A fresh start for 2020

Thursday, January 2, 2020
Our daughter arrives, after 54 hours on the road. We're glad to see her safe and sound. She's just in time for rambutan season. The 1" fruit inside the spiny exterior looks like a peeled grape. It tastes like a combination of grape and cherry. Delicious. The ones below are still green. When ripe, the spines will turn a deep red.

Friday

Daniel spends a whole day taking down the Christmas designs - the hall is quiet without the lights and bright colors. He hangs the two big Advent scripture scrolls on the walls of the old stage. They're beautiful.

He'll surprise us with his silhouettes on Sunday again - they provide a visual reference while we speak. (Artists are the best!)

I reset the hall at Green Gate - the chairs are put in place, the sofa comes back onto the stage, and the floor pillows and rugs go back where they belong. There will be kids reclining on them again next weekend.

Saturday
The driver is sick with cikungunya. It's a mosquito-borne illness and his kids all had it last week. Saturdays, his task is to pick up flowers for church, but the florist is on vacation - and he's at home.

We don't have a bouquet for tomorrow. What to do? I still have last week's vase filled with an oasis.

I wander into the yard to see what's blooming. Not much. I spend a few minutes of exploring and then it's time to play. What can we use for a big anchors? I note that bromeliad centers hold water. I break off 5 big bromeliads and I put a pink zinnia in the middle of each. There are only a few heliconia blooms (the big 3-4' red and yellow flowers) along the edge of the back garden. (The gardener dug them up, with permission of course, from the neighbor's driveway and planted them along the lawn.)

I cut three sprays. They're quite dramatic in a bouquet. With 2' sprigs of yellow coneflowers, 2' trimmings of dill, and 1' branches from a light-green mosquito bush, we're done.

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Sunday
W speaks so I have a break. I have my little notebook along as usual. This is the beginning of the year, and the office has been closed for a week-and-a-half. The admin has been out of the office, so I  worked most days - a little here, a bit more there. W's busy with visas and other details.

The lotus in the Bali bowl on the porch sends out a tall purple blossom on the porch. It is happy with its roots fed by the fish in the bowl. The pretty flower only lasts a day or two.

This is a land of spectacular beauty. Things looks ordinary in their natural setting and quite extraordinary when they're displayed out of context.

Monday
After my early meeting, K and I have a massage; my back has been very sore from sitting and hunching over books. I'm done and ready for work by mid-morning. W hosts the study on the porch.

We have an afternoon admin meeting, getting the new season underway. They give us great ideas and good feedback on what worked and what needs improvement as we move forward into 2020.

In our neighborhood, a mason is perched upstairs on a building project. His helper tosses him one brick at a time from a heap on the ground.

I'm supposed to be writing a book chapter. I have 60 pages of research for 20 pages of writing. My head isn't there yet. W and I have a chapter each in a book coming out in a few months. So I know somehow this one will write itself, too.

Bugs appear with rainy season. Today there's a "camouflage" bug on the porch and a bright spider on a post.

Tuesday
In early December, I recorded 5 videos for a Chasing Truth series - over 1200 women have signed up online to read scripture together. I get an email from the host that some listeners are distracted by the lovebirds who were chirping outside the window while I was recording.

It means a do-over. Sigh. When? I go into the office at 6:30 am to redo the first 2 videos away from our birds. But apparently why I have is not the right script. When I listen to the original videos, I realize that I have to start over. I've wasted an hour. Ugh.

The gorgeous orchid blooming on the porch lifts my spirits. It's an office day. The team meets all morning. It's great to see them again.

Oh oh. When I get home, I look for the proper script for the video redo anywhere. Neither can Waldemar, which means it doesn't exist. Where oh where did it go? Don't know. Gone Gone Gone.

Kirsten transcribes the first three video scripts. I'd do them in the morning. Thank you, sweet daughter!

Wednesday
I'm in the office early to record the videos for the third time. W calls when he's done with work and we go to breakfast at Nara. Then it's off to the office. W wants to transfer the videos to Dropbox for uploading on the other end, but they haven't taken the original videos out of the box. There's not enough capacity to upload the new stuff. I send 3 or 4 emails - and don't get a reply from head office. Sometimes the 12-hr time difference affects communication. My part is done. I'm waiting for a reply.

We meet Kirsten for lunch at #KalpaTree. Today the food is wonderful. K orders pasta. It comes with peppers and more peppers. When she's about halfway through, she asks for a takeaway box - but first she separates all the hot peppers out of the pasta. We knew there were a lot - but oh wow - they cover about a quarter of the plate. Note the white rice - it cleanses the tongue when the heat gets too much.

I order slow-cooked ribs and rice. At $6, they're the best in town. The samba (chili sauce) is spicy but very flavorful. The cone of rice is a traditional presentation.

We run into some walking buddies at Kalpa Tree. Rosa (left) returns home tomorrow to Australia. One thing about being an expat is that you meet a lot of new friends ... and then they're gone. You have to work to keep your heart open. "Happy travels, Rosa."

In late afternoon when the rain comes, the clouds darken the sky and the house begins to fall asleep. The dogs run into their crate as the thunder rolls in. Good doggies.

I'm not hungry so I skip supper. A cup of peppermint tea is good, though. W brings me a big mug full of steaming refreshment.

Read more:
*Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you. Psalm 33:22

Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful. Hebrews 10:23

Moravian Prayer: Let us hold on, be strong, love faith. Trust. Walk with Christ. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.