Cactus Flower

Two years ago. I remember what I wore. I woke up early. I walked a million times between the church, the mission house and the fellowship hall. It had snowed two days before, but this day was just right... perfect!   Everything didn't go quite as planned.  I remember the Brazilian cheese breads were sort of cold.  The kids got restless in the wagon.  My attempts at live streaming on Facebook were rather feeble.  But none of those things really mattered.   What was important was seeing two young people follow God in obedience to marry well.  And that they did.  God had brought them together under interesting and unusual circumstances.  He had planned it and guided it.  This day was a celebration of just that. I told my daughter-in-love last night that it was one of the top ten best days of my life.  And indeed it was.  When my day isn't going quite right or the grief bug bites, I can look back over the photos from Marc...

Easter evening, 2018 Easter, the mission house on Triangle Drive was filled with grandbabies, in-laws, a few out-laws, grandparents, and invited guests.  There may have been 18 or 20.  It was great, but somewhere along the line I realized I had taken no photos and forgotten to give Papa and Greyson their chocolate bunnies early that morning.  So, I felt sort of let down.  And a wave of "missionary grief" began to rise. last week Fast forward to  Monday afternoon:  William, our oldest, who'd been "home" over the holiday weekend rushed to get his things together to go back to college.  He'd decided to ride the newly fixed by Papa motorcyle back to school.  It was so nice to think of him going back to school, just like a normal American family.  We haven't been around to "see" the college thing.  As he rode off into the sunset and waved good-bye, it felt good and sad all at the same time. at our house Move along to Monda...

William and Granny Mother's Day is just around the corner.  It can be a rough day for P.O.M.s all over the world.  Parents of Missionaries.  This year I'll get to feel a little of what my mother and my mother-in-law have over all these years with two of my sons on another continent.  Thankfully there isn't all the hype with this holiday as I might would see in the States and we don't have television to see a constant reminder through commercials with products for this and that for mothers. William, Mom and Dad   Nonetheless it is Mother's Day this weekend just like in the USA.  Father's Day is celebrated here on a different date than the States, by the way.  And many holidays that the US has we don't and vice versa.  Mother's Day must be universal?   Can you imagine never winning a prize at church on the Sunday of Mother's Day for having all your family present?  Can you feel the pain of listening to all the goobley-go...

Recently I attended a regional ladies' meeting for all of our area churches here in the valley.  In the afternoon attendees could choose between several workshops.  I chose based on which location would be the coolest and figured that the class held in the main auditorium would be the best!  Interestingly enough it was about women's mental health. The speaker related the many signs of severe depression and anxiety.  As she went over her lists, I could have easily put a check mark on each and every item as I've experienced them all over the past two years.  At one point she mentioned that if you have had any or some of the symptoms for more than six months, you need professional help.  I started calculating in my little head the time frame of my "symptoms:" forgetfulness, insomnia, heart palpitations, acts of random rashness, anger, despair... I finally decided on 515 consecutive days.  How many days is six months?  180? Today I am thankfu...

My husband claims I'm afraid of many things.  Personally I think I've overcome many fears over the years of my time in Brazil.  I've found 3 inch scorpions on my desk chair and called my boys to come take pictures.  I've helped my boys catch green snakes for their viewing pleasure.  I learned to catch and hold pet iguanas to move them from cage to box for temporary holding.  And I even overcame one of my greatest fears of all, wildly jumping from the big boat down to the sand without regard for possible broken limbs or dignity. Scorpion on my office chair.   Makeshift kitchen on week long boat trip. This was when I jumped in the water to rescue my water jug. Notice the closed eyes - it was from flying sand - not fear! There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear , because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.  1 John 4:18 And yet I fear.  I'm afraid of the future....

March was a wild and long month for this little, hard working mother.  It was my second full month of my new job and included numerous trips to town at the crack of dawn to figure out how to get a Brazilian work card.  The school where I am teaching in the big city requires it and getting it turned out to be a not so easy task.  I made a total of five trips into town to take care of the "simple" task. Adding to all my stress was an unforeseen medical procedure at the end of February which wore down my defenses on all levels - setting me up for the long, wild month of March.  Multiply all that about a million times with the upcoming departure of our oldest for the States.  Tired + Stressed + Pre-Grieving = U.M.M.  {Unhappy Missionary Mama}  But somehow with lots of TLC from my family, I made it through the seemingly long month - to be rewarded with a happy pre-departure memory moment with my boy. One of my little joys on this spot of the globe in...