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.

Support LIA - she's finished 30 Ironman competitions in a row (scroll down). WHAT? Yeah, I can hardly believe it either.

Monday, October 8, 2024

We're in class Monday to Thursday. All the plans we had for meeting people in Eastern Washington fall though. All but one person is sick over there. Is it good stewardship of time and money to drive 600 miles and rent a hotel room for one or two meetings? 

Then another person calls in ill. W says, "That's it. We probably should stay here." So we do.

Kevin Geer and Kathy Cannon present an amazing master class on spiritual and organizational management. There are aha moments that answer what crushed our team momentum or presented an unsolvable puzzle. There is new information. And there are funny stories and a way of speaking that are life lessons. I'm glad we got it all.

Friday

We have our first afternoon and sleepover with the grandchildren. Every October, we try to catch up with the kids and grandkids between business meetings. 

First we walk a long block/s (2 miles/3km) to get some air and drain some energy.

The autumn is in full blaze.

  

I take a closer look at the native shrubs and their seed patterns. We've brought water-whistle toys from Turkey. What a warbling! which makes all the construction guys along the way look up at the electric wires ... until they see the pack of kids whistling at full volume.

Our teen arranges a few chocolate muffins and scones - she has a good eye.

Tea of course is its own treat. The kids have creamer jugs into which we pour tea from the Fitz&Floyd Reigning Cats and Dogs pot gifted to W's mom (and returned to us when she downsized.) The kids love it.

Then the kids race their Indonesian ladder toys: penguins vs Spiderman-s. So noisy! (The toys, not the kids who dance and shout along.)

Saturday

The morning starts with girlfriend's coffee. How I love these women, who speak life into me.

I zip home to get W for the drive to Bellingham. I do an experiment: if I drive in the "slow lane" (the right), how far behind do I get in plugged up freeway traffic? Turns out we pace the left two lanes without the zig-zagging in and out to get ahead. Ha. I suspected but who knew: the cars in the fast lanes pass, fall behind, pass ... there's no difference except that there are fewer cars in the right lane. W, who drives more aggressively, feels the pressure of my relaxed chug-along and tries for a nap. We're happy when we get closer to Bellingham and easy traffic.

My brother and sis-in-law from Switzerland meet us at Red Robin. I am boggled by the big portions of food and the steep food prices. We could feed 15 Indonesians a generous meal with our basic American menu for 4.

It's great to catch up on their recent big band trip to Cuba. My brother is a conductor and arranger, working with his band on an annual trip abroad. This year, his core crew is top musicians from Europe and the USA. They raise funds for their own airfare and the trip - plus a little extra for local musicians who play along. This year's locals can read anything put in front of them. That makes it a lot of fun.

Sunday

We leave the apartment in good order and turn off the lights at 8:00 a.m. "We'll be back!" as we leave for a week in Austin and Springfield, MO. 

First, we're at the Mountain View Gathering this morning. I forgot to take a picture of my brother but this guy is as close as it gets. I do a double-take as we arrive in the hall. We speak about our love for Indonesia and the work we do.

I find a spiritual sister in Keril. t's been good to get to know the congregation in the mountains of Washington. They're partnered with us since we left for Indonesia. The leaders treat us to lunch before a dash to the airport.

We get amazing news. You know how you cheered when someone did their first 5K race? And now cool it is when someone does a marathon. Never mind an Ironman (swimming, biking, and then a running marathon.)

We're staggered when our 50-something friend #LiaDreghiciu FINISHES 30 IRONMANS in 42 days. What?! She's a grandma - but one of the fittest extreme athletes we've met.

Lia wins 2nd place in the Triple DECA Ultra Triathlon Continuous, women’s race, in Italy! Her husband #BenSterciuc has kept us up to date since the beginning of September. Today he posts:

"Today, on October 13, my amazing, petite yet mighty lady (#13), makes history by becoming the 1st American to ever complete this race!

Help me congratulate Lia for completing the following distances in this race:

Swim 114 km ( 71 miles) in 94 hrs

Bike 5400 km (3,375 ml) in 497 hrs

Run 1,266 km (792 ml) in 408 hrs

How could she race for 42 days? For 1,003 hours?

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13."

Oh Lia, Lia!! We pray that you rest well as your body heals; we pray for renewal and invigoration after this feat. 

She's astonishing. What she's accomplished is unbelievable. Would you PLEASE support her charity of choice (Vital Solutions) so her efforts pay off? Be generous ... she has chosen a charity that cares for the poorest as well as disaster victims around the world.

Titik sends a picture from Bandung of her marvel-worthy bouquet for the morning Gathering. She constructs beautiful structures with unusual combinations of greens and blooms.

Read more:

*Your hands have made and fashioned me; give me understanding that I may learn your commandments. Psalm 119:73

Paul wrote: So then, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you. 2 Thessalonians 2:15

Moravian Prayer: Teacher, open our hearts to your teachings so that we may be your disciples. Your lessons bring us comfort and hope; for this, we are grateful. Give us the courage to share your lessons with the world. Amen.