Nothing is more heartwarming than long friendships

Tuesday, September 23, 2025

The blessing of the afternoon is a group who is in hot pursuit of friendship with God. The conversations are life-giving, though we are spread around the planet and in different timezones. Indulging in a coffee-chocolate cookie from Keelee's Quiet Waters Bakery helps me focus. The verse on the back of the wrapper is my prayer:

"My heart says of you, "Seek his face! Your face, Lord, I will seek." Psalm 27:8

Somehow, God is renewing W and my hearts in the middle of a full calendar. How merciful and loving he is. I'm glad to be among his people, reflecting on scriptures, and listening to music.

I don't even have to make supper today. M has cooked rice and chicken, which W brings downstairs for me to enjoy when the meeting ends. It's been beautiful weather all day. The kids are good sports on the hilly 2.5 mile walk but we're all relieved to get home.

Wednesday

It's easy to cook breakfast with Western ingredients at hand: pears, cottage cheese, eggs, and sausage. 

Would it be fun to shop around a bit this morning? Once I get moving I change my mind. I go through some cabinets and toss 5-year old canned food from the pantry. It makes me feel shopped out. I sort things to take to our home across the sea, knowing that they're never coming back. Family things like my grandma's 6-piece Bavarian china are enjoyed during our brief stays in Seattle. 

"Take whatever you want," my mom tells me each time I visit. "I don't need anything - so please take anything you can use." I keep asking the children and extended family if there's something they would like.

We already have hand-me-downs from my auntie and uncle (tray below), plus furniture and dishes from my grandmothers. We love beautiful things, especially if they are useful. Sometimes I think how nice it would be to pull out this or that, which is stored in another country. 

We have more than enough to enjoy and host guests, whether here or back home. "The mother of all garage sales is coming up when you downsize," W often warns me. haha

Our apartment has 2 pianos, so I posted one on Craigslist a few weeks ago. The buyer who sent a $2000 cheque? Scammer. Sigh. The fake paper bounces at the bank today. Luckily W is cautious, so he catches the cheaters and we're not out any money. Why don't people work this hard being productive at real jobs rather than causing misery for others? I have a backup buyer anyway.

Speaking of scams, the blog already has +96,000 views this month. What algorithm is boosting it to the cybersphere? I'm no influencer: why would my journal be of interest? And book reviews or art blogs? Not groundbreaking. Yet writers write. My head is turbulent with words and ideas. I can either blurt them onto pages or explode. (Or lose the memories: friends know my selective/faulty recollections.)

"Don't do anything you don't want everyone to know," Jesus said. "What is hidden will be revealed." Living in Indonesia, everyone knows everyone's business anyway. I try to stay out of trouble. Admittedly, it is strange to visit another country and have a stranger say they read my posts and feel like they know me.

Let's taste some favorites before we leave for home? We order Vietnamese sandwiches from YehYehs. Pretty good.

Late in the afternoon W and I go for a short walk. The autumn berries are crisp red against the blue sky. Suddenly, my shoes start falling apart. Parts of the soles fall off and a structural piece of the footbed pokes into my foot. W gives me a thick tissue to place above the emerging hole but I still have a deep blister by the time I get in the door.

Baker Academic sends a new book Faithful Futures by Josh Packard for review and consideration as a classroom text. I forward the title to several lecturers and professors: it recognizes the unique flavors and needs of GenX and GenZ, distinct from previous generations.

Thursday

After yesterday's more peaceful pace, we are on the move after breakfast. We visit with a young family who prays for us and whom we pray for. The mom's an alumna and was in W's classes years ago. Those are the happy connections: to know something we did has been meaningful or lasting.

Lunch is at the university with NE Seattle leaders. It's nice to meet in the faculty lounge as a reminder of time well spent and conversations with former coworkers, including the alumni team.

The new university president is a former student and gives a rousing talk to the leaders present.

Supper with Don and Brenda settles our hearts. They are trusted friends and mentors who encourage us to faithfulness and faith.

Brenda gifts us with beautiful picture cards featuring photos she's taken on travels. They're too pretty to write on.

Friday

People day! starts in early morning at the Third Place Commons, my central location for meeting women from various circles each year.

We start with a visit with heart friends who have traveled from around WA state. It's an honor to meet in person! instead of just online.

Kim shares drinks and pears (oh yum). Stuff continues to flow in and out of my life, even on such a short trip. I pass out three "feather" canvases that came my way yesterday.

A dear WPPR sister shows up after noon to share a gluten-free quiche for lunch and stories about where we are now.

Sue drops in for a few hours of catch-up. What a wonderful day with people we have loved and worked with over the years.

I'm home in late afternoon with time enough to eat leftovers from yesterday.

I show the grandkids videos of when they were little before we say "goodbye for now." W and I are hopping on a plane to TX, early tomorrow morning.

Read more:

*Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. Hosea 6:1

*The Lord said, “Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread and your earnings for that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good.” Isaiah 55:2

*Jesus said, “The widow out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” (Read the story in Mark 12:44)

*Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:7-10

Moravian Prayer: Lord of all creation, there is nothing that is of this world that we can offer to you. Our greatest riches are but a drop in the sea to you, but we can offer you ourselves, our devotion, and our faith. We humbly give what we can. Amen.

Oh Canada!

Monday, September 8, 2025

We overnight at the Grand Anara hotel in the airport and catch our flights with no problem. I pen a "Please Don't Wake Me" note for the flight attendants on the second leg. It's 10.5 hours of waiting for sleep. My watch says I doze for less than 2 hours.  zzzz

We get to Seattle and pick up our luggage within a half hour. Timothy is waiting for us and zips us home in good order. We hug him with thanks, unpack our luggage, toss the bedding into the dryer to heat and freshen after sitting in storage, and

fall into bed after 10 PM.

Tuesday

We're awake at 2:30 AM and can't get back to sleep until almost time to wake up. The lapse in rhythm is typical of jet lag, though we didn't used to feel it when we were younger.

We have breakfast with the kids: Kinsey makes pancakes ("See Oma, an old man with a mustache and sunglasses.") Melissa treats us to scrambled eggs and cherries. Ah, sweet cherries! We're usually in Seattle too late in the year for fresh cherries. What a treat.

A look in the spice cabinet confirms that there are too many options. Toss? When I open the glass jars, they are still fragrant and dry. Haven't been opened in years and were stored in the cool dark cabinet. I must think about that - tossing them was on my to-do checklist.

I call my mom to let her know we've arrived safely. We pick up a rental car, W does some banking, and goes for lunch with his friend Terry and son T. I head out on my own, sampling plump wild blackberries growing along the driveway. Yum.

I turn on a different street to see if it goes where I'm headed. Nope, I get completely turned around, circling through streets and neighborhoods I've never been in before. The development in the past years is unbelievable: apartments, new malls, shopping areas, and clusters of houses have grown in areas that used to be familiar.

The past few years, our trips have been packed and focused and I seldom get to drive alone. When I'm driving, I like to try a shortcut or new route. So I learn some new things in the unexpected miles before reaching my first destination.

I amble through the stores, checking out new trends in food, clothing, and decor. Forget about eating lunch! When I return to the flat, I'm hungry. I boil a few frozen pirogies from Grocery Outlet about 3:30 PM. Good enough. Along with sleep interruption, our meal schedule is askew the first week or so. This time zone is 14 hours "behind" our normal time.

I post our old piano on Craigslist: we're hoping it goes to a great home. It's resonant (tall enough for long strings) and has been kept in good shape since I was a music teacher and care about those things.

Supper is unbelievable. Melissa promised us steaks, which are seared after cooking in the sous vide bath. They are tender and seasoned well.

When he picked the guys up for lunch, Terry dropped off a freshly caught king salmon, hooked this morning. Timothy has cooked it to perfection.

K gets great news. She's made the next tier youth orchestra. She plays her audition piece for us, complete with vibrato, good rhythm, and double stops. Wow - her playing has taken a giant leap this year. Playing with an orchestra is incredible. You feel trampled and left in the dust if you're not yet up to its level. But the experience brings immediate improvement as you play along. (Cue memories of our orchestra dragging me through new music: I was not a good sight-reader but could play what I heard, so could reconcile the score with the sound the second time through.)

Isaac hauls out his guitar and plays a few songs for us as well. What fun!

Our apartment showcases relics of my parents' travels as well as our own. These East African souvenirs, picked up in the markets in the mid-1970s, now hang on our wall.

 Before we came, Timothy vacuumed the rugs and took away the spiderwebs so it's a pleasure to walk into the space we know so well. We're here for a day before we head up to Canada to see our moms. The flat is a mess of bags and boxes as we sort what goes to whom - when and where.

I throw the blankets into the clothes dryer to heat them up, do some reading and writing, and call it a day.

Wednesday

W falls over something in the night. I wake and am ravenous. I make noodles, have a cup of tea, and can't get back to sleep for 4 hours. Our sleep schedule is adjusting to a new time zone. (We get about 5 hours of rest.) We're packed and headed to see our moms in Canada today.

We're on the road about 7:00 AM after saying goodbye to our grandkids. W drives us 1 1/2 hrs north to have breakfast with friends and former work colleagues LeRoy and Lynette Johnson. She's made an egg casserole, blueberry muffins, and tea - our eating schedule is off. It's delicious.

Lynette has remembered that spekkelaas cookies are a special treat and hands over a bag from the Netherlands, plus some of her breakfast muffins = good eating to come.

The car overheats before the border crossing. Before we meet W's family, he pulls over and parks the SUV at the side of the road. No further! W's brother-in-law Gord comes to get us. We have his family lunch at C-Lovers (seafood), a favorite of W's mom. After taking her home, Gord comes back for W, who calls AAA for a tow to our hometown 70 km (40 miles) away. 

My brother sends an Uber taxi to the restaurant to return me to our hometown and Mom's house. The sun is out and hot! as I wait outside for 15 minutes. The Indian driver tells me about his family, growing up in Australia, joining his cousins in Vancouver 13 years ago, their cricket club, and what he likes about countries and food and community. It gives me lots of prayer ideas for him. Dropping me at Mom's, he drives back to W's mom's city where he picked me up.

At Mom's, two caregivers explain the routines of her care. I make supper (which she picks at and refuses) and hear the details of her day and her philosophy of life. She likes the ginger drink (bandrek diluted 4X) and sips as she talks. It's a precious time, not one I take for granted: Mom is 90 years old. 

Mom tells me over and over that I should get a good rest tonight "as someone will be here soon to give me the night pills." I explain each time that the caregivers are not coming for the next days: it's W and me. Sandy will bring her breakfast at 6 AM. W washes the supper dishes and joins Mom and me for an hour or two before heading upstairs for sleep.  W and I are beyond ready for rest. (Our Indonesian clock stands at 9 AM, so we've been "up all night" two days in a row.)

I excuse myself with "goodnight" and shared prayer at 7 PM. Mom turns on a favorite TV program while I close the drapes, make sure the doors are locked, and report it to Mom. After making myself a cup of tea, I'm off to bed as well.

Hopefully we'll sleep well. W keeps the night shift monitor beside him and his alarm is set for Mom's meds at 10 PM. I have trouble falling back asleep if I'm wakened while he's asleep within minutes. I'm glad W is already in deep slumber by the time I get to the bedroom. I'm completely done in: I've had 11 hours (counting generously) of sleep since we left Jakarta 57 hours ago. zzz

Thursday

Nope - 4.5 hours of sleep, though W gets up to give Mom her meds in the night. A flower is blooming in the living room, a gift from her son in Switzerland a year ago.

We walk a couple of miles to and from the Canada Pension office. The car's still in the shop. Late summer flowers are finishing their run.

Such different climates and plant life than where we live.

In the government office, cheerful and capable Marilyn helps us fill in the forms. We drop by the Main Street Church office to howdy and set up lunch.

I wake Mom, who chats, eats a big snack, and refuses lunch. She falls asleep when W and I leave for lunch with Ps Shaun. My rice & Thai green curry is good.

We have a lively discussion about Bible passages and our purpose in the world. I walk home while W goes for another discussion with a group of men. I'm at 7 km/4.5miles - feels so good to be outside.

I cook for Mom and she sends me on a few errands in the house. We find the family histories collected by uncles and my dad. There are old family photos, too. This one is of my paternal grandmother at her wedding in the early 1930s.

Then Mom and I agree: at 5 PM, it's time for a nap.

Read more:

* God will send forth his steadfast love and his faithfulness. Psalm 57:3

* The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Galatians 5:22-23

* Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 5:7-11

Moravian Prayer: Holy Spirit, we are steadfast in our faith because of the calm you bring. Guide us and be gentle with us so that we may enjoy your peace and love. Through you, we pray. Amen.