Saturday... What a Wonderful Thing!

One of my favorite things about Taiwan is despite the fact it is considered one of the most densely populated spots on the earth, country with lots of green and fresh air can be easily reached in under an hour. For us, its about 20 minutes! 

That's our city, Taichung!

Somewhere in that mass of humanity is Morrison Academy and our humble abode. Carl and Jacob were able to locate the baseball stadium which is very near our apartment, but my "no longer see sharp details in the distance" eyes could not (sigh).

Ben and Abbi were on their class retreats;  the juniors were camping and the seniors traveled north to the capital city of Taipei. I decided I needed a breath of clean green country air, so Carl, Jacob, and I headed out for another scooter adventure.

We ended up here... 

The most northern point of Taichung City- Wind Moving Rock.

We hiked.

We climbed.

(Well, at least Jacob did.)

We saw beautiful vistas and interesting wildlife.

The shiny spot in the middle was the spider. The sun was illuminating it!

A new shoot of bamboo. The outside was soft and velvety.

But even out among God's beauty, evidence of satan's deception!

It was an enjoyable time, until the mosquitoes decided to join our hiking party. At that point, the fun quickly disappeared!

Am I Getting Old?

As much as I hate to admit it, or even think about it, I must be getting old. 

I never really thought it would happen. Two milestones this week, however,  reconfirm the passage of time in my life....

Nick started college.

and Ben turned 18.

And so I ask myself, just how can that be? Wasn't it just yesterday that Carl drove us home from the hospital in our first  (of many) minivans with our newborn son strapped into his carseat? Didn't Carl just drop off Nick for his first day of school?

Where did the last 18 years go?

I miss those early years, but I am proud of the young men my sons are becoming.

Happy 18th birthday, Ben!

Congratulations on passing the very difficult written and driving scooter test!

And So It Begins

One week down.

Thirty-five more to go!

The first day came and went. And, yes, once again I survived.

The first day of school kinda reminds me of childbirth. It's arrival is greatly anticipated. I prepare, prepare, prepare. And yet no matter how ready I think I am, I am never totally completely ready.

I also tend to forget from year to year how hard it is to have these "newborn"second graders. They are unknown and unknowing. Who listens well? Who can follow instructions? Will they understand my particular sense-of-humor?

They have to be walked through every step of the day. They are a blank canvas when it comes to my classroom. 

And just like childbirth, the first couple days of a new school year are EXHAUSTING! Twice last week I was out cold by 8:30pm! In due accordance, my body was ready to start the next day at 4am!

Carl enjoys reminding me that every new school year for the first month of school I moan "this is the worst class I have ever had". Then somewhere mid September I begin bragging they are the best. Seems that just like childbirth, I block out the memories of the pain involved in "birthing" a new set of second graders.

And so it goes.

I miss my kids from last year, but this current class has the potential to be an amazing class!

And so a new school year has begun.

Ask me in a week or so, they will probably be the best class I have ever had!


And by the way, I didn't goof and post a picture twice. I have a set of twins this year. Can you find them?

Community

Belonging.

Its just human nature to want to belong.

Children, teenagers, adults, senior citizens. We all feel the pull  to belong to someone, something, somewhere.

While I have many reasons to love Morrison, a big chunk of it is due to its sense of community.

Its big around here!

This is most evident each August when the new staffs' container rolls into the parking lot. Such as today.

What? Today? 

But its the last Saturday before school starts......

But its really, really hot out there...

Hundreds of reasons to not help.

Administrators, teachers, spouses, students- working together to unload, sort, and reload items bound for the other two campuses. A hard job made easier by many hands. A community working together.

I remember two years ago when a similar container arrived full of familiar furniture and boxes carefully packed and labeled. I just didn't know how in the world we were going to move all our stuff two blocks away and up seven floors. I shouldn't have been anxious. God knew we weren't alone. 

He had provided a community for which we could belong. 

Of Mice and ..... Cockroaches?

We survived. Two adults, three teens, seven weeks, ONE camper! A feat not to be taken lightly. How did the time fly by so quickly?

The last couple weeks in Ohio saw us packing up our home away from home and one thought occupied my mind. Actually it was more than one thought,  because there is never just one mouse. It invariably always becomes mice.

So what does mice have to do with packing up the camper? To explain  I will need to rewind time back to the very beginning of summer, back to when our friends, David Grissom and Greg Wolfe, "unwrapped" and moved our summer home from its winter dwelling to its luxurious vacation spot- David and Ann's backyard. It was discovered then, that the camper had served as a winter home for a community of mice!

Evidence of such abounded throughout the camper. 

Evidence I barely saw because of the sacrifice of time, energy, friendship, and yuckiness! Ann, Sarah, and Barbara cleaned, washed, scrubbed. How can I ever thank these precious friends?

Sorry, Barb, I couldn't find a picture of you!

Even after moving in, we continued to find evidence of the infestation. Carl spent hours removing panels and insulation looking for the ever present strangely suspicious smell. Finally, the source, a deceased decaying furry creature, was discovered, removed, and appropriately disposed of! Eventually the smell dispersed and life was normal again! Well, as normal as life can be living in a camper!

So as I repacked the camper, the biggest thought on my mind was what will this look like the next time we are home. And what can I do to prevent it?

I experienced an uncomfortable sense of déjà vu last weekend as we arrived at our apartment in Taiwan. No, it wasn't mice this time, but .....

Cockroaches!

Evidently our kitchen was the place to be the month of July, that is if you are a cockroach. And it must have been some party. Can't, no don't, want to even let my imagination start down that path.

Yuck.

Dead cockroaches all over the floor. (Carl disposed of at least 20 in our first 24 hours home) Not only that, but cockroach poop all throughout the drawers and cabinets. So gross! A real appetite stealer! The teenager watching our apartment apparently killed a small army every time he came to empty the dehumidifier. Carl is in the process of cleaning out the kitchen cabinets. Evidently, our uninvited house guests left behind not only poo, but egg pods. Double Yuck!

Can I just add here that I totally love, adore, and appreciate my husband!

Two different continents.
Two unsuspecting homes.

Two irritating, disgusting creatures.

Same problem.

Why?

My mind pondered that question. Your brain does strange things while in the throes of jet lag.  Nevertheless, I thought about it, and actually came to a realization. With spiritual connections, no less.

We have never had a mouse in the camper before. It was never a problem. Of course, even though parked in the driveway, we were in and out of it often. Our presence was known.

And while we do see cockroaches occasionally, we have never had so many at one time. But then again, our humanness is all over the kitchen. (We are bigger, stronger, smarter and, therefore, rightly scarier, right?) 

After Nick left Taiwan, the house was devoid of human smell, sound, vibration- presence. Naturally, those life-loving partying cockroaches enjoyed the kitchen fearlessly.

Take a leap with me here.

 When we are praying, reading our Bibles, worshiping, spending time in the  presence of God, He abides with us. His presence is with us.

But what happens if we don't make the effort, the time, to walk closely, to abide?

Isn't that when we find ourselves tempted to think, do, say things we know are wrong? Our attitudes     begin to stink, our thought life deteriorates into a more carnal nature. Without His presence, little varmints begin to sneak in, just like the mice in Ohio and the cockroaches in Taichung.

I don't know about you, but just the visualization going on in my head motivates me to keep praying, worshiping, and reading!

How about you?