Eternal summer

Monday, March 10, 2025

I remember the relief of spring's arrival, when the first buds open on the branches and the early flowers peek through the soil. I see the posts of friends and am happy for them as life begins after winter.

Late spring and early summer were my favorite seasons in Seattle. All that green! Some sun. And weeks of warmth. Aaaah. 

You'd wonder if I miss spring, but I don't care to experience it again. Why? because you first have to endure the dark damp gloom of a cold season. That's not for me unless I have no choice.

Fall and winter in Seattle found me spiraling into depression. I bought a sun lamp, went for walks outdoors, and ate chocolate. Nothing seemed to help.

Bandung has eternal summer: rain or shine.

W and I got caught in the rain a few days ago. Our shoulders were soaked within seconds; our trousers flapped in wet protest. We got home, exchanged the wet clothes for dry ones after a hot shower, and smiled at each other because the rain was 75oF/24oC. It wasn't even chilly because there was no wind.

Lunch is leftovers plus fresh vegetables: I reheat the sauerkraut and potatoes from last week and sauté another sausage to cut into the cabbage, along with green beans in peanut sauce. "We eat better when I'm cooking," I think aloud to W. (It's not better. But we're revisiting flavors we grew up with, which is a nice change from rice and chicken in coconut milk.)

Today I snack on a home-mix of nuts, dried fruit, and chocolate. It's stored in a recycled Trader Joe's bag, a reminder of the past. My afternoon intention is to edit an article for an academic journal - or at least start it. With a packed week ahead, let's get it out of the way.

I putter, getting my mind into the right frame by gathering bedding for a change-of-sheets tomorrow, confirming appointments on the calendar, and pedaling away on my "Under-the Desk Cycle," a gift from Kim. Then I'm ready to focus on the manuscript.

No I'm not. I spend the rest of the afternoon uploading photos onto a garden blog. Sigh. Way more fun. Work, tomorrow!

Tuesday

It's a beautiful sunny morning. The gardenia fragrance is rich and sweet.

I make an omelette with yogurt for breakfast, using the last of the potatoes and sauerkraut, along with another chopped sausage. W and I eat on the sunny porch.

After a meeting with our supervisors and coworkers, we walk to meet S for lunch at #NaraPark. Much of our time is spent with people. 

But some of what we do is word-work. Writing a daily Lenten blog is my annual spiritual discipline. Today is a mix of both people and words.

We have a team meeting in early afternoon. The birds are so noisy that it's hard to hear what people are saying via Zoom. The canary is loudest: as soon as I speak, he sings along. And he has gusto! I had no idea a small bird could be soooooo loud.

Our snack is boiled peanuts, fresh from the Tanikota farm. Yum.

Wednesday

It's my brother's 65th birthday. He's enjoying a vacation in a warm spot near a beach. Happy Birthday, Norm! from the warm hills of Indonesia.

My alarm is set for 5 appointments, which is an unusual amount. First a walk! 

Several events are especially favorable, discussing life and work with peers. Two are tea parties on the Porch. We have to move inside when the racket of a weed-wacker makes conversation impossible.

Regardless of where, time with a teacup in hand and a friend across the table refreshes the soul and body. We share life, prayer, scones, and egg-salad sandwiches. Oh, and don't forget the brownies ...

W helps me turn the mattress around. As I change the cloth of the headboard, a dead roach falls onto the bed. There's a dried 6" lizard stuck to the fabric of the headboard. Ugh. Obviously we wash the headboard cover less often than the weekly bedding change. (May have to reconsider that!)

Lizards chirp as they crawl up walls and across ceilings and floors. But the clicking of cockroach wings is what I dread most. W scoops up both carcasses with a dustbin and tosses them outside.

Thursday

HIKING! after last week's hiatus.

The impatiens that were the first sign of spring in Seattle? (I bought them 2@$1 each March from Fred Meyer to cheer up the garden.) They grow wild along the trail.

Mushroom varieties are all along the paths, too. That's what rainy season does.

Our destination is the old Dutch forts in the mountains.

We take pictures for our WA group - many are traveling.

And then we joke around an excellent lunch at Mike's Pizza. It's the first time W and I have been there in person, rather than ordering it to go. Our food (3 pizzas) and drink cost $22. Like the taste, the price is delicious.

We buy eggs and sugar at the grocer across the street. The helpers have baked chocolate chip cookies today and we're getting low on basics.

Read more:

*I will both lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me lie down in safety. Psalm 4:8

*Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.” John 14:27

*All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 

 

Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. 

Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce 

fresh water. James 3:7-12

Moravian Prayer: Abiding God, with each breath, may we bring your peace into our spirit. When we exhale, may your peace enter our world through the words and actions of our lives. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Small things

Small actions add up. I've written almost 2000 posts here, along with hundreds on other blogs. 

How does that happen? If I were an artist, would there be hundreds and thousands of paintings and sculptures and needlework? Probably. (I admit that there are a few art pieces and short music scores around, but that's from overflow energy, not habit.)

When I get so busy that I forget who I am, I read about who I've met and where I've been. That reminds me of the faithfulness of God and the kindness of those around me.

Saturday, March 8, 2025

The chickens sparkle in the sun, strutting their colors as we pass the garbage dump on our walk.

I cull flowers that have passed their prime from last week's arrangement. What's left goes into a clean vase with a few pink daisies and ferns from the garden.

Then we set the table, make crepes, and cut a papaya to prepare brunch for a board meeting. Tota brings servings of tofu, rice cakes and peanuts; Chandra offers a variety of drinks - including cold coffee that everyone loves; Angie fries up Batagor that gets dipped into chunky peanut sauce. So good.

It's wonderful to work with people of integrity and compassion. We review finances, pray for needs, and chat. And we eat together, of course.

My Lenten reflection is two questions Jesus asks men who have been followers of John the Baptist. One question is "What do you want?" and the other is "Come and see." I think Jesus still asks us those questions today. Our challenge is whether or not to follow up on his invitation.

Lent Day 4: "Come and See"

In the afternoon, we walk to Ethnic to meet friends. Many people line up at food stalls in late afternoon, in preparation for sundown when their fast ends. On the first weekend of the month, they also still have money to spend. Payday at the end of the month is the norm.

The restaurant is empty until nightfall, when things heat up. We have a lovely conversation with John and Lisa. The rain hits hard while we eat and talk. But it tapers off just before we walk home.

Sunday

The kids sing in the Gathering, to a warm response from young and old alike.

We meet A, whom we haven't seen in years. There's an exuberant greeting from everyone. Once you've been family, you're always family.

Titik sends home her stunning arrangement. How she creates such beauty week after week, from ordinary flowers, is beyond me ...

We eat lunch and get a tour at a friend's farm. We love to support projects that serve the community. Let me know if you want to volunteer or share your resources in diverse ways.

The current crop is peanuts. We take some home to for steaming.

Monday

A few meetings in the morning = life-giving counsel between friends and peers. Between the first and second Zoom call, W and I hurry out the door for a mile-loop.

I write a post for Lent, review a history, and make notes. The miraculous seems to happen when an ordinary person faces insurmountable odds, but is obedient to God.

Lent Day 5: "Do what he tells you," (said Jesus' mother Mary.)

There's nothing remarkable going on or anything particularly "special" that's happened recently. Yet as I scroll files to research details of a past event, I'm struck by how much an ordinary life contains.

We've met people. We've tried things that have succeeded or failed. We've learned lessons and passed along resources. It's easy to forget God's goodness, showered on us day after day. Thanks be to God!

Read more:

*[Some proverbs:]

- When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but the prudent are restrained in speech.

- Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid.

- Good people obtain favor from the Lord, but he condemns those who devise wicked schemes.

- No one can be established through wickedness, but the righteous cannot be uprooted. 

 Proverbs 10:19; 12:1-3

*Jesus said, “Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.” Matthew 5:37

Moravian Prayer: Christ, Eternal Word, remind us to always center our words in you and speak from places of love. Forgive us when we are quick to respond with a cutting word or a cruel retort. Center our words in your eternal truth. Amen.

Lent begins

Wednesday, March 5, 2025

Lent is a very special season for me. I didn't grow up with it. In fact, I didn't pay attention to the word until I was working on my masters degree.

That season was difficult: our daughter was in full flair with rheumatoid arthritis. Our kids were in their teens and moving into adulthood. I taught music and volunteered to train small group leaders while leading a study group myself. W was away at work most of the time. So it was busy. And hard.

The days seemed to crawl but the years were flying by. I was exhausted, with no prayers of my own, So I sought refuge in the traditional prayers of the Church. I spent a semester praying the Catholic liturgy, then another with the Orthodox prayer book. Many days I knelt down and prayed Puritan prayers of petition and confession.

I discovered Lent, a pause in the Christian calendar. Lent meant 40 days of meditation on the life, suffering, and death of Jesus. With my heart broken and my spirit hanging on by a thread, I plunged into contemplation.

Yet I've never been religious about my practice of Lent.

By that, I mean it's not an obligation. I don't consider it appeasement or an appeal to God's mercy. It's not a righteous duty carried out to balance my sins. Jesus has already paid the price in full, so I live in his forgiveness and his righteousness.

Each year, I find my relationship with God has deepened. I feel his love and care pervading every part of my being. And I love him more. I want to please him.

So this year at Lent, I'm picking at my keyboard again, challenging myself to new understandings of who God is and why he wants a relationship with us. I want to be open to his goodness, his justice, and his unlimited imagination in saving the world.

Lenten Blog, Day 1: God beyond our Imagination 

Paul the apostle admits: The message of the cross seems foolish to those who are lost and dying. But it is God's power to us who are being saved. It is written [in Isaiah 29:14]: "I will destroy the wisdom of those who are wise. I will do away with the cleverness of those who think they are so smart."

Smart people scoff at the cross. They find it folly and an offense to human reason. Why would God come among us? And why grow up in an obscure village in the middle of the Roman Empire? Why would he allow with religious leaders to question and defame him. Why would he be killed in a brutal way, with his followers abandoning him in his time of need?

I don't know. What I do know is that God understands all the parts of human life because of it. 

God's plans are enough for me - and for you as we live in that mystery. I don't have to understand what He's doing or how he lays out the future. He doesn't answer to me.

So Lent begins. I start the annual journey of blogging about my faith and confidence in God's provision. I don't understand it. Don't grasp it fully. But I believe what God says is true and that my faith shapes how I live as a follower of Jesus. (unknown source for images)

Still Wednesday. After 4 meetings, the morning is almost gone. I pray, write, and wonder what to cook for lunch. Turns out that leftover tacos are a perfect choice. W goes to an afternoon men's group. Titik's flowers continue to open as I work from home.

Thursday

There's no hike scheduled so we loop around the neighborhood for 3.5 miles (5 km). I step into the uneven side of the road to exercise ankles, knees, and hips the way a hike does. Nah, it's not the same.

W captures a beetle on the street in exquisite detail.

How wonderfully the world has been made.

Even the smallest things are crafted so meticulously that Jesus said, "King Solomon in his splendid robes wasn't dressed as well as the grass of the field that is here today and gone tomorrow."

In contrast, the manmade flower boards don't seem to be fading. I take a closer look: ah, the florets are made of sponge foam and will be part of the garbage dump soon.

Many continue to "bloom" in front of the residence of the new assistant governor.

We haven't been to #NaraPark for over a month. It's well-maintained, with a young man "sweeping" every leaf from the lawn as we eat breakfast. I'm craving their spicy noodles.

What are the little green heads on the plants along the terrace?

A closer look reveals tiny flowers, almost invisible until you stop to see.

Building has resumed on the community center used for preschool medical care. The upstairs wall has been framed atop the old first floor. Every few months, an influx of energy (or money?) brings progress to the project, which has been going for over a year.

I reply to texts and emails, make calls, and take notes from Blinkist book summaries. They have some recent additions on leadership and caring for others.

How about sauerkraut for lunch today? It's rather fun to cook "old-home" recipes that are on autopilot from another life. To a homemade base from Hela, we add potatoes, sausage, and seasonings. As the sauerkraut bakes, smells from the toaster oven remind us of a German household. Meanwhile, the helpers use the main ovens for cookies.

Reflecting on the beginning of John's gospel, I'm filled with wonder again.

Lenten Blog, Day 2: The startling appearance of God

Dinner is a new recipe: butter rice and mushroom saté, with an apple on the side. We watch a movie this month instead of reading a book for the book club. The movie is called The Life of a Gaucho. (Wrong movie, I discover at the Friday book group.)

Friday

Walk. The fig tree is starting to droop with fruit again.

I make crepes for breakfast. Then edits! What a privilege to read what others research, learning from their work. First up is a seminar on healthy relationships and building trust in the workplace. I pause occasionally to "visit" the room photo on my desktop and rest my eyes on the green garden.

I check the progress of a dissertation and write a Lenten post about John the Baptist.

Lenten Day 3: The surprising messenger

We eat lunch before W and I pick up basics at the grocer. Varieties of dates are on display: those are eaten at the end of the day to break the Muslim fast.

PakG loads the dogs in the car and takes them for a walk while the Bandung Book Group meets for a lively discussion of a Hallmark movie: Journey from 1995. The cafe staff won't open shop until 3:00 though the women just want to order coffee. By the time they are served, I have to leave - with my thermos of tea intact. (It would have been rude to drink while they were waiting.)

We have fresh-baked mayo biscuits for supper. So easy, so good! (Stir together 1 c milk, 2 c flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 4 tbsp mayonnaise; bake in greased cupcake tin @350o for 15 min.) While the biscuits bake, I sauté mushrooms with onions and spices. Yum.

By the time we clean up, it's night. The rain falls in force, with lightning flashing and thunder rumbling over the mountains for hours.

"This rainy season is lasting longer than usual," we said about the same time last year.

Read more:

*Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like me. Isaiah 46:9

*“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” said the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. Revelation 1:8

Moravian Prayer: Eternal God, as we mark the beginning of our global church, we know that our faith history is but a moment in your creation. Yet you give us each these moments to blossom and live abundant lives. Let it be so! Amen.

Back in the swing of things

Saturday, March 1, 2025

How can it be March?! 

My hair looks limp and straggly at the back. I roughly clip up the top two-thirds and pull a brush across the bottom third, where I cut an inch off. (No need to wet the hair.) The five-minute fix lifts the layers  and lets me avoid hours in a hair salon. I shave my neck and toss the razor back onto the shower shelf.

It's a day of odds and ends, picking up and putting down, and considering where to invest time and energy. In late afternoon, I squeeze acrylic paint onto the bottom of egg crates. I press those circles on a canvas that has a red background.

I swish the paint around with my fingers. It's oddly satisfying, not knowing if there's more to it or if it's done. Would a series of shapes on that kind of intense background be interesting? Maybe.

Speaking of fingers, Keelee sent a small prayer labyrinth along to Indonesia. I trail a finger forward as I speak the characteristics of God (loving, kind, patient, powerful, holy, wonderful ...) and trace the path backward as I present requests for others and myself.

Sunday

We're starting a new series at IES Bandung. I refresh the bulletin board with letters impulsively and crudely cut from yellow printer paper. (The person who offered to do the board is busy with other things.) Maybe an idea of what else to do with it will pop up this week. Got ideas, send 'em to me!

The tennis courts outside the hall are being hand-painted so the area is roped off today. We walk around.

Since not everyone can attend every week, we remind the Gathering that we are committed to serve as their pastors at most for another year. After, there's a team meeting and then we eat lunch at Maxi with Martin, Sayaka, and Harun.

Titik has made another beautiful flower arrangement.

Flowers from her bouquet last week are still blooming. I discard the wilted ones and put the leftovers in a blue vase.

The day is dark and perfect for resting. My notebook is full of tasks for next week but I take myself back to childhood, when Sunday afternoons were for napping and reading. Before bedtime, I write and send off 11 posts for Lent. Check ✓.

Monday

No walk today. I'm in early meetings and crunching through to-dos until lunchtime. With Muslims fasting, we combine errands with lunch out: Chinese noodles, a vegetable, and tea @$12 total. Someone paid to have "halal" (or Muslim-safe) put on the tissue pack. Is there a non-halal version of paper?

It's been many years since I stepped into a salon. DrW books us into the newly-opened spa down the hill. The draw is a half-off offer. I indulge in a relaxing 2-hour facial for $15 (incl tip). I must be over jet lag: instead of falling asleep, I relish every minute.

I might ask W for a second appointment as a birthday gift later this month. We never know what to give each other - this makes it easy. Besides, the shop gave me a good coupon for a return. (She smiles.) There are reflexology and other treatments on offer as well - it's nice and clean. I have no idea what all the machines are for and don't care.

Then it's back to work. I learn a new Indonesian word and clear up a few tasks before day's end. My computer is full of tiny ants. I spray the shelf where I stashed it and squish every ant that walks across my screen. (Next day, no ants.)

Tuesday

After a walk, I make crepes for breakfast - it's Shrove Tuesday or "pancake day" before Lent starts tomorrow.

Of all the online meetings, the most fun is a mid-morning call to grandkids. They've figured out how to make FaceTime explode with fireworks or give a thumbs up. They make me laugh.

There's a new kind of lily along the street, glowing pale pink against the dark hedges.

The vines are dripping color at #NaraPak and our favorite greeter waves as he is sweeping. 

I make tacos for lunch. We brought a kit of soft tacos, taco sauce, and seasoning from the USA. It just feels like today's the day to eat it. It's soul-satisfying to occasionally eat food from "before," especially when other traditions are being celebrated.

Read more:

*Samuel said to the people, “Serve the Lord with all your heart, and do not turn aside after useless things that cannot profit or save, for they are useless.” 1 Samuel 12:20-21

*There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: 

haughty eyes, a lying tongue,  hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies, and a person who stirs up conflict in the community. Proverbs 6:16-19

*In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grade that he lavished on us. Ephesians 1:7-8

*So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Ephesians 5:17

Moravian Prayer: Loving Lord, our hearts are yours. You shower us with all that is good and comfort us in our sorrows. Help us to recognize your will as our own and to turn away from all that deters us from your service. In your holy name, we pray. Amen.