Saturday, March 29, 2025
It's time to write our monthly updates. I can't believe the month is nearly over. Sundays are a welcome break from writing Lenten blogs, but that's tomorrow, so I keep writing. Routine is good; rhythm is good; but rest is very good. We went to bed early yesterday so I've been wide awake since 2 AM.
After our walk, I raid the garden for flowers for tomorrow's Round Table. While they soak in a basin, I make calls. On impulse, I dial 3 girlfriends, the WPPRs. They're the day's highlight: each picks up the call. We began meeting 30 years ago and still stay in touch. Everyone has their own blessings, drama, and challenges; it's good to get an update as we pray for each other.
Breakfast is leftovers from Thursday's post-hike lunch. Around noon we walk up the hill to HomeGround for very spicy beef soup and rice, my birthday meal. I'm not hungry after the big spinach and rice breakfast but W's feeling peckish. The flavors are good.
We stop at Vilo Gelato on the way home. I can't even finish a tiny gelato so I save it in the freezer.
Sunday
W asks if I'll speak without him this morning. Ok. My head re-scrambles the written outline on the go. The two-pronged topic is familiar and significant to my life: accountability and mentoring. None of us do life alone if we want to do it well. We need mentors ahead of us, beside us, and others with whom we share what we know.
We take Lela for lunch at Nara before walking home. I combine the flowers from a dozen little vases into one large wild bouquet for the entry.
The garden is healthy and green because of the balance of rain and sunshine. The bromeliads are blooming on the green wall.
The bright red is tipped with purple when the flower first emerges.
In the back of the yard, the bathtub ponds teem with little fish who control the mosquito population.
In the side yard, a lanky shrub boasts a delicate cluster of pink flowers.
I walk W to supper with a friend and take a long loop home with the dogs. This flower is new to us, growing along the street on a tall shrub.
MondayThis is the loudest night of the year. Chants and calls from the mosques echo across the valleys and mountains. Firecrackers explode in staccato bursts. I'm still awake after midnight so I write a Lenten blog before giving the night a second try. I sleep 4 hours before the day starts.
It's Eid al-fitr, the kickoff to the Lebaran week. Anyone who can go home to their village or island does. However this year, with a shrinking middle class and inflation, many people cannot afford to travel back to their families. Those who do show off their best clothes and cars. A neighbor's visitor parks beside our house - cute Bug.
We ran into a neighbor, who is president of the Lions Club of Bandung. The group plants trees, provides electricity and water for needy neighborhoods, and does other sustainable projects.
We call our moms and attend Zoom meetings before a good meal at brunch. It's the opening day of Nanny's Pavillion restaurant at the entry to our neighborhood. They offer pancakes and pasta. We know the manager (owner?) and server.
The place is full but we find a table near the gate. My pasta is delicious.
Overhead, one tree shades the entire courtyard.
I take home leftovers - I'm not hungry. Then we relax and connect with others.
Tuesday
My mom calls at 3 AM and 5:AM. I'm awake for the first but woken for the second call. No worries - I'd rather not miss a call from her, no matter what the time. I sleep for 2 hours, total. Not quite long enough. Today might be the day for a nap.
A family pauses at the street intersection to watch our 3 dogs walk on a single leash. The little boys point and chatter but are too afraid to get off the bike to pet the dogs.
Before I go inside, the garden needs watering and the birds and fish want to be fed. An orange and pink bougainvillea lights up the corner like a flame.
A candy-cane-striped amaryllis opens under the tall 'false bird of paradise' plants.
I like how a Sunday bouquet evolves as the week goes on. The Indonesian 'lavender' stretches toward the sunshine from its one-liter jar.
Then there's a lunch to cook. I make a chicken stew: meat, potatoes, and vegetables. Sides include corn and cucumbers, along with some of yesterday's olive/rosemary bread. The birds are happy with the bean and carrot ends, along with their seed.
Melvina joins from upstairs, while John and Shibli come up from the base of the hill. We eat on the Porch, enjoying the breeze rippling across the garden. After the meal, W hosts a theological session with our guests. I do dishes and put things away while they talk.
We pray for each other, take a photo, and then it's late afternoon. The rain, absent for a few days, starts up and gently waters the backyard.
Read more:
*The Lord upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. Psalm 146:7
*He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 2 Corinthians 9:10
Moravian Prayer: Divine Supplier, thank you for the gift of nourishment, filling not only our mouths, but our hearts and minds with the fruit of your love, justice, and compassion. Grant that every tongue and heart may know of your abundant love and mercy.
Loving Shepherd, you hold us tenderly in your embrace. Just as we have received your protection and comfort, open our eyes to those around us, and grant us courage to proclaim the good news, so that they, too, may know the grace and hope of your eternal love. Yea, our lot is blessed. Alleluia! Amen.
