Lost July

Still breathless from fast-paced, fun-filled June
We tumbled head over heals into July
With Daddy off to India
And Daddy's-Away-Syndrome sickness at home
(Never fails: Dad away = kids sick!)

And then some muted weeks
Drifting along in slow-paced, relaxed rhythms
Mommy taking weekend breaks
Cocooned in silence: a friend's empty apartment

The feeling of being incubated for... something
Friends moved away, our complex holiday quiet
Chinese school on holidays too; not even Sunday school
At home, in the pool, up the hill, on the beach together
Always together 

August marks hope on the calendar
Chinese school, AWANA, Sunday school restarting
Returning families from summer travels
Other kids to play with again
"Normal" life restarts

Five Minute Friday -Lost

Lost

I look around and feel so lost without you nearby

Tossed by waves of indecision

Exposed to the winds of worry

Empty ache of a half-cold bed

Little-girl-please-hold-my-hand

lostness

Found

I lift the eyes of my heart and know security

Feet on solid rock in any storm

Sheltered by the Prince of Peace

Daily love-gifts ease the ache

Underneath are the everlasting arms

foundness

Lost or found

my choice to feel

mingle the two

into bittersweet tastings

One would drown me

the other deny me

but both I can do

holy humility, God-dependence

beautiful brokenness

lost-found

June so far

NiNi and YeaYea have been here! So we have been wonderfully busy enjoying touristy and daily life with them. 

 

Swimming in our community pool or in the nearby ocean...

 

Picnic campfire supper on the beach...

 A visit to the Butterfly Farm with some friends... where Grace got the prize for butterfly attraction!

 

Looking after and playing with our recent family additions...

 

A joint birthday party for Jasmin and Aiden in which the kids all decorated their own little cake...

 

A snorkeling trip at a nearby island.... unfortunately much of the coral was dead or dying, but we did get to see some interesting things

 And the  grand finale in Bangkok: Art In Paradise where you become part of the pictures...

Since we also fit in a week of VBS, many meals out, and shopping, it is not too surprizing that now we are holed up in a hotel in Bangkok nursing a family of colds before heading south to a Director's retreat next week.

Five Minute Friday

Messenger

God's messengers to me
Perhaps a surprize love gift
of his lavish delight
Bird song wholehearted praise
Sunbeams through a stormy sky
or
Perhaps a word, a phrase, a scene
from a well-loved or brand new book
provoking thought
A sudden expansion of understanding
or
Perhaps a picture
emblazoned in the mind's eye
echoing with His very own voice
or
Perhaps
the words or actions of someone
Intentional or unknown
bringing God's message home

Such a creative God
never tires of finding new ways to talk with me!
Keeps me looking, anticipating
A daily delightful treasure hunt