Ah, relax!

Thursday, January 4, 2018
We're at Gracia Resort for 2 days and 3 nights, courtesy of (a gift) from our study groups. W and I don't realize how much we need to leave town - even to go an hour away in the hills. The road in looks unpromising.

The resort is beautiful. The Christmas decor is a bit over the top, especially since I put all of mine away this morning.

 The foyer is red from top to bottom.

We have time while we're away to reflect on how much we love the city where we live. I also think through the coming months. When the pressure's off, ideas fly around my head and land in good order.

The hot springs are clean and well-maintained. It's another world, quiet and cool. Practically perfect.

Friday
The breakfast buffet is pretty. There is rice porridge, fruit, and breads. And the main course is from a menu.

Breakfast looks as expected. Since Muslim restaurants serve no pork, the beef bacon changes the taste.

I love chicken porridge - but later, I walk by the plate of eggs I put in my bowl. I guess a few flies never hurt anyone. They must have been chased away by the people just before me. I wish the restaurant would cover the food.

Waldemar is happy repairing the menus - he tightens the screws with his spoon.

We go for a walk through the nearby town, where we see all kinds of interesting things.

The cauliflower fields have just been harvested. And there's a Dutch-style house with plaited bamboo siding.

We swim in the afternoon. I've always loved to relax in the water. It carries me, soothes me. We stay by the pool as the sun goes down.

The crew lights the bonfire for the evening. They sprinkle the wood with a heavy gas - bbq lighter fluid - for a fast flame. The smoke drifts over the pools and hangs over the swimmers in the water. Wow. I'm glad to be sitting on the side.

The young girls  and women are covered from head to foot, while their brothers and fathers wear Western-style shorts, some with T-shirts.

Saturday
It's our last morning. We take advantage of it with a restful soak in the hot tub, scooping out the little flies that land on the water every few minutes. We bought a bamboo bird's nest at a shop yesterday and it works great at catching them.

Beside the swimming pool, I quickly sketch the fountain that we love to sit under. The page is bent and I have only a few minutes. I'll remember this memory though.

We will miss our private little teras with the hot tub off our bedroom.

 And we'll miss the perch above the resort pools, where we ate our breakfasts.

We say farewell to this beautiful spot. We have happy memories to go with the place. (Thanks, friends. What a lovely surprise this was.)

Sunday
W and I speak together in the morning - our topic is Creation. This month we're examining "New Beginnings," appropriate for the New Year. Next week, Jakob and Dayana will speak on Adam and Eve. Can't wait. After that, we'll talk about humanity's fresh start with Noah, and recovering from tragedy with Job.

BIC has finished raising a Christmas gift for two charitable projects. They are disbursed today. We are so proud of the community.

In the afternoon, I get an art surge. Usually that happens after an idea floats around my head for a few days. Then I get up-and-at-'em. Oh oh. I've been pondering how to decorate the back bathroom. I haul out my lovely MOLTOW acrylic markers and write all over the walls with whatever pops into my mind. Makes me happy - and I don't have to think about those walls again.

Read more:
*Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. Isaiah 60:1

*“O that my people would listen to me.” Psalm 81:13

*Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear. They will say of me, ‘In the Lord alone are deliverance and strength.’  Isaiah 45:23-24

*The grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly. Titus 2:11-12

*“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. Revelation 1:8

Moravian Prayer: Almighty God, you truly are the one and only who can forgive us and love us unconditionally. We pray that we will always praise your name to everyone we meet. Give us strength for the day.

O Guardian of our very being, we strive to hear you, though our thoughts go astray. Please help us to have the self-control to listen when you call. Amen.