A week of acceleration

The guava tree is ageless. As is the tall allee of trees nearby.

W has come back from the States - his meetings there were cancelled. We're glad he's back. We feel the acceleration of almost everything ... as our social life comes to a pause. We've been deprived of face-to-face, so that means ramping up things online.

W's happy to be learning new things (of course). We have several Zoom meetings every day - what a lifesaver.

We connect with friends in Australia, Europe, and North America. It's quite amazing how tech bridges the world.

We walk the neighborhoods with our daughter who can stay because Immigration posts a notice: "Don't come see us. Just stay safe until this is over." (That is a miracle.)

We walk past beautiful quiet houses where hedges bloom.

There are beautiful vignettes everywhere - God keeps renewing the world. The air is so much cleaner with fewer people going about.

We buy some rice in case there are shortages later. Microwave to kill bugs, then dry, then bag.

We go to a restaurant for pizza one more time before the restaurants close. The virus has been hazardous to business health.

Nearly every afternoons, it pours. Some mornings are dark as well, but most have at least some sunshine to gladden the heart.

The beautiful Sunday bouquet slowly fades into other arrangements as first the roses, then the mums wilt away.

The office is empty - I go in every day to keep the paludarium going. All the little ferns, orchids, the mosses, and even the weeds I've plucked from the roadside are thriving.

We still work at the office, just the two of us. The others work from home.

 It's so quiet. And peaceful.

In a stack I'm sorting, I find a book from 20 years ago about the city. So much has changed. So many expats have left over the years and their shops, clubs, and "hot spots" have disappeared.

Our whole hill has an outbreak of dengue and cikungunya, two mosquito-borne fevers. Friends spend days in hospital for meds and hydration. The fogger goes through our yard as well as the neighborhood, creating a hostile, kerosene-laden atmosphere against the mosquitoes.

We are blessed with small pleasures, like homemade cookies to eat -

 and a cheerful, bright nook to work in.

I do a week of collages, just because there's time to play.

 And I paint. How many faces do you see in this? (Finding seven is easy. Can you find more?)

A friend bakes a traditional Kazakhstan recipe - home-baked bread buns. Oh yum! They are sweet and flavorful.

I'm trying to snack on fruit and nuts instead of chocolate. One of my goals is to lose another 5 lbs on top of the 10 I've lost since Christmas. Nice that my clothing is starting to fit again.

 What's pleasing you right now? Stay safe, everyone!

Read more:

*I confess my iniquity; I am sorry for my sin. Psalm 38:18

*The heart is devious above all else; it is perverse—who can understand it? I the Lord test the mind and search the heart, to give to all according to their ways.  Jeremiah 17:9-10

*Godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation and brings no regret. 2 Corinthians 7:10

*I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself

for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing! Galatians 2:20-21 NIV

*By this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 1 John 3:19-20

Moravian Prayer: Merciful God, forgive us, we pray. As far as the east is from the west, remove our sins from us. Cleanse our hearts and free us from the weight of guilt and regret. 

Forgiving God, we confess that at times, we rely more on our own abilities than your grace. May we open our hearts to you again so that we may follow where your Spirit leads. Amen.