It Has Begun - Again

This week I have been considering possessions and needs, sorting, packing, rearranging, measuring and weighing. Deciding what must come with us, what can be left behind, and what we never really needed in the first place. Folding, sorting, squeezing in one more it-would-be-nice-to-have thing into a corner of a bag. Again.

Tonight we will be going to bed in rooms empty of the "us-ness" our things gave them, 4 bulging suitcases and 5(!) carry-ons standing waiting by the door. Showered and ready-dressed for the next day's travel, the kids will burrow into their blankets, and whisper the sadness of leaving and the excitement of going. Again.

Tomorrow morning, just as it is getting light, we will be boarding a plane. Leaving behind family, friends, places that we fit into like a well-worn shoe, and ones that we would dearly love to fit that well into. Again.

Tomorrow night we will not have arrived. Indeed, it will likely be another month before we settle in a place of our own in Bangkok.  Stops to visit farther-flung family and friends, as well as work meetings punctuate our journey, breaking it up into bites-ized pieces. On the go but not there yet. Again.

This is our life, the one God has called us to. And this time we are going back.  That is a nice new thing for us. Always before we have been going on to something and some place new.  This time we are going back - to the same:

city

friends

church

language

bank account

possessions

transport system

culture 

What a head start!

How blessed we should feel to be given this great gift this time!

And the gift of God's presence each and every time we go: Grace reminded me this morning,

"The hi and byes to friends doesn't matter, only that God goes with me everywhere."

When I Grow Up

When Grace was 3, she said she wanted to be a doctor when she grows up.  A strong interest and insatiable curiosity about the human body and all things doctor has been evident ever since. At 6, the desire has not waned.

A few days ago, I came home to a bedroom-turned-hospital.  The girls were diagnosing and treating all their stuffed animals. Not unusual or that remarkable. But later I discovered this in one of Jasmin's notebooks:

 

Grace had laboriously written out medical notes of all their patients! 

Roots and Wings

Spending a summer with family, friends, and trips to old and new places has triggered a muse about family roots: how wonderful they are, and the deep puzzle of how to grow this globally nomadic family appropriate roots without clipping the wings that such a life gives.













Driving through the village where I spent my teen years
Inviting my children to enjoy places I did growing up
Watching my children in wonder over what I found common place
















Listening to my sister-in-law talk with her mother about family generations
Seeing my girls playing with their cousins and friends

Receiving grandparent blessings

Talking deeply with parents

Such things are treasured moments that bring satisfied fulfillment - and an uncomfortable sense of deep loss. For these are experiences that we get to do only in snatches every few years.  My children will see the world, be comfortable and familiar with multiple cultures, languages, ways of thinking - all great things for the future world that they will live in - but they will miss out on the rich goodness of a settled life within reach of extended family. Both worlds are good, both filled with God - yes, we miss what we have left behind, but that is not the muse.  How to bring up our children to appreciate and be able to live in both worlds is.

What kind of roots can you grow as a family on the move? That is my question of the hour, day, week, month, year, life!

What we've been up to

We have been enjoying a holiday of sorts, simply spending time with family and friends with no particular agenda!

Sleeping with Abba

Growing!

sand castling on a foggy beach

Swimming at Cranberry lake

It was interesting to see how the girls reacted to swimming in a lake rather than a pool.  Grace was intrigued by the uneven rock entry, and Jasmin took quite a bit of convincing that it was okay to not be able to see the bottom!

Sleeping by the lake

photographing (and sneaking up on) ducks in the Gardens downtown

Drawing with Aunty Joy

Reading with

It is so much fun watching the girls spend time with their aunts! Though they monopolize highly effectively and we have yet to have a good talk :o)

Learning

 We've tried to keep a bit of schooling going this summer - the more books we can finish before we return to Asia, the easier Mommy's packing job will be!

Back yard picnicking

Trampoline jumping with and without friends

We could say we are jumping for joy... we finally got some test results for Jasmin, and she is cleared to eat a much more normal diet, only needing to stay away from sesame, cranberries, and coffee - not that hard at all after a few years of staying away from dairy, wheat, soy, eggs...
We are enjoying our culinary freedom and, while not exactly jumping for joy, we most certainly are praising God for this development!