speed up his death. This also led to him being pierced which also complied with prophecy. Jesus knew all that had been written about him before his birth. He knew what he must do in order to accomplish what he had come to earth to do. His comment that "it is finished," signifies his awareness of the moment that has, at long last, arrived.
There is more to be seen in these words than merely a completion of prophecy, however. These words can be seen as a sigh of relief. The past few days had been heavy on this man. He had been tortured and mocked. Though knowing he was innocent of any wrong doing, he was sentenced to a horrifying death that included being deserted by all those who had once been his friends and devoted followers. The hardest of all, however, was the burden of the sins on his shoulders, leading to separation from God. During the time he hung there, Jesus experienced Hell. As God cannot even look upon sin, Jesus was left utterly alone. It is impossible to imagine what this must have felt like. To go from total harmony with his Father, to no contact whatsoever is an impossible agony to fathom. It is not surprising then, as he hung there adding everything up in his head, that when he realized that all had been fulfilled he couldn't help sighing with relief that it was finished. All the work had been worth it and he was soon to be reunited with the Delight of his heart. This thought would have given him unspeakable joy. He is at a point where he has seen the bleak consequences of sin. Not only has he experienced the life of man, but he has seen where sin will lead. So he gives up his spirit with the knowledge that these people he loves so very dearly will now be able to experience eternal life with God. He has effectively paid the price for the entire world so that all might be free.
In my current position in life, I see another important element in this verse as well. While perhaps not as crucial as fulfilling prophecies, or as relieving as knowing that the separation from God will soon be over, and life has been attained for all who believe, I still think it is interesting to ponder the idea of Jesus leaving this life he has lived behind. Over the past year, I have experienced an incredible life. I have been able to reach out to the world in ways I have never before experienced. By taking care of the babies at Mother's Choice, I have come to look at Jesus life here on earth a little differently than I would have before. Jesus came to rescue us. He lived among us and looked after all our needs, just as I did with the babies in Hong Kong. In so many ways, we are just like those neglected infants. On our own, we are utterly helpless. While on Earth Jesus was able to give aid first hand to his wayfaring children. He was able to heal the sick, and inspire the downtrodden. He could see the needs of those around him, and reach out and touch them, watching the wonder on their faces as he handed them life. He loved them so deeply that when his friend Lazuras died he wept (John 11:35). When I had to leave my precious babies it was so incredibly hard. After caring for them for so long, it was hard to imagine leaving them. No longer would I be able to see to their daily needs. No longer would I know what was going on in their lives. While Jesus is still able to help us in our daily needs and reach out to our wounded hearts, I can't help but wonder if there was some pain in the thought of leaving them on their own. He already knew that there would be trials for them in the days to come. He already knew that Peter had denied him. Here he has given every thing for these people, and now he has to leave them to struggle along in this life without his visible presence. When he said "it is finished" he knew that all of this was over. There would be no more boat rides on the Sea of Galilee, no more walking on the dusty streets of Jerusalem, no more talking firsthand to the people he loves. I doubt that he was sad to leave. He was well aware that he would still be able to keep track of them all, still be there to whisper to their hearts through the Holy Spirit, yet a change was indeed taking place. One that will not be reversed until he comes again.
As I think over all these three simple words can mean, I am again in awe of all that Jesus has done. The exhaustion that he felt at the end of his life on earth is beyond any I can even fathom. He bowed his head with the knowledge that he had done a job well done. Along with that, all he could do was trust that people would see and believe. There was nothing more that could be done for those there watching. The time had come to leave them to ponder all he had done, even as he bore away all the evil of the world. What an amazing gift. What a heavy ending. It is finished.
Maybe before I drone and on and on and get totally off subject I should explain a bit about these services. I realize that first paragraph really can't be called a well constructed paragraph anyway. If I was turning that in for a class or anything real I would be laughed at for putting so many different ideas together and pretending they were somehow cohesive. Anyhow, that's all beside the point.
So these services are a time to reflect on the 7 sayings of Jesus when he hung on the cross. It's a very profound time to really imagine the suffering he went through and to reflect on what that should mean to us in our lives today. I love taking the time to really meditate on these words of pain, suffering and victory, all poured out in the midst of the most intensely horrifying experience imaginable. It's not the sort of thing I love in a warm fuzzy sort of way, but in the way it impacts my soul every time I force myself to deal with these important truths.
At the service, Dad would always choose different people to speak about each saying. As I stated before, when I was a kid these were always men. Perhaps it was suited to the era and location. Whatever the reason, they didn't impact me quite the way they do now. Except I always looked forward to hearing Nancy Hood, the amazing woman who devoted months of her life to living basically in solitary confinement in a forest service lookout tower, singing "Were You There," in her mellow tenor voice. It was a haunting experience that has stayed with me from early childhood, and was later carried on by my sister Julie singing the song at the Blodgett services. It was also in Blodgett that Dad broadened the scope of the speakers he used. Soon it was a glorious mix of men and women of a variety of ages.
The year I was chosen to speak I was just back from my first year in Hong Kong, all raw with emotion, and uncertain about the future. (Yes, that's a pretty common theme for me.) True to his discerning character, Dad chose just the right passage for me to speak about. The misplaced English Major rejoiced in having the shortest verse, only three words, in which to pour all her thoughts and reflections. I knew I would have to present the topic in at least three different ways in order to really do it justice, and no doubt now I'd add even more layers.
I made one large mistake, however. When it came time to speak, perhaps it was out of foolish pride, I chose just to speak my thoughts, rather than to read the words I'd carefully thought out and typed up. I've always been better at writing things right than at speaking them. I'm not a story teller but a story writer.
So now I thought it would be nice to share the written version with anyone curious enough to read it.
John 19:30 "It is finished."
When Jesus proclaims, "It is finished," just prior to his death on the cross, the words take on a multitude of meanings. The word "finished" brings about a closure to all that has come before. Jesus' ministry is finished. His time on Earth as the Son of Man, is finished. The prophecies that have been spoken throughout time concerning the Messiah have come to an end, all of them having been satisfied in the life and death of Christ. Along with these finales, Jesus is closing the door on the sins of the world. His task on earth is complete. In his deepest moment of despair, these words are a sign of relief. The end is at hand as he "[gives] up his spirit," and leaves this mortal life.
In the book of John, much emphasis is placed upon Jesus' "in the role of the Jewish rabbi" (Thomas/Gundry 296). This can be seen in the entire passage on the crucifixion in his gospel. Throughout these verses he details all the ways in which Jesus is fulfilling prophecy. In verse 28, Jesus has gone through all that has come to pass and realizes "all was now completed." He then goes on to die so that scripture will continue coming to pass, by preventing his legs from being broken to speed up his death. This also led to him being pierced which also complied with prophecy. Jesus knew all that had been written about him before his birth. He knew what he must do in order to accomplish what he had come to earth to do. His comment that "it is finished," signifies his awareness of the moment that has, at long last, arrived.
There is more to be seen in these words than merely a completion of prophecy, however. These words can be seen as a sigh of relief. The past few days had been heavy on this man. He had been tortured and mocked. Though knowing he was innocent of any wrong doing, he was sentenced to a horrifying death that included being deserted by all those who had once been his friends and devoted followers. The hardest of all, however, was the burden of the sins on his shoulders, leading to separation from God. During the time he hung there, Jesus experienced Hell. As God cannot even look upon sin, Jesus was left utterly alone. It is impossible to imagine what this must have felt like. To go from total harmony with his Father, to no contact whatsoever is an impossible agony to fathom. It is not surprising then, as he hung there adding everything up in his head, that when he realized that all had been fulfilled he couldn't help sighing with relief that it was finished. All the work had been worth it and he was soon to be reunited with the Delight of his heart. This thought would have given him unspeakable joy. He is at a point where he has seen the bleak consequences of sin. Not only has he experienced the life of man, but he has seen where sin will lead. So he gives up his spirit with the knowledge that these people he loves so very dearly will now be able to experience eternal life with God. He has effectively paid the price for the entire world so that all might be free.
In my current position in life, I see another important element in this verse as well. While perhaps not as crucial as fulfilling prophecies, or as relieving as knowing that the separation from God will soon be over, and life has been attained for all who believe, I still think it is interesting to ponder the idea of Jesus leaving this life he has lived behind. Over the past year, I have experienced an incredible life. I have been able to reach out to the world in ways I have never before experienced. By taking care of the babies at Mother's Choice, I have come to look at Jesus life here on earth a little differently than I would have before. Jesus came to rescue us. He lived among us and looked after all our needs, just as I did with the babies in Hong Kong. In so many ways, we are just like those neglected infants. On our own, we are utterly helpless. While on Earth Jesus was able to give aid first hand to his wayfaring children. He was able to heal the sick, and inspire the downtrodden. He could see the needs of those around him, and reach out and touch them, watching the wonder on their faces as he handed them life. He loved them so deeply that when his friend Lazuras died he wept (John 11:35). When I had to leave my precious babies it was so incredibly hard. After caring for them for so long, it was hard to imagine leaving them. No longer would I be able to see to their daily needs. No longer would I know what was going on in their lives. While Jesus is still able to help us in our daily needs and reach out to our wounded hearts, I can't help but wonder if there was some pain in the thought of leaving them on their own. He already knew that there would be trials for them in the days to come. He already knew that Peter had denied him. Here he has given every thing for these people, and now he has to leave them to struggle along in this life without his visible presence. When he said "it is finished" he knew that all of this was over. There would be no more boat rides on the Sea of Galilee, no more walking on the dusty streets of Jerusalem, no more talking firsthand to the people he loves. I doubt that he was sad to leave. He was well aware that he would still be able to keep track of them all, still be there to whisper to their hearts through the Holy Spirit, yet a change was indeed taking place. One that will not be reversed until he comes again.
As I think over all these three simple words can mean, I am again in awe of all that Jesus has done. The exhaustion that he felt at the end of his life on earth is beyond any I can even fathom. He bowed his head with the knowledge that he had done a job well done. Along with that, all he could do was trust that people would see and believe. There was nothing more that could be done for those there watching. The time had come to leave them to ponder all he had done, even as he bore away all the evil of the world. What an amazing gift. What a heavy ending. It is finished.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Still No Turkey For Perky...or Katcha...
Okay, so Katcha isn't as fat as the infamous (or only famous in the Everest house) Perky, but I wasn't around to give her any turkey today, so she didn't have much chance to be thankful.
It's late here as lunch time is just about to roll around for those on the West Coast and the houses of my family members are no doubt brimming with good smells. I've had quite a large number of very non-traditional Thanksgivings over the past ten years as I've lived mostly out of the United States and in places that don't even consider turkey something you normally eat. Here in Czech that's probably largely because their ovens are about half the size of American ones and therefore cooking a 18 lb bird pretty much out of the question. No doubt the low point on my Thanksgiving list would be the year in HK I was supposed to go to a dazzling feast at Amy's house after my shift, but instead ended up having to take a baby to the hospital in what turned out to be a very long dose of overtime. Rather than supping on the illustrious bird I found myself scarfing down a bag of dry fried noodles, coupled with a bottle of exotic fanta of one variety or another. Not altogether un-tasty in the moment, but when I ended up regurgitating it a few hours later it was far from satisfactory shall we say. But enough of the horrifying asides.
This year I was truly blessed for Thanksgiving in a very random sort of way. A few months ago my friend Ann, formerly of Hong Kong and now living in Australia, let me know that she'd be passing through Prague for a few days in late November. At the time I told her she'd have to check back in to see if I'd be around seeing as how I was intending to be stateside by the middle of August. We sent a few message here and there confirming that I was, indeed, still in the area, and eventually, despite a rather desperate need to pack up my life, I decided to take the day out and catch up with her after about 7 years.
It was definitely well worth the trip. I was also able to see one of my wonderful students, Eva, who is now studying in Prague. We'd planned to meet sooner, but all the visa trips were rather stressful and intense so it just never happened. But today was different. Today was Thanksgiving. Today, I even sacrificed sleep for the greater good without complaint. Not that I was overly happy to greet the day at 5 AM, but it was worth it.
The blessings started early with a car ride to the train station from Mark's dad. Since we currently have a couple inches of snow this was a huge blessing. Otherwise I would no doubt have started the day with cold wet feet seeing as how I don't have any waterproof shoes here at the moment. Instead I was warm and dry and Mark and I were nice and early and able to enjoy chatting sweetly until it was time for me to depart. I took the time to enjoy my last train and bus ride to Prague for I don't know how long. The pink shades of sunrise over the snowy fields was a sight to behold. I just felt thankfulness running all through me.
As I said at the beginning it's late now, and I should head off to sleep, so I won't go into all the details, but I just wanted to share a bit about this special day. I have photos as well, so maybe tomorrow when I have more time I'll go into more, but for now I'll just leave you with lunch.
I arrived in Prague around ten and spent some time catching up on Ann's life and then we met up with Eva at noon for lunch. (Brief sad moment: I was almost finished with this post and suddenly my words disappeared back to here. I think that's a sure sigh that I should be sleeping now!) Anyhow, I took them to Bohemia Bagel, and there we had our own little version of a Thanksgiving feast. I opted for the Turkey club. Not quite your traditional Thanksgiving helping of turkey breast and mashed potatoes, but it was a tasty treat. Ann topped it all off by ordering a piece of pumpkin cheese cake for us to share. I know it's far from what most people would consider normal for this holiday, but having spent most Thanksgivings over the last ten years far from home, there was something about this day that was just so incredibly special to me. Great friends, a taste of home...it really was beautiful in its own way.
I'll try to write more about the rest of the day later, but I'll end by saying it was all topped out by Mark waiting for me with open arms at the train station after a long cold day of travel. Really doesn't get much better than that.
So wherever you may find yourself, and whether this is a holiday you celebrate or not, I hope you feel blessed today and are able to find things to be thankful for just as I was.
A very Happy Thanksgiving to you all!
It's late here as lunch time is just about to roll around for those on the West Coast and the houses of my family members are no doubt brimming with good smells. I've had quite a large number of very non-traditional Thanksgivings over the past ten years as I've lived mostly out of the United States and in places that don't even consider turkey something you normally eat. Here in Czech that's probably largely because their ovens are about half the size of American ones and therefore cooking a 18 lb bird pretty much out of the question. No doubt the low point on my Thanksgiving list would be the year in HK I was supposed to go to a dazzling feast at Amy's house after my shift, but instead ended up having to take a baby to the hospital in what turned out to be a very long dose of overtime. Rather than supping on the illustrious bird I found myself scarfing down a bag of dry fried noodles, coupled with a bottle of exotic fanta of one variety or another. Not altogether un-tasty in the moment, but when I ended up regurgitating it a few hours later it was far from satisfactory shall we say. But enough of the horrifying asides.
This year I was truly blessed for Thanksgiving in a very random sort of way. A few months ago my friend Ann, formerly of Hong Kong and now living in Australia, let me know that she'd be passing through Prague for a few days in late November. At the time I told her she'd have to check back in to see if I'd be around seeing as how I was intending to be stateside by the middle of August. We sent a few message here and there confirming that I was, indeed, still in the area, and eventually, despite a rather desperate need to pack up my life, I decided to take the day out and catch up with her after about 7 years.
It was definitely well worth the trip. I was also able to see one of my wonderful students, Eva, who is now studying in Prague. We'd planned to meet sooner, but all the visa trips were rather stressful and intense so it just never happened. But today was different. Today was Thanksgiving. Today, I even sacrificed sleep for the greater good without complaint. Not that I was overly happy to greet the day at 5 AM, but it was worth it.
The blessings started early with a car ride to the train station from Mark's dad. Since we currently have a couple inches of snow this was a huge blessing. Otherwise I would no doubt have started the day with cold wet feet seeing as how I don't have any waterproof shoes here at the moment. Instead I was warm and dry and Mark and I were nice and early and able to enjoy chatting sweetly until it was time for me to depart. I took the time to enjoy my last train and bus ride to Prague for I don't know how long. The pink shades of sunrise over the snowy fields was a sight to behold. I just felt thankfulness running all through me.
As I said at the beginning it's late now, and I should head off to sleep, so I won't go into all the details, but I just wanted to share a bit about this special day. I have photos as well, so maybe tomorrow when I have more time I'll go into more, but for now I'll just leave you with lunch.
I arrived in Prague around ten and spent some time catching up on Ann's life and then we met up with Eva at noon for lunch. (Brief sad moment: I was almost finished with this post and suddenly my words disappeared back to here. I think that's a sure sigh that I should be sleeping now!) Anyhow, I took them to Bohemia Bagel, and there we had our own little version of a Thanksgiving feast. I opted for the Turkey club. Not quite your traditional Thanksgiving helping of turkey breast and mashed potatoes, but it was a tasty treat. Ann topped it all off by ordering a piece of pumpkin cheese cake for us to share. I know it's far from what most people would consider normal for this holiday, but having spent most Thanksgivings over the last ten years far from home, there was something about this day that was just so incredibly special to me. Great friends, a taste of home...it really was beautiful in its own way.
I'll try to write more about the rest of the day later, but I'll end by saying it was all topped out by Mark waiting for me with open arms at the train station after a long cold day of travel. Really doesn't get much better than that.
So wherever you may find yourself, and whether this is a holiday you celebrate or not, I hope you feel blessed today and are able to find things to be thankful for just as I was.
A very Happy Thanksgiving to you all!
Monday, February 22, 2010
As February Flees...
Another month is whirring by. Soon to be nothing but another list of memories. Thoughts of moments spent and celebrated. So it's time to share a bit more of what has happened this month before the month is totally gone. I bring to you, once more, a visually aided recollection.
Now, I've never really been a fan of Valentine's Day. Not that I haven't enjoyed handing out little cards, or eating chocolates, but the theme or the day has generally been something I found more depressing than uplifting. I can also agree with all the skeptics who say things like, shouldn't we celebrate the ones we love every day, rather than having a particular day set aside for it. But there is something about being in a relationship that shifts my perception on the topic. I still think it's predominately a marketing scheme, but there is really nothing wrong with finding a reason to express love. True, we shouldn't need to be told to do so more on one day of the year than on another, but there's nothing wrong with using the day that has been set aside to remind us that it's important to hold tightly to the ones we love.
This year I really appreciated the opportunity to share the day with someone extra special. There were no chocolates or flowers, but instead acts of thoughtfulness. A conscious effort to remember why we do the things we do, and to express our thankfulness for time spent together. It's easy to get caught up in the day to day of life, and to forget to show deliberate time and care, and having a holiday around as a reminder is helpful. So while Mark and I spent a truly lovely day together, and enjoyed the beauties of God's creation by going for a walk in the snow.
It's really worth taking a closer look at the photo with the snowflakes because you can see the individual flakes and it was really impressive. Usually snow all just molds together quickly, but these flakes maintained their shape and were delightful to see.
As we walked up through the town we were blessedly under the rays of the sun, but were allowed a very impressive view of a black sky as a backdrop for the lovely buildings of Marianske Lazne.
It was all truly lovely. And Mark topped the day off by making me some yummy pasta for lunch as well. Super sweet ;)
I've been enjoying the opportunity to get to know Mark's family a bit better as well. It's challenging because they don't speak English, and my Czech skills are far below what I'd like them to be. But we find our ways to communicate, and one of the ways they've discovered works well is to feed me :) So on the 13th we went out to dinner in a town near where they live. We went to a very interesting restaurant that is situated beneath a hill. The Chodovar Brewery makes beer here, and in earlier days I'm pretty sure the caves were used for some sort of mining operation. As you can see by the sign over the doors the caves have been in existence for a LOOOONG time! We had a nice dinner and I had Svickova, a very popular and famous Czech dish, for the first time. I was only able to make it through about 1 1/2 dumplings because they're so heavy, but the food was quite good. It takes a little imagination to get beyond the fact that you're eating meat with whip cream on top, but it works with the sweetish sauce and the cranberries. In all a very interesting eating experience.
This past weekend Mark and I went with his sister to her house in Germany and once again I had a chance to hang out with his adorable nieces and nephews. The language stretch was a challenge, but I managed to have some little conversations with the girls, and his sister as well. They're quite patient with me, and when I don't understand they find new ways to say things until I can mostly understand and try to respond. By this point, the boys who turned three a couple weeks ago, are used to me coming with Mark, and have lost most of their shyness, so it's a lot of fun. Exhausting, but fun.
So that pretty much sums up my past couple of weekends. The days are really flying by, as I mentioned before, and soon and very soon Mom and Dad will be here. Hopefully I'll have some place to put them and some interesting things for them to see. It will most definitely be interesting :)
Now, I've never really been a fan of Valentine's Day. Not that I haven't enjoyed handing out little cards, or eating chocolates, but the theme or the day has generally been something I found more depressing than uplifting. I can also agree with all the skeptics who say things like, shouldn't we celebrate the ones we love every day, rather than having a particular day set aside for it. But there is something about being in a relationship that shifts my perception on the topic. I still think it's predominately a marketing scheme, but there is really nothing wrong with finding a reason to express love. True, we shouldn't need to be told to do so more on one day of the year than on another, but there's nothing wrong with using the day that has been set aside to remind us that it's important to hold tightly to the ones we love.
This year I really appreciated the opportunity to share the day with someone extra special. There were no chocolates or flowers, but instead acts of thoughtfulness. A conscious effort to remember why we do the things we do, and to express our thankfulness for time spent together. It's easy to get caught up in the day to day of life, and to forget to show deliberate time and care, and having a holiday around as a reminder is helpful. So while Mark and I spent a truly lovely day together, and enjoyed the beauties of God's creation by going for a walk in the snow.
It's really worth taking a closer look at the photo with the snowflakes because you can see the individual flakes and it was really impressive. Usually snow all just molds together quickly, but these flakes maintained their shape and were delightful to see.
As we walked up through the town we were blessedly under the rays of the sun, but were allowed a very impressive view of a black sky as a backdrop for the lovely buildings of Marianske Lazne.
It was all truly lovely. And Mark topped the day off by making me some yummy pasta for lunch as well. Super sweet ;)
I've been enjoying the opportunity to get to know Mark's family a bit better as well. It's challenging because they don't speak English, and my Czech skills are far below what I'd like them to be. But we find our ways to communicate, and one of the ways they've discovered works well is to feed me :) So on the 13th we went out to dinner in a town near where they live. We went to a very interesting restaurant that is situated beneath a hill. The Chodovar Brewery makes beer here, and in earlier days I'm pretty sure the caves were used for some sort of mining operation. As you can see by the sign over the doors the caves have been in existence for a LOOOONG time! We had a nice dinner and I had Svickova, a very popular and famous Czech dish, for the first time. I was only able to make it through about 1 1/2 dumplings because they're so heavy, but the food was quite good. It takes a little imagination to get beyond the fact that you're eating meat with whip cream on top, but it works with the sweetish sauce and the cranberries. In all a very interesting eating experience.
This past weekend Mark and I went with his sister to her house in Germany and once again I had a chance to hang out with his adorable nieces and nephews. The language stretch was a challenge, but I managed to have some little conversations with the girls, and his sister as well. They're quite patient with me, and when I don't understand they find new ways to say things until I can mostly understand and try to respond. By this point, the boys who turned three a couple weeks ago, are used to me coming with Mark, and have lost most of their shyness, so it's a lot of fun. Exhausting, but fun.
So that pretty much sums up my past couple of weekends. The days are really flying by, as I mentioned before, and soon and very soon Mom and Dad will be here. Hopefully I'll have some place to put them and some interesting things for them to see. It will most definitely be interesting :)
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Christmas Stateside
I have to say it was truly a blessing to be able to be home for the holidays this year. It had been a long time since I was able to celebrate with my parents, and it was definitely time. I really enjoy hearing Czechs talk about their Christmas traditions, and then telling them about mine. It is one of the times when I really get to talk about what is meaningful to me during the holiday. I must admit that there are a lot of times when I don't exactly feel like a missionary. When I worked with orphans it was all so obvious. I was helping the fatherless. I was giving them love, and caring for their most basic needs. But here? In Europe? What am I really doing?
If there was someone out there calculating how useful a ministry is, they would no doubt look for numbers and statistics of conversions, or even of clearly spiritual conversations. And in truth, were someone to do that with my ministry, they would come out with ridiculously low numbers. We won't talk about how ridiculous, but in so much as evident results are concerned it would be negligible. And yet I don't feel like my time here is wasted. Quite the contrary in fact. The way I do ministry it's doubtless never going to have dramatic results, but I honestly hope that the people I come into contact with are able to feel that I really do care about them. If nothing else, I hope they're able to see that my heart belongs to Jesus, and that through His love I come to love them. I'm sure I'd fail to pass mission board questions about how I intend to dramatically effect the people I come into contact with. I've never been the type to force issues, or make people talk about things they aren't comfortable with, but I try to offer them a friendly smile and an open heart. A place they can turn to. I'm not sure if it works, but I do believe it is worthwhile, and that God has had me in this place for the past three years in order to be that friend to my students. I don't know how this will look in the future. I won't hold my breath for future letters telling me the impact I had on their lives, and how I turned their hearts to Jesus, but I do want to continue praying for them, even after I return to the states. I do want to continue to love them, and I know that God is able to speak to the needs of their hearts and to bring me to mind if they ever want to talk about these things.
(sigh)
I guess recently I've just been thinking a lot about my purpose here, and how effective what I'm doing truly is, and when I took this moment to write, it all sorta came out. I'm the last person to write a book on how to reach the nations, but my heart is true in desiring to reach out to be people God puts in my life.
That being said, I love having the chance at Christmas to tell them how my favorite thing about Christmas is being with family and thinking together about how amazing it is that God sent His son at Christmas. I also tell them of our traditions on Christmas Eve (they're always really excited that my family celebrates on the 24th like they do here) and how I love the time we spend singing Christmas Carols and reading the Christmas story. They all quietly accept the things that I say, and only freak out when I tell them that we generally eat Pizza for Christmas dinner on paper plates. I tell you, it's the quickest way to get at the presents, and when you have a crew of excited kids bouncing off the walls, easy cleanup is a MUST!
This year at Christmas we had quite a few craft projects that we did as well. It's interesting to see how Julie's creativity has increased since she became a mother. We had some laughs over her childhood art and craft attempts, but this year she was the one who had us doing things like making these colorful snowflake decorations. We gave the yellow snowflake to David...
We also decorated about a bazillion sugar cookies. It brings back recollections of my Grandmother and her classic cookies. We followed her recipe and while they were really good, they'll never quite compare to her fabulous treats. She just always had a way of making things turn out better. Sort of like when she would come to visit in my childhood, and despite spending endless time cleaning the house prior to her arrival, she'd always manage to somehow make it look better in a matter of minutes after entering the house. Magical.
And now, for a small competition and an attempt people to actually comment on my blog, I'll ask which of the little sugar cookie men is the best...
Being the poser that I am no post would be truly complete without a portrait. Here I am with our lovely Christmas tree, made marvelous because my mother is a decorating genius. Despite the fact that every year she ceases to be completely happy with the chosen tree, she always manages to turn it into a work of art. So here I sit, along with before and after shots of the presents underneath.
The whole time I was home was really a blur. There were games with the kids, conversations with sisters, shopping trips, and endless treat making. We even managed to have a lefse day, which made me really excited. I hadn't had lefse since Christmas in 2005! That's a long time ago. Although I learned that Cheryl got a lefse griddle this year, so if I do Christmas in Alaska again we can do things differently ;) It was all pretty magnificent. For those not aware of the wonder that is lefse, it's a Norwegian treat that everyone should have an opportunity to experience. They're kind of like tortillas, but they're made with potatoes, and you butter and sugar them and then roll them up into a sweet melty delicacy. Upon returning to Czech I happened to mention to Karina that we'd had lefse and she turned a little green with envy seeing as how she's also of the lefse eating tradition. Basically, once it becomes a part of your life you never want to let it go...
Some other highlights of the trip:
Getting to finally meet Peaches, the fabulous one dollar horse that has finally made Julie's lifelong dream come true.
Seeing David for the first time in 2 and a half years. There were some complications with his pass at first, but in the end it worked out so we were able to pick him up on the 30th and spend as much of New Year's Eve with him as possible. He always has an agenda, so it wasn't exactly all family all the time, but it was still nice to see him again, all safe and sound. As you can see, I seemingly shrink every time I'm around my nephews. You know, there was a time when they were all little babies in my arms. Crazy what a few years can do!
And now I'll end this post with a little sisterly love. It's rather blurry, which is unfortunate, but it's definitely a large part of what this holiday was all about :)
If there was someone out there calculating how useful a ministry is, they would no doubt look for numbers and statistics of conversions, or even of clearly spiritual conversations. And in truth, were someone to do that with my ministry, they would come out with ridiculously low numbers. We won't talk about how ridiculous, but in so much as evident results are concerned it would be negligible. And yet I don't feel like my time here is wasted. Quite the contrary in fact. The way I do ministry it's doubtless never going to have dramatic results, but I honestly hope that the people I come into contact with are able to feel that I really do care about them. If nothing else, I hope they're able to see that my heart belongs to Jesus, and that through His love I come to love them. I'm sure I'd fail to pass mission board questions about how I intend to dramatically effect the people I come into contact with. I've never been the type to force issues, or make people talk about things they aren't comfortable with, but I try to offer them a friendly smile and an open heart. A place they can turn to. I'm not sure if it works, but I do believe it is worthwhile, and that God has had me in this place for the past three years in order to be that friend to my students. I don't know how this will look in the future. I won't hold my breath for future letters telling me the impact I had on their lives, and how I turned their hearts to Jesus, but I do want to continue praying for them, even after I return to the states. I do want to continue to love them, and I know that God is able to speak to the needs of their hearts and to bring me to mind if they ever want to talk about these things.
(sigh)
I guess recently I've just been thinking a lot about my purpose here, and how effective what I'm doing truly is, and when I took this moment to write, it all sorta came out. I'm the last person to write a book on how to reach the nations, but my heart is true in desiring to reach out to be people God puts in my life.
That being said, I love having the chance at Christmas to tell them how my favorite thing about Christmas is being with family and thinking together about how amazing it is that God sent His son at Christmas. I also tell them of our traditions on Christmas Eve (they're always really excited that my family celebrates on the 24th like they do here) and how I love the time we spend singing Christmas Carols and reading the Christmas story. They all quietly accept the things that I say, and only freak out when I tell them that we generally eat Pizza for Christmas dinner on paper plates. I tell you, it's the quickest way to get at the presents, and when you have a crew of excited kids bouncing off the walls, easy cleanup is a MUST!
This year at Christmas we had quite a few craft projects that we did as well. It's interesting to see how Julie's creativity has increased since she became a mother. We had some laughs over her childhood art and craft attempts, but this year she was the one who had us doing things like making these colorful snowflake decorations. We gave the yellow snowflake to David...
We also decorated about a bazillion sugar cookies. It brings back recollections of my Grandmother and her classic cookies. We followed her recipe and while they were really good, they'll never quite compare to her fabulous treats. She just always had a way of making things turn out better. Sort of like when she would come to visit in my childhood, and despite spending endless time cleaning the house prior to her arrival, she'd always manage to somehow make it look better in a matter of minutes after entering the house. Magical.
And now, for a small competition and an attempt people to actually comment on my blog, I'll ask which of the little sugar cookie men is the best...
Being the poser that I am no post would be truly complete without a portrait. Here I am with our lovely Christmas tree, made marvelous because my mother is a decorating genius. Despite the fact that every year she ceases to be completely happy with the chosen tree, she always manages to turn it into a work of art. So here I sit, along with before and after shots of the presents underneath.
The whole time I was home was really a blur. There were games with the kids, conversations with sisters, shopping trips, and endless treat making. We even managed to have a lefse day, which made me really excited. I hadn't had lefse since Christmas in 2005! That's a long time ago. Although I learned that Cheryl got a lefse griddle this year, so if I do Christmas in Alaska again we can do things differently ;) It was all pretty magnificent. For those not aware of the wonder that is lefse, it's a Norwegian treat that everyone should have an opportunity to experience. They're kind of like tortillas, but they're made with potatoes, and you butter and sugar them and then roll them up into a sweet melty delicacy. Upon returning to Czech I happened to mention to Karina that we'd had lefse and she turned a little green with envy seeing as how she's also of the lefse eating tradition. Basically, once it becomes a part of your life you never want to let it go...
Some other highlights of the trip:
Getting to finally meet Peaches, the fabulous one dollar horse that has finally made Julie's lifelong dream come true.
Seeing David for the first time in 2 and a half years. There were some complications with his pass at first, but in the end it worked out so we were able to pick him up on the 30th and spend as much of New Year's Eve with him as possible. He always has an agenda, so it wasn't exactly all family all the time, but it was still nice to see him again, all safe and sound. As you can see, I seemingly shrink every time I'm around my nephews. You know, there was a time when they were all little babies in my arms. Crazy what a few years can do!
And now I'll end this post with a little sisterly love. It's rather blurry, which is unfortunate, but it's definitely a large part of what this holiday was all about :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)