Celebration Sunday

Sunday, June 12.16 Happy Birthday, hon!

We're an ocean away from Waldemar on his birthday so we call him from our table in Szechwan Cuisine, Redmond. The food is yummy. The company is good. And we miss him.

Birthday guy

We're also saying goodbye to our youngest son Jonathan, who will move to Texas midweek. He'll join his sister in Austin. My folks, two sons, a daughter-in-law, three grandkids, and a nephew share lunch.

It's been a week of visits. Here are a few. Midweek:

Lunch with parents and son

Grandpa and grandson 

Hospital visit - get that ankle healed up, Terry!

Today, after church and a good meal, we come back to the flat for dessert and conversation.

Tea at Oma's with Auntie Molly's teacup 

Family, just hanging out

Dad and youngest son 

Finding toys hidden by adults - even in the lampshade!
(best place ever, Timothy?)

Helped by Lemuel, Kinsey finds her toy
behind the box

 Via phone, SMS, Hangouts, Facetime, and Facebook, I stay in touch with family and friends. When I look through the pictures of home, I marvel at how beautiful the tropics are. We take them for granted when we're in Indonesia.

It's a privilege:

Long-distance prayers with a dear friend 

Sitting in church beside a lover of Indonesia, Carol Peterson

Spring in Seattle is stunningly beautiful, filled with blossoms from the ground through the treetops. But many days, I shiver away the hours.

On a walk, I look in any direction and there are NO cars or people.
I pass 4 people, 2 dogs, and 3 cars on a 5-mile walk through the neighborhood.
(Well, more cars are parked in driveways.)

Stunning blooms of spring

Spires of flowers

I am grateful that:

• Family is nearby.
• Leave food on the table and there will be no ants streaming up the table leg within minutes - or overnight.
• I can talk to people. About anything. And they know what I'm saying.
• The shower is hot every time. There's even hot water for the washing machine. And there's a clothes dryer!
• The library has books and books and books that I understand. There are 4 libraries within a 10-minute drive in normal traffic.
• When I go to the store, I find the items I need ... and more. Shelves are stocked and restocked.
• The Roomba vacuum buzzes around the flat every day, cleaning with a quiet buzz before docking automatically to recharge.
• The tall firs behind the house clear and freshen the air. I walk out the door and inhale oxygen.
• When driving to an appointment, the location is where it should be, according to continually updated websites and a GPS.
• I know the appropriate responses in social situations.
• The internet is blazingly fast ... and reliable.
• Churches are familiar and welcoming.

Yet I feel homesick. For Indonesia.

Read more: (ESV)

*What god in heaven or on earth can perform deeds and mighty acts like yours! Deuteronomy 3:24

*By the ordinances of the Lord is your servant warned. Psalm 19:11

*Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. Let your good spirit lead me on a level path. Psalm 143:10

*Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. Matthew 7:24

*Pay attention to how you listen. Luke 8:18

*We know that a person is justified not by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ. Galatians 2:16

*As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith. Colossians 2:6–7

Moravian Prayer: Gracious God, let our hearts be filled with gratitude, let our voices rise to praise you, and let our hands outstretch to serve you. Let us praise and honor you with our gifts offered freely, for your blessings are bountiful. Forgive us when we fail to walk with you; guide us back to you, and fill us with your love and grace that we might better serve you.

Thank you, God, for your gift of love and grace through your Son, Jesus Christ. Help us to live lives rooted deep in faith, acting in love toward all as Jesus taught. Amen.

From C. S. Lewis in Mere Christianity:Now Faith, in the sense in which I am here using the word, is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted, in spite of your hanging moods. For moods will change, whatever view your reason takes. I know that by experience. Now that I am a Christian I do have moods in which the whole thing looks very improbable: but when I was an atheist I had moods in which Christianity looked terribly probable. This rebellion of your moods against your real self is going to come anyway.

That is why Faith is such a necessary virtue: unless you teach your moods ‘where they get off’, you can never be either a sound Christian or even a sound atheist, but just a creature dithering to and fro, with its beliefs really dependent on the weather and the state of its digestion. Consequently one must train the habit of Faith.

The first step is to recognise the fact that your moods change. The next is to make sure that, if you have once accepted Christianity, then some of its main doctrines shall be deliberately held before your mind for some time every day. That is why daily prayers and religious readings and churchgoing are necessary parts of the Christian life.

We have to be continually reminded of what we believe. Neither this belief nor any other will automatically remain alive in the mind. It must be fed. And as a matter of fact, if you examined a hundred people who had lost their faith in Christianity, I wonder how many of them would turn out to have been reasoned out of it by honest argument? Do not most people simply drift away?

Seattle spring

I miss home and Bandung as I'm waiting for my passport to arrive in Seattle. W's attending a seminar in Indonesia: the speaker is a NW friend and mentor. Life is complicated! It's hard to believe that some people never get a passport or never get a stamp in it.

There are many things to enjoy while I wait.

Butterfly girl on floral blanket

When I return home in 2 weeks, the assignment will pick up at full speed. Meanwhile, this trip feels like a pause. I sit on my patio with a mug of tea and enjoy the forest and time with the grandkids.

For a task-oriented person, it feels like a diversion. A few months ago, arriving for the initial citizenship application, my soul arrived in Seattle completely depleted from intensive work abroad. So I went to art classes, had multiple visits with friends most days, and read dozens of books from the library. I returned to Indonesia with a full heart, ready to plunge in again.

This time, I've completed most of my errands and assignments. It's fun to have the grandkids around. Our youngest son moves to Texas next week and we have time together. (It will be strange to return to Seattle in future without him living here.)

Food for body and soul

Olive tapinade, brie, and avocado

Soul food

I see friends a few times a week. I walk and read, but not frantically. I've written no book or theatre reviews. I'm editing several projects and considering compiling my own writing. The pressure ("Will I get citizenship; will I finish editing; is there enough time to get my passport back, what else needs to be done?" etc.) is off. I'm not yet finished what I have to do but it's in process.

My ticket shows 2 more weeks here. I have to figure out what to pare from luggage. What we really need. What to leave behind.

[When you travel, please consider an extravagant gift for your friends! Ask if there are things you can squeeze into your suitcase for them. Maybe consider traveling light so you can carry the suitcase we've left behind. Family and partners bless us with us ministry aids, personal things, or 'little comforts' - (non-scratchy bed sheets already packed!) But often we don't have luggage room to take them back. We promise to supply you with things you need on our end: shampoo, a blow dryer, and other supplies.]

I love the beauty of spring in Seattle and snap pictures to take back: I always have room for that!

clean streams 

Dogwood blooms

maple helicopters

roadside orchids

Roses

a little Free Library

sedums

and always - giveaways by people who have too much

flowers of spring 

Spring in Seattle is stunning. Thank be to God for beauty, eyes to see it, and friends to share it with.

Read more: (ESV)
*You show me the path of life. Psalm 16:11

*God will not take away a life; he will devise plans so as not to keep an outcast banished forever from his presence. 2 Samuel 14:14

*The scribes said to Jesus’ disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” When Jesus heard this, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.” Mark 2:16-17

*The free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23

Moravian Prayer: Lord, open our hearts to love all those we meet, our eyes to see all those in need, our hands to hold and help where we can, our minds to learn from others and to allow you to lead, and our ears to listen more than we speak and to hear your words.

Teacher, light the path that you have laid for us to follow so that we might see your plans for us and know your will. Give us the strength and courage to follow where you lead, trusting in you with our whole selves. Amen.

Question for readers: Cambridge Capers - would you read it?

I've been editing writing by other people for years. It's quick. To the point. Some say my editing is brutal, but I consider my edits as suggestions not prescriptions: if writers don't like them, I'm okay with that! My job is over and I'm not emotionally attached to the outcome.

I like to read what people are thinking. I love NetGalley, which offers free books to reviewers.

I've been thinking that it's probably time to write a self-ie (book). I have thousands of pages written over the decades. This morning, as I flip through, I'm stunned by the number of computer files. Before blogs were "a thing," I was sending a weekly email of experiences from Cambridge, UK to over a hundred people.

I roam through the lists for the emails I wrote from Cambridge. They were my start at travel writing for others. One file from June 2004 is 23 pages crammed with letters and notes to and from friends, family, and others. How did that happen?

• I'd just returned from 5 months in Cambridge. Our daughter Kirsten had her knee replaced and I was the primary caregiver. (My husband and son spent another month in the UK.) 
• I was unpacking, re-ordering the household, and readjusting to American culture and vocabulary. (Hint: one "English" is not like the other. The citizens don't think alike, either.)
• I'd accepted a full-time job that started in a month.

WHAT? So many words? But that is the life of a writer. We write. We process life and observations on the page or screen.

I'm thinking of self-publishing that season of adventures along with a few letters, changing some names and details to protect the guilty, of course.

Would you read it?

Family, fur, and a ferry ride

Tuesday, May 31.2016
Miss K, Levi, and Isaac stop for a short morning tea break after being outside. Kinsey (4) chooses her own version of a teapot: a dog-shaped creamer. I fill it up a few times because it's so small (as is her cup and saucer). Levi (2) chooses a rooster but gets a plastic cup instead of a teacup. He's not impressed by the peppermint tea.

Sharon and I meet in Kirkland at 11. The sun's out! It's warm (75o). She shows me the new walking path where we used to skip on railroad  and we walk a few miles and stroll between Google headquarter buildings. A young woman instructs a handful of young men, swinging from hand rings to straighten their posture. She's pretty - and they're oh so attentive. Amusing to us old ladies.

And we walk past Lake Washington's beautiful shores. A few hardy souls expose themselves to the sun. Bikinis in June. Silly girls: not good for their skin. In Bandung, the women hope for lighter skin. Here, we tan in full sunshine. I feel my 70SPF sunblock dissolving in perspiration as we walk.

Lunch at the Beach Cafe is good - I am loading up tastes as well as smells. It's amazing to order a fresh salad or juice at any restaurant without worrying if it will make me ill. A lone paddle-boarder strokes his way past our window.

Kirkland waterfront

We're off to visit Marj, a friend who is dear to us. In her 90s, she's not able to travel much, but she keeps her gift alive and mind sharp by writing.

Phyllis, another sweet friend, picks me up and takes me back up the hill to the car. I have a few things from Indonesia for her - but we have time to chat as well.

I'm talked out when I get home at suppertime.

At night, a fly zooms by and startles me. It is the first bug I've seen in the flat in 2 weeks. I open the door, turn off the lights (the basement goes black), and never see it again. I don't know if it flew out the door or died in the dark.

Wednesday
Jono swings by in the morning and we go for lunch with my parents. I love the time we have together. Our son is moving soon - when we come back, he will not be in town. My folks are willing to travel almost 2 hours to meet us for lunch.

"My mom's still beautiful and my dad handsome," I think to myself. But what makes the trip worthwhile is their encouragement and new ideas ... without strings attached. Possibilities without obligation. Life lessons without expectation of conformity. What a blessing!

"Each of you kids is very different from the others," Dad says. That's surely true. One brother is a programmer, another a realtor, and another a musician. We're easily bored but very focused when something captures our attention. Our spouses are very different from each other, too. I think about that and many other blessings as our son and I chat on the way to and from lunch.

Our parents helped us find our individual callings with occasional pep talks ("You can do it") and sound advice. The best thing is that their counsel comes with gentle pressure to be our best, not to conform to someone else's "box" or control. When we siblings do something our parents wouldn't recommend, they let us take the consequences without, "We told you so!" Instead, they shrug or shake their heads, "Those kids!" and may make other suggestions. We've always felt loved and cheered for, even when they disagree with us.

The sweet twosome we remember

After we hug my mom and dad goodbye, Jono and I head for Whidbey Island and the WAIF Animal Shelter. The two "best dogs ever" have been given up for adoption again. Oh no!

I gave Missy and Ziggy to a family when we started itineration for Indonesia.

Two weeks ago when I left Indo for obligations in the States, W put my American SIM card back into my cellphone. Up popped a message from a few weeks back: the dogs' family was divorcing after having the dogs for 3 years. Could I take them?

I sent an SMS immediately. "I'll come for them. I can find them a new home. Let me know where I can pick them up, please!" It would be a joy to have them for a few weeks while I was here.

What a difference a haircut makes!
Where did our cuties go?

When the family wrote back, it was too late to claim the dogs. They'd taken them to a shelter already. Whaaaat?!

I called WAIF immediately. It took a few days to straighten out what had happened. They told me I couldn't have the dogs. The little beasties were getting excellent care. It would be "too hard" for them to be with me for a few weeks. And they had a better chance of a good placement through the professionals.

But did I want to visit? Yes I did.

And today Jono and I finally saw Missy and Ziggy again. I wouldn't have recognized them. They're so little! (12" tall?) Their hair has been weirdly chopped with strange tufts on face and feet (as they were matted and dirty upon arrival). They've needed dental work and have been cleaned up, though. One has lost 3 lbs since he lived with us. Otherwise, they seem in good health. And the shelter's care IS excellent. Whew.

The two dogs bounce around the room and enjoy the petting. Ziggy tears apart a toy hedgehog and plays fetch just like he used to. Missy turns her nose up for a few minutes and then settles into her doggy-massage.

A stormy coastline

And then it is time to go. Just like that. Another goodbye. The shelter promises to find them a good home together. They are a bonded pair.

I want to plead, "Please specify people who will groom them properly!" Poodles need regular maintenance and care. (I cut my own hair but I figured dog grooming cost me a lot less than my girlfriends paid their hairdressers. "It all comes out in the wash" = evens out, somehow.)

I was sad as we left. Seeing Missy and Ziggy reminds me of many things we have left behind in our transition. And not everything can be put in perfect order. Some things have to be entrusted to God and good people.

Washington State ferries are excellent

The ferry trip back is uneventful and short. Traffic is good, compared to every-day congestion in Bandung.

After dropping off Jono, I drive out again for three free tubes of sand for the kids' play area. Hurrah for Freecycle. The tubes weigh 70 lbs each. I can't lift the last one into the back of the SUV. A neighbor watches me struggle, but when I plead for a strong man's help, he is kind enough to come over to put it on the mat. When I get home, I plop them into a sturdy bucket. Job done.

Then it's time to test out a food blender Dad passed along today. A supper of mango-berry-Earl Grey Tea smoothie ... delicious!

Read more:
*He has redeemed my soul from going down to the pit, and my life shall see the light. Job 33:28 ESV

*Declare God’s glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples. Psalm 96:3 ESV

*I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Psalm 143:6 ESV

*Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28 ESV

*God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power. 1 Corinthians 6:14 ESV

*Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 1 Peter 1: 3-5 NIV

Moravian Prayer: God, we walk as though we have no hope in you. Your word declares that nothing can separate us from your love which is in Christ Jesus. Melt us, mold us, fill us, use us in your ministry as we journey on our toilsome way here on earth, for you are our faithful God.

We pause to say within our hearts that we need you, God. Troubles come our way, burdens are heavy, and we can no longer walk the path. We feel like giving up, but you remind us that you carried the cross to Calvary for us and took all of our burdens. Refresh our spirits, Lord, and have mercy on us. Amen.

Merriment and madness

May 31.2016
Isaac, our youngest grandchild, turned one yesterday. I enjoy such times with the family and their friends.

The birthday boy, siblings, and friends

And suddenly it's the last day of May. Another month has flown by.

Even a boring breakfast is tastier on china.
Yes, that is the last Nanaimo bar...

My new driver license arrives - another item off the "must-do" checklist. As usual, the picture is weird but identifiable. I sometimes wonder if I should care more. Too late.

Memorial Weekend was fun. The grands celebrated with a rousing guitar duet that included a couple of high kicks and guitar throws. Hilarious.

The grands are growing fast: every day they get more coordinated and faster.

There's nothing like a Radio Flyer horsie to wear off pent-up energy. Of course, the girl - without any prompting - runs upstairs and brings back her cowboy hat. Dress for the occasion. (Remember that, K?)

Feeding and riding the boys' birthday
present (though Levi's bday comes later)

I take a final look back over my shoulder at last week. 111 of us from 39 countries were administered citizenship. Some brought family members and friends to celebrate.

The blackberries are blooming in the hedges - and poppies are out in mass. Spring is Seattle's best season.

I may have to paint these poppies.

I miss Bandung. There are some things that people who fight for food and shelter understand about the value of being human. I have been thinking a lot about an article in the news. 

When did an animal's life begin to trump a child's? Um - doesn't scripture warn that corrupted and immoral people will do mad things and applaud madness in others? (Read Romans 1)

Crazy but privileged people often get a louder voice and more press than sane ones when it comes to protecting human life. Let me set this straight: as a Christian, I value life - human or animal. I take seriously our duty to protect the environment. Why? God, whom we love and serve, made the world beautiful and put us in charge of keeping it that way. He will hold us accountable for our stewardship.

That said, can we acknowledge thta it takes only a minute for a child's body to be shaken to death? if your child is in danger of death, after 10 minutes of being dragged around an animal pen, would you applaud saving the youngster's life above drawn-out debates about animal rights and maybes or what-ifs? How many parents would set a child's future and health over prolonged hopes that a wild animal will release our kid? (It may have been too late to intervene much later.)

But I wonder how many "animal rights" advocates have youngsters - or would protest saving their child in exchange for saving a gorilla. A deceased friend's son lamented to me that his mother always preferred her pets over him. That crushed him, growing up. "She chose the needs of dogs over me as her child every time." Luckily, his step-father assured him of his value and dignity as a human.

Insanity as norm has always frightened me. And I'm not afraid of much.

Read more:

*God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” Exodus 3:14 ESV

*In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me? Psalm 56:4 ESV

*Blessed are those who act justly, who always do what is right. Psalm 106:3 NIV

*Jesus Christ says, “I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20 ESV

*This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. John 15:12 ESV

Moravian Prayer: Hear our prayer, O Lord, in the words of the hymn writer. We are reminded of the great city Jerusalem, descending from above and the joy that waits for us there. We celebrate and rejoice in knowing and tasting such sweet bliss beyond compare. Incline your ear to us, and grant us your peace. 

Fill our hearts today with the knowledge that we have a purpose to fulfill, as we come to your throne asking for the confidence and the courage to complete the tasks set before us. As we close another month in this year, help us to walk in your deep love with our brothers and sisters. Bless us we pray. Amen.

What I miss about Bandung

Australia is headed for winter, Canada is enjoying the start of summer, and Indonesia continues its wet season. 

Shooting pictures on walks in the hills

The world is an interesting place.

Bird sellers along the sidewalks

Things I miss about Bandung (some happily absent, while some I long for):

• The guava tree beside the porch; clumps of "houseplants" outside; palm trees; birds of paradise plants so prolific they are chopped to the ground every few months. An amaryllis hedge anyone?
• The smiles that instantly appear when we greet people.
• Shining a flashlight at night before my feet touch the floor. Is there a roach by my shoes?
• Food that is fried. Rice. Potatoes. Vegetables. Tofu. Meat. Dessert.
• Only cold water faucets in the kitchen and bathroom. We boil water for dishes and mix boiled water with cold in a splash bowl when shower heaters aren't working.

A view of the city from the hills above

• Sunrise and sunset at 6.
• Walks in the hills. (Walking up our Seattle driveway doesn't have the same appeal.)
• The constant chatter and subsequent explanations in languages I don't know.
• Studies and friendships that grow more precious each month.
• On and off electricity and water pressure.
• Wondering - as I'm cooking - if 10 or 60 people are showing up for dinner.

Stunning landscapes - a volcanic lake

• The smell of eggs from village chickens.
• Skinny chicken drumsticks (look at your thumb for an idea of size).
• Sambal (ketchup on heat and flavor steroids)
• "Selamat pagi!" (good morning) at 7am by a gardener or 8am by a house helper. zzzz

A gardener sweeps the yard of constantly shedding leaves
(snakes can live in unkempt areas)

• The chaos of traffic. Loose paving and litter along the roads.
• Ant trails. Everywhere. Every dish must be closed or tightly covered.
• Chocolate and chocolate chips in cookies melting on the counter. Frozen food thawing in minutes. Yup, it's hot in the house.
• Checking for snakes before sitting on the toilet or entering the shower.

Vendors sell food and goods along the streets

More another time. I'm getting homesick.

C'mon over, wherever you're from! (Movie night)

Read more:

*But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 3:20 NIV

*Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. 1 Peter 2:10-12 NIV

The foot-long blooms of this tree
seem to glow in the dark

*The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.

For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of[g] your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant. Colossians 1:15-23

Prayer: Dear Father, we are grateful to be your children. Let us reflect your love to everyone around us. Let us do many good deeds - not to try to win your favor, but in response to your goodness and kindness to us. Thank you for reconciling us to yourself through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.