Chocolate and prayers

Thursday, February 13, 2025

We're back in town for a few days before going home. W and I head out to acquire basics we can't get in Indonesia. It feels so cold outside. We bundle up with undershirts, long sleeves, fleeces, coats, gloves, and hats.

One of my tasks is to make a 3-5 minute video for a partner group. That's a long presentation. It takes me a few hours to assemble a PPT with pictures before W edits it into conformity. We record a voice-over; on our fifth take, we are satisfied and send it off as requested.

For supper, Melissa makes a beef roast with all the fixings. Delicious. And the company is wonderful. We admire an antique doll given by Grandmama to the youngest grandchild.

W examines the face - it's old. There were a few Korean clown dolls in the basket the doll came in. We check those out online, too.

30-year-old tall mugs are waiting in the downstairs cabinet, leftovers from our previous life here. Tea tastes different, made with Seattle's chlorinated water. We've learned that boiling the water removes much of the bleach-y overtones while strong black tea makes the drink palatable.

Friday - Valentines Day

We're happy to be with each other. We eat breakfast with the family - eggs, bacon, and pecan pastries with orange juice and tea - and open the valentines the kids have made. M and the kids head out to Valentines Day parties, while W meets a friend for coffee.

After dropping W off with his friend, I shop next door to two discounters: a grocer and a dollar store. Some things that we can't get in Indonesia are easily available and cheap in American grocery stores.

In the parking lot, Asha hails me. What! I just texted her in the car, asking if she's working or available to meet. She hasn't even seen the texts - it's a nice surprise! We walk up some aisles together, hug a few times, and then she's off to her own Valentine appointments.

I enjoy an hour alone in the shops, looking at trends, admiring fast foods and prepared meals (SO MUCH! variety) while gasping at the prices. I put a two sets of reading glasses ($1.50 each) and a few other items in my cart. Back at the flat, I toss them into a suitcase. We'll pack them properly later.

For lunch, I boil frozen pirogies, accompanying them with a scoop of cottage cheese and tomato sauce. Yum. 

W returns later in the afternoon. "What's for supper?" he asks. I'm sated but give him a few options. He chooses a can of soup, which I heat up and pour into a bowl. How simple to eat at home if food just needs warming.

Our son has a stretch massager. You unroll it and plug it in, and your back and neck get pulled every which way. I try it out. Later, I stick my socked feet in their foot massager. Feels like a spa day.

That is, until I start deleting emails in one of my accounts. Yikes - how do you accumulate 2700 emails that you liked and want to read again. "Away with you," she says.

All day long, the kettle is heating water for tea. I like my little tea corner.

Saturday

We join friends for coffee in the morning. The guys' group has met each Saturday for decades. They offer W encouragement and support. Phyllis and I sit across the room to we catch up on kids and prayers and friends.

W drops me at a small mall while he recycles boxes. He picks me up to run some errands. One of those is returning items added to our bill "accidentally" by the cashier yesterday. We exchange a Bisquick package full of ants for an ant-free package. The thrift store has a half-off sale, so we spend $11 on a stainless steel fondue set and a tall bronze candlestick. Decorative and useful, both of them.

We also indulge in favored snacks. Western-style potato chips are so expensive at our Indonesian grocer that we never buy them. Today I pick up a $2 bag with hickory-smoke barbecue flavor. W and I nibble on them for a few days.

A special parcel from Keelee arrives in the mail. Inside are home-baked coffee/chocolate cookies I love, accompanied by a wooden finger labyrinth. The labyrinth is a physical accompaniment to prayer that stills the mind and rests the soul. Can't wait to use it. Keelee sends instructions as well as a loving note. My heart is warmed.

The 4 grandkids are with us in the afternoon (yay for Dicks Burgers and Half Price Books) and then occupy themselves with their acquisitions, from books to building blocks. The kids play a violin concert before we enjoy the pizza Kinsey bakes and sample hot apple cider and chamomile tea.

Wes drops by in the evening with a gift of chocolate, which our helpers will chop to bake cookies for movie night and other events. Hurrah! We pray over our families and our concerns together.

I try to sleep for an hour before giving up to read and write.

Read more:

*God said, “Ask for the ancient paths, where the good way lies; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls.” Jeremiah 6:16

We want each one of you to show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope to the very end, so that you may not become sluggish but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Hebrews 6:11-12

Moravian Prayer: As we walk through life, guiding God, help us to avoid the dangers and distractions that tempt us to stray. Like the saints before us, help us to walk with you, diligently serving and patiently trusting that we will see your promises fulfilled and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.

Cool, in more ways than weather

Wednesday, February 5, 2025

It's windy and cold but I refresh with a good walk along the Hope Slough. I cook and tidy up, but Mom and I get to spend most of the day together when she's awake. I stay awake until my last call at 11:00 PM for Mom's meds and seeing her to the bathroom. I'm asleep before midnight.

Thursday

We say goodbye to Mom when her caregiver arrives mid-morning. We are headed for Seattle. The mountains are capped with snow.

We make a brief stop for tea and coffee with dear friends LeRoy and Lynette. Lynette sends along a package of Spekulaas cookies. Yum - it's the Dutch version of German Pfeffernuss baking.

Lunch is Tex Mex in Burlington.

The restaurant is decorated with bright colors and sombreros (traditional Mexican hats).

We spend a few hours unpacking, doing laundry, and repacking at our flat. In the evening, we toss the suitcases into the rental car and head to the airport hotel: we don't want to miss our morning flight with a lousy commute from the other end of the city. W has researched the weather. It looks like ice and snow are coming overnight.

Saturday

Sure enough, the freeways are slippery with multiple vehicle accidents. Instead of fretting about getting to the airport on time, I catch the hotel shuttle in while W parks the car in an airport lot. We find each other at the check-in counter for the 4.5-hr. flight.

Kirsten picks us up from the Austin airport in the early afternoon. We watch her church service together, a practical and uplifting message on living with intention.

Her friend Chantelle comes for supper: Texas barbecue ribs with all the fixings. So yummy!

W sits with us but is busy, working on his manuscript.

Sunday

I sleep almost 10 1/2 hours. When Kirsten walks the dog, I trail along for some fresh air. A house is being constructed on the last empty lot on her street.

It's cool outside (60oF/17oC) so we layer up, coming in afterward to warm up with tea. K lays out a general shape for a new picture gallery for her hall.

As part of his dad-chores, W pounds no-dig metal spikes into the ground along a shared fence. K hopes to deter the neighbor's 3 dogs from burrowing into her backyard. They've trespassed and bitten her little dog.) We do some shopping and have a hearty supper.

Monday

K makes yogurt and granola for her dad and herself. I cook a Western-style breakfast, making an extra tortilla and bacon for W who reflexively says "no" but will want it after seeing my plate.

W checks the smoke detector batteries and shakes out the house's air filters, while K and I unwrap picture frames. We wash the glass or peel protective plastic sheets off the plexiglass in the frames. We trim the artwork, frame it, and make sure all is ready to hang.

W measures the wall, levels the angles, and installs the pictures ... before K takes him to the airport. He's off to work in Missouri. I have a few more days here.

We bake a pan of brownies in the evening, and enjoy the rich chocolate with a cup of tea.

A few evenings, we relax with a home improvement series. Both of us enjoy the imaginative designs as a couple works with a construction crew. 

In the episodes of Fixer to Fabulous, I'm struck by the husband response: "Yes." Whatever she (the designer) thinks up, the first thing out of his mouth is "Yes, we can do that," and then he figures out how. Pretty cool - and how uplifting to start with "yes!" ...

Tuesday

K and I do some shopping, eat good food, and rest together. The prayer times are precious. We contact my mom each day, too. We tweak the gallery wall put up yesterday and put up the last items.

I cut K's hair on the back porch. The rain and wind gusts make it hard to get an even grip on her locks.

For lunch, we try a Chinese noodle place - outstanding tastes, especially with their homemade pickles and chili crisp oil.

It's been a wet and gusty week. Multicolored leaves blow across the sidewalks.

This is the color I associate with Austin foliage. Grey-green suits the dry wilderness climate of summers and the tan-colored soil.

Wednesday

K and I walk the neighborhood in the late morning, redo the bedding and toss in some laundry, before having lunch and praying together.

In mid-afternoon, K drops me at the airport. I am refreshed and encouraged by the visit with our daughter. She's a mature and thoughtful person with strong opinions and a soft presentation.

The lounge has healthy options, including a delicious salad-in-a-jar. The woman next to me strikes up a conversation about what it means to live and serve abroad. She's on her way to becoming a global citizen.

The flight is uneventful from Texas to Seattle. W flies from Missouri to Seattle, arriving an hour after I land. We are grateful for heated metal benches in the shuttle waiting area. The shuttle picks us up to drop us off at the parking lot. We retrieve the car and drive to our flat. It's -1oF ... BRRRRR so cold. At least it's been dry so the freeway isn't slippery.

I toss my pajamas and the blankets into the dryer to heat up and soon we're fast asleep.

Read more:

*[Jeremiah prayed,] “Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you."

Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: “I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me? Jeremiah 32:17, 26-27

*O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. Psalm 51:15

*Peter and John said, “We cannot keep from speaking about what we have seen and heard.” Acts 4:20

Moravian Prayer: Jesus, may we continually praise you in all we do: from our lips, in our hearts, and in our actions. May we declare your goodness to all whom we encounter. Let us live in such a way that every person we meet will feel your presence through us. In your name, we pray. Amen.

Family photos and snow days

 Saturday, February 1, 2025

I sleep in, from 1 AM to 7:20. Wow - that's a late lie-in.

After a chat with Mom's primary caregiver and friend, I head outside for a walk. It's snowing! The ground turns white. Growing up in Winnipeg, we got our fill of snow every year. Now I don't care if I never see another snowflake. Chilliwack often gets snow in late January or early February, so this is normal.

It's also cold. I layer up with an undershirt, long sleeved T-shirt, a fleece jacket, socks, and trousers - and a hat. A long waterproof windbreaker and gloves from the entry closet get pulled over everything.

I carefully place my feet on the track to avoid sliding on the fresh layer. Very few people are out. Coming back, our tracks are already covered by the wet white stuff.

As I happily head back indoors, I shake the water off the coat and hat and pat dry my shoes. I have only one pair along. No flip flops for us here!

Norm and I head to Walmart for groceries after Mom has lunch. He buys burgers for an early supper. After that, Mom sips coffee and eats a cookie before we chat for a few hours. We pray together, then I make tea for myself and fill a few empty Sprite bottles with hot water to warm the bed. 

W is speaking at the IES Bandung Gathering. It's 6 PM here (and 9 AM Indonesia) when I join online. 

After, I relax with a few chapters of a book before falling asleep. Before long, the alarm rings for Mom's 11 PM meds.

Sunday

I get back to sleep at 4 AM but I don't have to be up until 10:30. I take a hot bath and lounge around until I'm needed. It snows off and on all day. Pretty but not my style. I don't have boots so I'm locked inside.

I wake Mom and the day is in full swing. Between chores, I make lunch: French toast with cottage cheese and pear slices for lunch; for supper, there's chicken schnitzel, baked potatoes, and cheesy broccoli.

It's a long day of conversations and memories until Mom goes to sleep at 6 PM. I clean up and read a bit before turning out the lights. The alarm rings and by the time we finish the 11 PM appointment, I'm wide awake--(the 11:00 alarm rings at 2 PM Indonesian time, in the middle of my usual afternoon. My body has not yet adjusted.) ...

Monday

Ridiculous jet lag. I lie still for an hour after Mom gets up and takes her meds. I give up and turn on a nightlight to read a book. After the last page, I lie there for another hour. Nope, I'm still not sleepy so my YouVersion reader goes through the last half of Ezekiel (rather depressing, much of it). And I lie in the dark for two more hours. Finally, Kindle reads a whole historical novel. Then I just lie there - the last time I check my watch, it's 9:20 AM. I haven't slept a wink.

Happily, I still get a good hour and a half of sleep before the alarm goes off at 11:00 AM. I help Mom get ready and make lunch (sausage, eggs, and fried potatoes). She has a good appetite, which is a welcome improvement in her health.

We dive into bed for a short snooze after her bath. I take pictures of old photos - and post them on the Frameo device Sandy got her. She reminisces as pictures scroll of her family through the years. (She's the little girl on the left, below.)

Jeremy and Rebekah (our kids) show up midafternoon with A&W Teenburgers and warm conversation. It's lovely to see them - both for Mom and me. They live on the other side of the USA border and the state so it's quite the trip in this winter weather. We pray together and take photos before they head home on the snowy roads.

By 7 PM, Mom and I are ready for sleep. Thank God for rest! We pray for protection over J and R and find out later that the wind pushed them into a snowdrift. They and the car were protected from harm. And a kind passerby helped Jeremy push the car back onto the road.

Tuesday

Sandy does the night shift so I can sleep through. I'm awake for a few hours but not fully alert. In mid-morning, before waking Mom, I go for a 3 km walk in the snow and sunshine. 

When the winter sun comes out in Chilliwack, you have to get outside.

A family of ducks paddles by the opposite bank of the Hope Slough.

Homeschoolers are sledding on the river slope. The dad pushes the kids at the top, while the mom catches them on the riverbank before they hit the freezing water.

The weeping willows keep their beautiful gold colored branches.

The grasses have turned grey and tan along the trail, too.

I spend an hour browsing old photo albums. Mom enjoys those new photos on her Frameo. She says, "It helps me to remember the past when I see all these pictures." She hasn't seen some of these pictures in years.

The photos show the startling differences between the body proportions of today's young adults and the youths of the 1950s. My parents' generation ate healthy portions of home cooked food, didn't have access to modern junk foods, and consumed few snacks.

It's fun to see the courting couple: Dad is 20 and Mom is 17 (below).

They were so in love. They stayed that way their whole life. When Dad died at 88 years of age, they'd been married over 67 years.

Mom is at her bridal shower in 1953 with Aunt Thelma, Dad's only sister.

Mom has kept a sweet smile on her face from childhood until now. On Grandma's deathbed, she told Mom: "You were always my sunshine." And she's still the warm heart of our family.

My parents married in August 1953. Their parents who were in their early and mid 40s. No wonder people say 60 is new 40.

There's a pic of our wedding, posing with my grandmas. It's hard to imagine that they were barely 60 years old at the time. Both grandmas lived into their late 80s.

We get great news. One of our sons has been offered work in Germany, an answer to prayer. We talk to my younger brother and his daughter in Germany about that. Mom chats with another brother. We call Kirsten (my daughter) to see how she's doing. It's a total family day.

We send pictures of Mom's meals to the head caregiver. Today, Mom eats crepes and a hearty serving of fried potatoes, eggs, and sausage. It's amazing how she has rallied. What a gift to the family.

The wonderful thing is that each family conversation ends with prayer: we worship and give thanks to God, along with any petitions that have been mentioned. Prayer is not merely our tradition. It's a life-giving and personal blessing we offer each other before God.

W lands in Seattle, rides the light rail into the city, and gets a ride to our house from Jeremy and Rebekah. In a few days, he'll visit his mom and join me here.

Read more:

*[Before his death, Moses said to the people of Israel:] This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses.

Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Deuteronomy 30:19-20

*Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty? They are higher than the heavens above—what can you do? They are deeper than the depths below—what can you know? Their measure is longer than the earth and wider than the sea. Job 11:7-9

*Is not my word like fire, says the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces? Jeremiah 23:29

*Indeed, the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

Moravian Prayer: God of all, we are grateful for your promise made flesh in Christ our Savior. May we hold Jesus’ lessons in our hearts and reflect them to others this and every day. Amen.

Happy Chinese New Year! 2025

Wednesday, January 29, 2025 Happy Chinese New Year!

I finally fall asleep at 2 AM and wake at 6. Not a long night. I start packing for Friday's flight to Canada, where I'll spend a week with my mom.

Happy New Year for the incoming Year of the Snake, which our friends consider a year for big changes. We have a wonderful lunch with Josie and her family. Her mother, who writes and edits the Mandarin newspaper, loves to cook traditional food. It's delicious!

We feel honored to be included in their New Year feast.

On the way home, we spot a motorcycle rider carrying a flower board - we can't see him behind his huge foam-core slab.

It's back to packing and editing for a few hours. W has written a few more chapters and sent them my way. It's more work for him to write than for me to edit, but with thick theology on the page, it is still work on my end.

Thursday

One more hike before I'm in the flat country of my hometown. And what a hike it is! It's been raining on and off for the past weeks so the clay soil, compacted and wet, is a slick as ice. 

We stab our walking poles into the ground and get a good arm workout. We're walking off-clay whenever we can, putting our shoes on the grass- and weed-covered rims. Sometimes it's not possible: there are drop-offs on each side.

Every one of us wipes out. I slide onto a knee on the last incline. Bummer. I thought I'd make it without getting a dirt patch on my trousers. Nope. And our shoes and socks are covered in mud.

"It's an easy walk," we're told. It's in the mountains so we're traversing up and down the slippery slopes, though we skirt the tall hills.

Our goal is the star at the top of the next mountain.

The wildflowers are abundant.

We climb over fallen trees and skitter along the track.

We stop for lunch at Opera, where the pasta is lukewarm but otherwise tasty.

I finish packing in the evening. I dream that I miss the flight, and then it's morning.

Friday

My body wakes me before the alarm at 5 AM. I'm in the shuttle to Jakarta Airport by 7. Our Jackel driver is excellent, not a risk-taker or constant lane-switcher (-swerver, as is usual). The constant lane-changing creates traffic jams - and high-risk slow vehicles suddenly "appear" in front of the car as a driver swerves over to get around a slower car.

At one of the toll booths into Jakarta, our driver takes an exit. Suddenly, we're on the other side of the highway with our lane is separated from oncoming traffic by cones. (Later in the day, they'll switch those orange cones to the other side of the freeway  to provide one more lane for home-going traffic.) We zip along since there's no way for drivers in our one lane to weave in and out. Meanwhile, regular traffic is stop and go. Mostly stop. He probably saves an hour or more and we're at the airport in under 3 hours.

There's construction in a wing of the airport, with workers high above the pedestrian walkways.

You can't have a fear of heights for that job.

Otherwise, the flights are uneventful - the best kind. The food is good in the Taiwan lounge.

The second-last (late!) passenger comes to my row and takes the window seat. Sigh. I almost had a row to myself for the 10.5 hour flight from Taiwan. He doesn't speak English and falls asleep quickly. He climbs over me once, eats all the meals and snacks, and is otherwise quiet.

I pull a fleecy jacket on backwards, suspend my sign "PLEASE LET ME SLEEP" in the tray latch, and pull the hood over my face. I sit. And sit. In the dark under the hood. My watch tracks 1:50 of sleep. Better than nothing. Our flight swings up the West coast rather than coming across the top of Alaska.

I emerge from my hoodie for breakfast. We've cross the international dateline, so we land in Vancouver after 6PM (Saturday 9AM in Indonesia). My brother picks me up and takes me to Mom's. She's had no idea I'm coming so he wakes her and shoots a video to send to her caregivers ... she's surprised!

She chats for over almost 2 hours before I head upstairs at 10PM for a shower. I read a bit ... and am fast asleep within a half-hour.

And get a phone call at 11:45PM. It's Mom, downstairs. "Didn't you hear the bell? [Nope, fast asleep after being up most of 32 hours ...] My care person isn't here." She usually has a night person who makes sure she has meds.

We message the caregivers and my brother but they're sleeping as well. I search for Mom's night meds, then sit with her until she's finished the pills and food, gets up briefly, and is ready to sleep. I fall into bed again but it takes an hour before I'm back to sleep. zzzz

Read more:

*The Lord will again take delight in prospering you, just as he delighted in prospering your ancestors. Deuteronomy 30:9

*Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them. He has raised up a mighty savior for us in the house of his child David. Luke 1:68-69

*Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that 

we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 

Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. 1 John 4:7-12

Moravian Prayer: Mighty God, you have provided for us throughout the years, knowing that goodness and mercy shall come. Help us to see your providing ways. We are never forgotten and never alone. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.