This morning I woke up a little before 7:00, and as I was stretching and thinking I should pop out of my bed, I realized I was hearing crying in the room next to me. So I swung my legs out of bed and padded down the hall to Lilah's room. I opened the door and heard what she was saying: "Mommy, I leaked! Mommy, I leaked!" I went over to her crib and found the front of her nightgown was soaked with urine, as was her sheet. The tears stopped right away when I lifted her out of her crib, and she was quite sunny and chatty as I took off her nightgown and led her into the bathroom to stand in the tub while I showered her off. Everyone else was still sleeping, so we went out to the kitchen to eat breakfast together -- scrambled eggs and toast with raspberry jam. She was snuggly and happy, and I enjoyed our time alone together.
A few nights ago, Claire stumbled into my room at some wee hour of the morning. "I have a bloody nose!" she exclaimed. I don't think I fully woke up, but I realized that I needed to get out of bed, walk with her to the bathroom, and help her hold something to her nose until the bleeding stopped, which thankfully it did very soon. She ran happily back to bed, and I fell into mine and was asleep again before I knew it.
I guess this means I'm becoming a true member of the family. Tomorrow, I get to meet Grandpa, whose arrival is greatly anticipated around here: at dinner, Claire told us, "My heart is filled with excitedness, because Grandpa is coming tomorrow!"
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Two Deaths
Yesterday was a sunny, summery day; we went to a nearby petting zoo and spent the morning there with the animals, the playground, and our lunch. And, I found out about the deaths of two people.
Melanie e-mailed me and told me a friend of hers committed suicide by jumping in front of a train. We talked last night for a while; Melanie cried and told me the story of this Christian young woman, who left behind a husband and a nine-month-old baby, and who had struggled with depression. I listened and thought of a quote of St. Augustine's I just read in a Thomas Hardy novel: "Thou has counseled a better course than thou hast permitted." Melanie wondered if she could have made a difference by reaching out; surely our actions do bear fruit, and just as surely God carries out His sovereign will regardless of our feeble pursuits after righteousness or self-glory.
Mom sent a text to my e-mail from Sacred Road, where she is on a mission trip this week: "Kathleen Parker called to say Jim died. Service 3:00 Wed. She loves us & appreciates our prayers." Dear Jim Parker, who was somewhere around 90 years old and had for many years been living with increasing pain and immobility. Yet how faithful he was to encourage others, to pull out a smile and a hug and a word of kindness.
It is good to be reminded to act Today, while there is yet life in this blade of grass -- to reach out to a friend who might be struggling or in need, and to overlook my own discomfort or desires and focus on how I can be a blessing to others.
Melanie e-mailed me and told me a friend of hers committed suicide by jumping in front of a train. We talked last night for a while; Melanie cried and told me the story of this Christian young woman, who left behind a husband and a nine-month-old baby, and who had struggled with depression. I listened and thought of a quote of St. Augustine's I just read in a Thomas Hardy novel: "Thou has counseled a better course than thou hast permitted." Melanie wondered if she could have made a difference by reaching out; surely our actions do bear fruit, and just as surely God carries out His sovereign will regardless of our feeble pursuits after righteousness or self-glory.
Mom sent a text to my e-mail from Sacred Road, where she is on a mission trip this week: "Kathleen Parker called to say Jim died. Service 3:00 Wed. She loves us & appreciates our prayers." Dear Jim Parker, who was somewhere around 90 years old and had for many years been living with increasing pain and immobility. Yet how faithful he was to encourage others, to pull out a smile and a hug and a word of kindness.
It is good to be reminded to act Today, while there is yet life in this blade of grass -- to reach out to a friend who might be struggling or in need, and to overlook my own discomfort or desires and focus on how I can be a blessing to others.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Our Home
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Quiet Time
Quiet time is a hard concept for a four-year-old. Claire usually goes to her room while the younger two are napping and has an hour to play quietly in the confines of those four walls. She usually surfaces at least once, and her surefire ticket out of the room without getting into trouble is, "I have to go sit on the toilet!"
However, yesterday she got more creative. She came running out saying she needed a broom. "A broom?" I asked.
"Yes, to sweep up my horse's hair. I want my room to be clean as a whistle!"
I will admit to a strong dose of suspicion that all was not well if the horse's hair was on the floor, so I got up and returned with Claire to her room. Sure enough, there were black tufts on her rug from her rocking horse's mane. I picked up the tufts, noting the hair-filled brush she has been using and also the scissors lying on the floor beside the horse. I strongly recommended a course of no more hair treatments for the horse and left the room.
Today, Claire came out of her room for a drink. Shortly, she appeared again in the hall, cup in hand, and disappeared to the kitchen. I didn't say anything, and she returned to her room. However, when she came out a third time about 5 seconds later, I stopped her in the hall. "I'm REALLY thirsty, because I'm so hot," she explained.
"What happened to the water you got 5 seconds ago?" I asked.
"I drank it," she said, running down to the kitchen before I could say anything else. When she didn't return, I followed her. She lurched guiltily from the sink when I entered, then recovered and walked towards me with two cups of water in her hands. "My horse needs water," she said.
"No, the horse doesn't need water," I answered. "If you want a drink, you can drink right here and then go back to your room." I guess she knew her story was wearing thin, because she obediently turned to the sink and dumped out her cups; then she turned on the faucet to rinse them out.
"I have to get the soap out," she explained. "And, I'm not thirsty anymore."
However, yesterday she got more creative. She came running out saying she needed a broom. "A broom?" I asked.
"Yes, to sweep up my horse's hair. I want my room to be clean as a whistle!"
I will admit to a strong dose of suspicion that all was not well if the horse's hair was on the floor, so I got up and returned with Claire to her room. Sure enough, there were black tufts on her rug from her rocking horse's mane. I picked up the tufts, noting the hair-filled brush she has been using and also the scissors lying on the floor beside the horse. I strongly recommended a course of no more hair treatments for the horse and left the room.
Today, Claire came out of her room for a drink. Shortly, she appeared again in the hall, cup in hand, and disappeared to the kitchen. I didn't say anything, and she returned to her room. However, when she came out a third time about 5 seconds later, I stopped her in the hall. "I'm REALLY thirsty, because I'm so hot," she explained.
"What happened to the water you got 5 seconds ago?" I asked.
"I drank it," she said, running down to the kitchen before I could say anything else. When she didn't return, I followed her. She lurched guiltily from the sink when I entered, then recovered and walked towards me with two cups of water in her hands. "My horse needs water," she said.
"No, the horse doesn't need water," I answered. "If you want a drink, you can drink right here and then go back to your room." I guess she knew her story was wearing thin, because she obediently turned to the sink and dumped out her cups; then she turned on the faucet to rinse them out.
"I have to get the soap out," she explained. "And, I'm not thirsty anymore."
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Travels
I’m back in Lichterfelde (our neighborhood) after a week in the Stuttgart area, once again setting up shop at a little café to share a little about what has been going on in Germany.
Heather, kids, and I set out about 11:00 last Thursday morning to make the six hour drive to some friends of theirs just outside of Stuttgart. Stopping at handy McDonalds (“Mommy, when will we be at Mickel Donalds?” asks Lilah from the backseat) and Esso stations (where we can get cheaper gas) to fuel up along the way, we reached our friendly hosts about 7 in the evening. Tracy fed us dinner, and the kids joined Betsy and Austin in running off some excess energy, then we tucked them into bed for a needed night of rest!
The next day we headed to the nearby Freibad (swimming pool) to enjoy the warm, sunny day. The kids splashed in the shallow pool and then all wanted to take turns going down the swirly slide in the bigger pool; I went down once with Lilah and then Cole and I camped out on a towel on a grassy hillside while the others continued with their wild waterplay.
That evening we helped Holzgerlingen (the small village where our hosts live) celebrate 1001 years by eating ice cream, splashing in a fountain, examining the flea market wares, and eating bratwurst and donor kebabs.
Saturday, Brent was off work and we decided to go on a daytrip to Mainau, a small island in the Bodensee close to where I went to Bible school (Melanie and I visited there on one of my trips to see her). We had a full day of enjoying the island’s lovely gardens, with lots of fun activities for the kids along the way: picnic lunch, butterfly house, jumping in and out of strollers (we had two double strollers and a single, so all the kids had a seat and we made quite a caravan), feeding goats, pony rides, expansive playground, and, just before it started raining and we made a dash for our car, ice cream. It was a beautiful day and a fun outing for everyone.
After church on Sunday, we had lunch and naps at home, and then Heather drove me about 50 minutes south to Balingen so I could spend a few days with Melanie, Bernhard, and Joshua. It was amazing and grand to be back in their home so soon after my April visit. They were just returning from a trip, and Bernhard is still off work (he gets some time off because of Joshua’s birth and is taking a month now and a month this fall), so we had a relaxed time together. Melanie and I went grocery shopping, cooked, sewed, did laundry, and of course talked a lot.
I loved seeing how service is an integral part of their lives. It starts with service to each other (and to privileged house guests!): I can carry that for you. I’ll do the dishes. Lunch is ready! One morning the phone rang, and a few minutes later, a young man buzzed at the door. He is studying for his final exams this week and wondered if Bernhard could help him study. They spent several hours together in the living room. He comes to the biweekly small group that meets at the Hausser’s home. That evening, three neighbors came for dinner – a single lady the Haussers are acquainted with and a couple that none of them really know who they wanted to reach out to. One afternoon we walked into Balingen to get ice cream and ran into a man whose wife attends church with the Haussers. He joined us at our table in the town square and had an intense talk with Bernhard cataloguing all the trials in his life right now and admitting he is looking for the meaning of life. Melanie talked about her friend Claudia whose daughter isn’t sleeping well at all, and tried to call her to find out if she had a good appointment with a family counseling place on Tuesday. Later I got a text from Melanie asking me to pray for Claudia; they had talked, and Claudia is not only frazzled from Ellen’s sketchy sleep patterns but her marriage is not doing well, either. Today I got an e-mail from Melanie saying she had done some research on German classes for me. I had mentioned to her that I was a little overwhelmed with all the options, and she made some phone calls and found the perfect thing. What dear, Christ-like people are these friends!
Wednesday morning Melanie and I set out for downtown Balingen to share breakfast in the sunshine and then to take the train together to Stuttgart. From there, she met with a friend from Bodenseehof and I took another train to Holzgerlingen where I met back up with Heather and the kids. We headed towards Berlin about 2:15 and got in around 9:15. I'm not sure if I'm going to like going back to the land of speed limits on freeways.
And, after being away, it’s nice to be home. It feels like home, too, with the cars bumbling along the cobblestones outside the window, and the light, high ceilings giving us a sense of space.
Heather, kids, and I set out about 11:00 last Thursday morning to make the six hour drive to some friends of theirs just outside of Stuttgart. Stopping at handy McDonalds (“Mommy, when will we be at Mickel Donalds?” asks Lilah from the backseat) and Esso stations (where we can get cheaper gas) to fuel up along the way, we reached our friendly hosts about 7 in the evening. Tracy fed us dinner, and the kids joined Betsy and Austin in running off some excess energy, then we tucked them into bed for a needed night of rest!
The next day we headed to the nearby Freibad (swimming pool) to enjoy the warm, sunny day. The kids splashed in the shallow pool and then all wanted to take turns going down the swirly slide in the bigger pool; I went down once with Lilah and then Cole and I camped out on a towel on a grassy hillside while the others continued with their wild waterplay.
That evening we helped Holzgerlingen (the small village where our hosts live) celebrate 1001 years by eating ice cream, splashing in a fountain, examining the flea market wares, and eating bratwurst and donor kebabs.
Saturday, Brent was off work and we decided to go on a daytrip to Mainau, a small island in the Bodensee close to where I went to Bible school (Melanie and I visited there on one of my trips to see her). We had a full day of enjoying the island’s lovely gardens, with lots of fun activities for the kids along the way: picnic lunch, butterfly house, jumping in and out of strollers (we had two double strollers and a single, so all the kids had a seat and we made quite a caravan), feeding goats, pony rides, expansive playground, and, just before it started raining and we made a dash for our car, ice cream. It was a beautiful day and a fun outing for everyone.
After church on Sunday, we had lunch and naps at home, and then Heather drove me about 50 minutes south to Balingen so I could spend a few days with Melanie, Bernhard, and Joshua. It was amazing and grand to be back in their home so soon after my April visit. They were just returning from a trip, and Bernhard is still off work (he gets some time off because of Joshua’s birth and is taking a month now and a month this fall), so we had a relaxed time together. Melanie and I went grocery shopping, cooked, sewed, did laundry, and of course talked a lot.
I loved seeing how service is an integral part of their lives. It starts with service to each other (and to privileged house guests!): I can carry that for you. I’ll do the dishes. Lunch is ready! One morning the phone rang, and a few minutes later, a young man buzzed at the door. He is studying for his final exams this week and wondered if Bernhard could help him study. They spent several hours together in the living room. He comes to the biweekly small group that meets at the Hausser’s home. That evening, three neighbors came for dinner – a single lady the Haussers are acquainted with and a couple that none of them really know who they wanted to reach out to. One afternoon we walked into Balingen to get ice cream and ran into a man whose wife attends church with the Haussers. He joined us at our table in the town square and had an intense talk with Bernhard cataloguing all the trials in his life right now and admitting he is looking for the meaning of life. Melanie talked about her friend Claudia whose daughter isn’t sleeping well at all, and tried to call her to find out if she had a good appointment with a family counseling place on Tuesday. Later I got a text from Melanie asking me to pray for Claudia; they had talked, and Claudia is not only frazzled from Ellen’s sketchy sleep patterns but her marriage is not doing well, either. Today I got an e-mail from Melanie saying she had done some research on German classes for me. I had mentioned to her that I was a little overwhelmed with all the options, and she made some phone calls and found the perfect thing. What dear, Christ-like people are these friends!
Wednesday morning Melanie and I set out for downtown Balingen to share breakfast in the sunshine and then to take the train together to Stuttgart. From there, she met with a friend from Bodenseehof and I took another train to Holzgerlingen where I met back up with Heather and the kids. We headed towards Berlin about 2:15 and got in around 9:15. I'm not sure if I'm going to like going back to the land of speed limits on freeways.
And, after being away, it’s nice to be home. It feels like home, too, with the cars bumbling along the cobblestones outside the window, and the light, high ceilings giving us a sense of space.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
A lake, a museum, and a sermon
Last night Heather and I decided it was a lake night again, and we took the kids to another nearby lake for an evening splash and then dinner ("hot dogs" -- wurst, eaten with a knife and fork and a slice of bread) at an outdoor restaurant on the lake. It's nice to have a break from feeling sticky and sweaty, and the kids love getting wet and dirty.
Today Heather was hosting a play group at our house, and she suggested that I take the morning off and maybe head downtown. I thought it sounded like a good idea, so after we were through our morning routine of trading off running, showering, and getting the kids up, fed, and dressed, I set out towards the train station. It's a little cooler today, so I enjoyed the walk to the station and the ride into the city. I came up from the underground station to rain falling! It was still very warm, and refreshing to have the rain coming down. My destination was the Pergamon Museum, perhaps Berlin's most famous. Its two standout pieces are the Pergamon altar (no, I'm not in the picture, but do you see all those people who look like tourists? I looked like them)
Then I enjoyed lunch in a sunny square (yes, the sun came back out while I was in the museum -- they day ended up in the low 80s, I think) while I read my book, a walk through part of the city, and a slice of kasekuchen (I really need umlauts to write that word! -- cheesecake, by the way) at another cafe. This one had an outdoor seating area in a courtyard off the main street, which I found charming. I listened to the sermon from Covenant Pres while sat in the courtyard -- Heidi and I chatted about it last night and she made me want to listen to it. She's right -- it was convicting. The topic was the last part of Matthew 28. It would be easy for me to say that I could work on going and making disciples after these months in Berlin, to say that I already have a job and a mission for this season, to say that I don't know the German language and my time here is choppy because of the six week trip to the States in the middle. But Heidi reminded me that we always want to put off challenging tasks till the next season. I am also reminded of a wise word from Mark while I was visiting him in Stehekin in May: "I am sure that God is sending you to Germany for a purpose. I will look forward to hearing what He has for you there." At the time, I thought, "I know why I'm going to Germany -- to live with and help this family." And yes, that is certainly a large part of my "mission" for this time. But my heart should never be closed to other needs that God wants to show me. Bill Price's charge at the end of his sermon: "Find a wall and get on the other side of it. Open your eyes and see the need there. Pray that the Lord would send laborers to that field." There are lots of walls here, starting with a rather large one between me and almost everyone because of the language barrier. Instead of being scared of summiting the walls, I want to tackle them with courage and Pray.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Sonntag Morgen
Sunday Morning
I’m at a café on a quiet side street near our home in the suburbs of Berlin (we’re in Lichterfelde; I’m not sure if I’ve meandered to the neighboring neighborhood). It’s Sunday morning, but our church isn’t till 12:15, and Heather sent me off on an outing. She’s been out a few times in the past week and left me with the kids, and she wanted me to be able to also enjoy some quiet moments. When she suggested an hour or two at a café, I thought it sounded like a lovely idea.
So I hopped on the bike (someone who’s out of the country for a time recently loaned it to Heather), verified that Heather’s analysis that it feels somewhat unstable is correct (I think perhaps due to the basket on the front, which of course was loaded with all my café-sitting gear, and the child seat on the back), and greatly enjoyed my ride regardless. It’s supposed to be 97 today, but there is still a vestige of morning coolness, and the breeze stirred up by my gentle pedaling made the morning perfect. I planned to ride to a café just up the street from where we live, but although the door was unlocked, I found the counter untended and a man came out from the back and said, among other things, “Keine offnen.” That was all I understood, but it was sufficient: not open. So I climbed back on the bike, not a bit sorry to continue my easy tour through the streets. I followed a route Heather mapped out to me for running, then turned off when the side streets looked intriguing. The houses in this neighborhood are large and grand, and I enjoyed taking them in as well as praying for those on my heart this morning while I looked for a likely (open, with outdoor seating) café. Just off of Tulpenstrasse (Tulip Street), I found it. It’s shady, with big trees whispering in the breeze overhead. I ordered a cappuccino (to continue my very recent occasional coffee trend) and a piece of plum kuchen (don’t worry, German cake isn’t very sweet, so it’s more like breakfast bread) and settled on the patio.
I love all the threads being tied between me and the children. Yesterday we all went to a lake in the morning, and Claire was eager to splash and “go deep” with me and admire the mussel shells we found in the sand and look for minnows. “Have you had a wedding?” she asked me in the kitchen one morning. When I said no, she said, “Then why do you have rings?” There is nothing that is beyond her persistent “Why?” She asked me after only a day or two, “Why do you keep making that funny face?” Now she asks me to make it: “Can you make one eye go up and one eye down? Now can you do the other one? Now can you keep doing it?” So my eyebrows are already famous.
Lilah has been quieter than usual due to a touch of fever, and specially interested in Mommy, but she can be quite snuggly with me, too. “You huggy!” she says, looking up at me through blonde curls with shining blue eyes and then she goes on to label me with any other silly, made-up words that come to her mind. And she likes to be held: “I carry you?” she asks, arms up.
If Cole is not aware of his exceeding charm, he certainly uses it to good advantage. With a slow blink of his large blue eyes and a dimply grin while he looks away shyly, he captures the heart of many an honest bystander. He is easy to please and usually content to be a little monkey clambering up and down the wide, long hallway that runs through the apartment, scrambling over the doorsills into the rooms and taking great delight in using his tiny hand and, from his lowly stature, making the great doors close. He also gets tickled by his own sweet gibberish, and especially his ability to copy sounds made by others.
And Heather is also becoming a friend. Last night when I shared with her about a friend’s distress, she prayed with me. We keep asking questions and finding out more about each other’s families and histories and interests and personalities. Of course we are sharing daily life together, and the care of the children, both of which are also bonding.
It is good to be learning and growing, to be in a place of beauty and a home where God is honored, and to be able to keep connected with dear ones back at home. Mary’s going away card for me quoted from the beginning of Psalm 105, and I have been thinking about how important it is to remember and tell the deeds of the Lord. May I lift His name before each of you this summer Sunday morning, and declare His purposefulness and kindness in leading me to this place.
I’m at a café on a quiet side street near our home in the suburbs of Berlin (we’re in Lichterfelde; I’m not sure if I’ve meandered to the neighboring neighborhood). It’s Sunday morning, but our church isn’t till 12:15, and Heather sent me off on an outing. She’s been out a few times in the past week and left me with the kids, and she wanted me to be able to also enjoy some quiet moments. When she suggested an hour or two at a café, I thought it sounded like a lovely idea.
So I hopped on the bike (someone who’s out of the country for a time recently loaned it to Heather), verified that Heather’s analysis that it feels somewhat unstable is correct (I think perhaps due to the basket on the front, which of course was loaded with all my café-sitting gear, and the child seat on the back), and greatly enjoyed my ride regardless. It’s supposed to be 97 today, but there is still a vestige of morning coolness, and the breeze stirred up by my gentle pedaling made the morning perfect. I planned to ride to a café just up the street from where we live, but although the door was unlocked, I found the counter untended and a man came out from the back and said, among other things, “Keine offnen.” That was all I understood, but it was sufficient: not open. So I climbed back on the bike, not a bit sorry to continue my easy tour through the streets. I followed a route Heather mapped out to me for running, then turned off when the side streets looked intriguing. The houses in this neighborhood are large and grand, and I enjoyed taking them in as well as praying for those on my heart this morning while I looked for a likely (open, with outdoor seating) café. Just off of Tulpenstrasse (Tulip Street), I found it. It’s shady, with big trees whispering in the breeze overhead. I ordered a cappuccino (to continue my very recent occasional coffee trend) and a piece of plum kuchen (don’t worry, German cake isn’t very sweet, so it’s more like breakfast bread) and settled on the patio.
I love all the threads being tied between me and the children. Yesterday we all went to a lake in the morning, and Claire was eager to splash and “go deep” with me and admire the mussel shells we found in the sand and look for minnows. “Have you had a wedding?” she asked me in the kitchen one morning. When I said no, she said, “Then why do you have rings?” There is nothing that is beyond her persistent “Why?” She asked me after only a day or two, “Why do you keep making that funny face?” Now she asks me to make it: “Can you make one eye go up and one eye down? Now can you do the other one? Now can you keep doing it?” So my eyebrows are already famous.
Lilah has been quieter than usual due to a touch of fever, and specially interested in Mommy, but she can be quite snuggly with me, too. “You huggy!” she says, looking up at me through blonde curls with shining blue eyes and then she goes on to label me with any other silly, made-up words that come to her mind. And she likes to be held: “I carry you?” she asks, arms up.
If Cole is not aware of his exceeding charm, he certainly uses it to good advantage. With a slow blink of his large blue eyes and a dimply grin while he looks away shyly, he captures the heart of many an honest bystander. He is easy to please and usually content to be a little monkey clambering up and down the wide, long hallway that runs through the apartment, scrambling over the doorsills into the rooms and taking great delight in using his tiny hand and, from his lowly stature, making the great doors close. He also gets tickled by his own sweet gibberish, and especially his ability to copy sounds made by others.
And Heather is also becoming a friend. Last night when I shared with her about a friend’s distress, she prayed with me. We keep asking questions and finding out more about each other’s families and histories and interests and personalities. Of course we are sharing daily life together, and the care of the children, both of which are also bonding.
It is good to be learning and growing, to be in a place of beauty and a home where God is honored, and to be able to keep connected with dear ones back at home. Mary’s going away card for me quoted from the beginning of Psalm 105, and I have been thinking about how important it is to remember and tell the deeds of the Lord. May I lift His name before each of you this summer Sunday morning, and declare His purposefulness and kindness in leading me to this place.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Walks around Berlin
Today, Heather had a dentist appointment and she left early so she could have a bit of quiet time for writing. The kids and I walked to a nearby park, and I think we all enjoyed the outing (although Lilah got very quiet at the end and when we got home I found she had a fever). It's hotter today and we are all enjoying a midday siesta!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
New Home
I woke up to a bright blue sky over elegant red roofed buildings; bird song and cars on cobblestones were the wake-up call, and the florist across the street was setting out the day's arrangements.
My new home is in an old and elegant apartment building; there are two offices on the main floor and four apartments above. Tall ceilings (between ten and twelve feet) embellished with embossed designs, huge doors with ornate handles, old wide planked wooden floors, double casement windows. I like the views of old buildings, lots of trees (a weeping willow from the bathroom), cobblestone streets. It's good to find so many bits of beauty--makes me feel at home.
Last night we shared our first dinner together, joined by a lady who babysat the kids while Heather picked me up at the airport. The girls greeted me with enthusiasm, cards, and smiles and had a lot to say to me or about me at dinner. Lilah: "Why are you hanging out here?" (I think it was a new phrase she recently heard and thought she might try out, though there may have been some of her true thoughts conveyed as well. If I were two and a stranger moved in, I might be wondering the same thing even if Mom had been talking about her for weeks.) And at Claire's request, Heather and I have stood back to back and we now know who's taller (a great advantage which I won hands down).
After a leisurely awakening, a walk around the neighborhood, tea with Heather at a Cafe across the street, and now a bit of quiet time while Heather picks up the girls at preschool and Cole naps, life feels pretty easy so far! I am of course enjoying a quiet day but also looking forward to growing familiar with all the routines of daily life in this household and joining in.
My new home is in an old and elegant apartment building; there are two offices on the main floor and four apartments above. Tall ceilings (between ten and twelve feet) embellished with embossed designs, huge doors with ornate handles, old wide planked wooden floors, double casement windows. I like the views of old buildings, lots of trees (a weeping willow from the bathroom), cobblestone streets. It's good to find so many bits of beauty--makes me feel at home.
Last night we shared our first dinner together, joined by a lady who babysat the kids while Heather picked me up at the airport. The girls greeted me with enthusiasm, cards, and smiles and had a lot to say to me or about me at dinner. Lilah: "Why are you hanging out here?" (I think it was a new phrase she recently heard and thought she might try out, though there may have been some of her true thoughts conveyed as well. If I were two and a stranger moved in, I might be wondering the same thing even if Mom had been talking about her for weeks.) And at Claire's request, Heather and I have stood back to back and we now know who's taller (a great advantage which I won hands down).
After a leisurely awakening, a walk around the neighborhood, tea with Heather at a Cafe across the street, and now a bit of quiet time while Heather picks up the girls at preschool and Cole naps, life feels pretty easy so far! I am of course enjoying a quiet day but also looking forward to growing familiar with all the routines of daily life in this household and joining in.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
En Route
The Zurich airport is a ghost town (the lines at Passport Control and security were nil; there are only three other people at my gate), and my flight from San Fransisco was early, so I have time: just under an hour here at my gate till boarding begins for the flight to Berlin. I have said goodbye to my charming traveling companions, the Schmitts—our seats weren’t close enough that we could really chat on the plane, but we enjoyed visiting while we were waiting at our gates and walking through the airports together. I like the companionableness of starting out on our grand new adventures together. Different adventures, but starting from the same home in Washington and traveling along the same road for a time. And hopefully our paths will cross again while we’re both in Europe!
Yesterday morning I said my last goodbyes to Dad and Mom. We started the day with our usual granola breakfast and a prayer time that was rather more wet about the eyes than usual (but very sweet, and good to let out a little of what we were feeling). Then I wanted to wash my car, my sheets, my bathroom, and I also had the job of fitting the stacks of stuff lining my bedroom into two suitcases and a small backpack. I had success . . . sort of. I did leave a pile of winter things in my closet to fetch when I’m home in September. Mom sat by and lent her advice or her eye or her arm to help me decide what to put in next or get a zipper closed. And to be with me, of course. Nice. Dad and I washed cars together. Then it was time for a quick lunch and we headed to the airport.
We made one stop on the way there, and as we headed into Fred Meyer, Mom said, “I just feel like I want to get something for you to take with you so you’ll remember me.” We both knew there was no more room in my suitcase, and what would she get, anyway? But as we were leaving the store, she had an inspiration. “Hey, let’s see if my ring fits you and you could take that with you!” she said, slipping off a ring she’d purchased at Pike Place Market on one of her last visits to the bakery before I stopped working there. She slid it onto my finger and said, “Do you want to take it with you?” I almost said, “I don’t need to take it form you!” when I realized that what I really wanted and what she really wanted were the same. So I said, “Yes, I’d love to!” And it’s perfect; I see it all the time and it is like a secret link to her. It will remind me to pray for her, and of her love and prayers for me.
So, it is good to be where I am. It will be even better when I am in my new home, greeting my new family. And with a night of rest behind me, it will be amazing!
Yesterday morning I said my last goodbyes to Dad and Mom. We started the day with our usual granola breakfast and a prayer time that was rather more wet about the eyes than usual (but very sweet, and good to let out a little of what we were feeling). Then I wanted to wash my car, my sheets, my bathroom, and I also had the job of fitting the stacks of stuff lining my bedroom into two suitcases and a small backpack. I had success . . . sort of. I did leave a pile of winter things in my closet to fetch when I’m home in September. Mom sat by and lent her advice or her eye or her arm to help me decide what to put in next or get a zipper closed. And to be with me, of course. Nice. Dad and I washed cars together. Then it was time for a quick lunch and we headed to the airport.
We made one stop on the way there, and as we headed into Fred Meyer, Mom said, “I just feel like I want to get something for you to take with you so you’ll remember me.” We both knew there was no more room in my suitcase, and what would she get, anyway? But as we were leaving the store, she had an inspiration. “Hey, let’s see if my ring fits you and you could take that with you!” she said, slipping off a ring she’d purchased at Pike Place Market on one of her last visits to the bakery before I stopped working there. She slid it onto my finger and said, “Do you want to take it with you?” I almost said, “I don’t need to take it form you!” when I realized that what I really wanted and what she really wanted were the same. So I said, “Yes, I’d love to!” And it’s perfect; I see it all the time and it is like a secret link to her. It will remind me to pray for her, and of her love and prayers for me.
So, it is good to be where I am. It will be even better when I am in my new home, greeting my new family. And with a night of rest behind me, it will be amazing!
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Goodnight, Peter & Lucy!
Tonight I sat on Peter's bed (a neatly made-up mattress on the floor in the corner of the bedroom he shares with Lucy) and read him his bedtime story. It wasn't till he snuggled up against me, eager to hear about Duffy and his little red train, that I realized this was goodbye. Then I could hardly read. I tried to think about the story, and how I would be back in two months for a visit, and many other happy or unrelated thoughts, but the tears were eager.
Lucy came toddling down the hall, happy after her nurse, and joined us for the nightly Bible reading. With both of them snuggled against me, the weeping was worse. The story from the Bible was about Jesus' crucifixion, which did not help me to cheer up. Peter wanted mama to tuck him in, so she came down to their bedroom as I was laying Lucy down. The tears in her eyes and her big hug for me made me melt into a puddle; I think this was the first that Peter even noticed I was crying. He pulled back from our group hug to look at us two girls. "Oh, Aunt Jewy have owie on her thumb!" he said, remembering an actual cut on my thumb and totally not getting it.
Sometimes I don't get it either, exactly why the emotions surge up so willfully at certain moments. (It's not goodbye forever! And God's leading was so clear on this Germany trip, and I'm actually very excited for what is ahead.) But I know I'm grateful to have a heart that is connected to the people around me, even if it stings a little sometimes.
Lucy came toddling down the hall, happy after her nurse, and joined us for the nightly Bible reading. With both of them snuggled against me, the weeping was worse. The story from the Bible was about Jesus' crucifixion, which did not help me to cheer up. Peter wanted mama to tuck him in, so she came down to their bedroom as I was laying Lucy down. The tears in her eyes and her big hug for me made me melt into a puddle; I think this was the first that Peter even noticed I was crying. He pulled back from our group hug to look at us two girls. "Oh, Aunt Jewy have owie on her thumb!" he said, remembering an actual cut on my thumb and totally not getting it.
Sometimes I don't get it either, exactly why the emotions surge up so willfully at certain moments. (It's not goodbye forever! And God's leading was so clear on this Germany trip, and I'm actually very excited for what is ahead.) But I know I'm grateful to have a heart that is connected to the people around me, even if it stings a little sometimes.
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