December already?

Time is flying by and my baby is 14 this Friday and Christmas is almost here and that same baby I mentioned earlier is now wearing high heels and is almost my height AND gulp...(breath), we're heading into holidays next week.
Nice.

This year, for Christmas, we're not heading anywhere.  We've got 2 days planned "for sure" for the 3 weeks we have off, and the first is heading into the mountains (Bandung) for one day, and spending another reading ALL DAY in our living room (just like camping).  Besides that, we're really not sure.  This is our first Christmas we'll spend in our Indonesian hometown: we've been in Lombok, Bali, and last year, Bavaria (Germany), and so it will be nice to stick close to home.  The house has been decorated for about 2 weeks now and we're full swing into the holiday theme.  I still say that one of the best gifts anyone has ever given me is the 'Yule Tide Log' dvd that just plays a burning log on the tv screen.  My parents brought it the first year we were here and it's become a "Canadian tradition" ever since.

One more week of school for Tris and the kids, then we'll decide what to do.
I've been waiting to say this, and it doesn't get said often in this nation...
MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Idul Adha 2011

This year we celebrated our 4th Idul Adha weekend by staying at home and truly experiencing Indonesian life.  Of course, we threw in a bit of our regular routines and passions, all of which made for an excellent 5 day holiday of some work, some play, some challenges and lots of fun.  On my part, I spent the 1st day of my holiday painting our living room, in response to a challenge by a friend who wants to see blue walls by the time she returns to Indo from the US.  Blue walls are done!  Tris spent the day golfing, and the kids with friends.

 On Saturday we headed to the beach (all except Matthew:  he stayed behind and slept, recuperating from last week's 3 day Spiritual Retreat) where it was windy and wavy.  The force of the wind blew all our cares away and we just laid there, ignoring the fact that back at home were a few chores to finish up and some school work to tackle.  It was early to bed Saturday night as we had to get up early the next morning.  We were to meet with an Indonesian family in their village, and they were going to take us a few doors down to their local mosque to witness the Idul Adha sacrificing of a few cattle and goats.

It has taken some time for us to gather up "family courage," but we did so, and watched the animals being led to their death, killed (I didn't look), and finally, prepped for further distribution to the poorer members of surrounding villages.  This happens every year to thousands of cattle/goats/sheep in Indonesia in commemoration of the Muslim story of Ibrahim preparing to sacrifice Ishmael (in biblical view it's Abraham and Isaac).  I don't think I ever need to see this again, but it gave me a greater understanding of what goes on around me in the country that I live in.  It was also a great experience to walk around the village with someone who lives there, and to share a light meal with them.  Later on we headed in 2 cars to the primate zoo (in Ragunan) where the friendliest primates I've ever seen live.  If I could have, I'd have stuffed the little orange orangutan ("forest person") into my bag and brought it home, it was so incredibly adorable.  Unrealistic, yes, but it's every little child's dream to own a cute primate of some kind, and the little girl in me just sneaked out for a bit.

On Monday Tris headed to the golf course early to practice a bit for today's golf tournament, Matt slept until mid-morning, and Abby and I headed to one of our favourite shopping areas everyone calls Mangga Dua (Two Mangoes).  It's really a shopping district full of 6-story malls, but the area in that district is also referred to as the same.  Usually traffic there and back is quite packed, but we whisked there in less than an hour and thankfully, after an unusual 5 hours of shopping (usually we give ourselves 3) we flew home even faster in under 30 minutes.  That's quite unheard of in normal traffic, so we were feeling pretty blessed.  While there I bought cheap watches (yes, mine broke already and Tris' is too big for his wrist) and Abby found soul-satisfaction in her patchwork pants (think "I Dream of Jeannie" crossed with a Thai & batik'd quilt), Korean purse and other treasures her heart didn't know she desired until she saw them.  I didn't buy much but it was fun to show the 2 friends we brought along all of the neat shops and stops, and to discover new ones as well.

Today was a golf tournament (which donated almost $500 to the Karawaci Ladies medical fund!) that Tris participated in and I sold raffles at.  The kids were busy practicing their dances for Bulan Bahasa (Matthew) and Spiritual Retreat competition (Abby).

The highlight of our weekend?  Hanging with Indonesian friends and colleagues.  We saw a lot and got a lot done, but it was time spent learning more about this country and the people who live in it with us that made it a really enjoyable holiday.

Thanks for reading.

Canadian Thanksgiving 2011

 Over 3 weeks ago now, we celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving with a few other families, complete with turkey, stuffing, gravy, potatoes, veggies, salads, and lots of wonderful desserts.  The newest family arrived in their Canadian t-shirts (red and white of course) and our family had a chuckle, because that's what we did our first year here as well.  Although I really (really) miss family during this time, it was a great dinner just getting to hang with people that ironically, in such a small community, we don't get to see that often.  It's the same everywhere you live...life gets busy, you get into your regular routine, and you miss opportunities to get together with other families.  What's really strange for me is that at this particular event, Tris and I were the 'older couple'.  It's hard to get out of my head (where I'm 34 and always will be!!) that although I used to be a member of the younger crowd, those days are p ast, and my kids are closer to that stage than I am!!  Children at this dinner ranged from a few months old, to old-times Matthew and Abby (Matt hadn't turned 16 yet).

Living in this international community brings us another opportunity for turkey, gravy and fellowship once again in late November.  This next one will be a lot larger, with way more food to choose from, and even more people to catch up with.

Can't get any cozier!

the men just wouldn't snuggle into a cozy group photo!

Matt & Abby 

Mock U.N.: Palestine & Page

 This morning I woke up late and when I walked out of my room there was this stranger in my home, packing up Matt's school bag and looking as if he was going to work in a Jakarta office building.  After taking a closer look I realized it was my son, dressed in his brand new pin-striped suit.  First suit ever!
Of course I had to drag him into the yard to take a photo, on the  pretext that his grandmother would never forgive me if I didn't update her on this most important occasion.  Wouldn't you know it, she called about an hour later and when I told her about the new suit, she asked "you took a picture, right?"  As an aside, to the left of Matthew are some pineapple plants that I just discovered...I knew the plants were there, but it wasn't until the rains came that I discovered the plants were fruit-bearing.
Anyways, back to the suit.  Matt and Tris went out last Monday night and purchased it for today's Mock United Nations.  A few weeks ago, for his Speak Up club, he was assigned the role of representative of Palestine.  Since then he's had to research and develop an argument on his position regarding Genetically Modified Foods as well as on the abuse of domestic workers working abroad (or something like that.  There's a specific term for that but it's too late and I can't think of it).

It was really interesting to go and listen to kids from a variety of schools imitate the United Nations.  They had to answer attendance when their country was called..."present and voting...", they had to address the chair only, speak in 3rd person, and never answer a question with a question.  Thats what I remember.  There was o so  much more going on, and it was interesting to see the kids working within the rules and structure, having to use their research to back up their arguments, and to think on their feet whenever confronted with a question they hadn't considered beforehand.

Abby also participated in the event as a page.  She and a few other grade 8s would silent walk around the room collecting notes from various countries, to pass to either another country or to the chair.  Notes had to be UN related only.  When it was time to vote on a resolution, the pages would have to watch the doors so that no one entered or exited.  It was neat to watch.

Matt and his buddy Eric were in it together (Eric represented Chile...in his new suit jacket).  In this photo Matt's really impressed that his mom is taking photos of him....it's my job and my prerogative.

In this final photo Matt is standing at the podium as Palestine, defending his right to vote.  I think it's probably the first time he's spoken publicly, aside from class speeches, and I think he did well.  He looked good doing it, regardless!

Today, Mock U.N, tonight a sleep over at the school for student council.  Tomorrow Tris and the kids are off to their monthly visit to an orphanage just outside of Lippo.  I think tomorrow afternoon will be one LONG nap....


Thanks for reading.

A Wonderful Part of Indonesian Life

She's back!  Our helper, Ami (Ah-mee) has returned and our routine has fallen nicely back into place.  It's funny how time and circumstance can change someone's mind, even someone as stubborn as I've been told I can be.  It took me over 2 years to actually agree that the idea of having a helper (nice name for maid) was ok, and then last year I began to appreciate how Ami really does keep this place extra nice and running extra smooth.  There were days when I was feeling too ill to do much other than get dressed, eat, do a few errands and then have a nice long nap.  During that time she'd clean the house, do the laundry and get dinner on for 5:30.  In Canada I'd wash or vacuum the floors once or twice a week (daily in the kitchen, even less than once a week in the not-so-used rooms), whereas because of bugs and rodents here, the floors need to be cleaned daily.  In the warm, dry  months I'd hang my laundry, something I considered a real treat, but mostly we used our dryer.  Here it is done daily, with no access to any kind of dryer (although if you place items that you need quite quickly in front of the a/c fan, they dry within an hour!).  During Indo's rainy season, most items need to be ironed just to get that last bit of dampness out.  In Canada, our family just made sure that we didn't buy too many clothing items that needed to be ironed, or we just wore the wrinkles out during the day (I'll credit Tris for that idea).

While Ami was away, our family worked together to keep the house up to par, which included dishes ALL the time, wiping floors, sweeping, cleaning bathrooms, folding & ironing laundry, and making meals.  I think that my family sighed a unified breath of relief when Ami showed up on Monday, because now that school has started, homework takes priority and our house would probably end up a little chaotic.  Usually I'm around and during those times we haven't had a helper, or she's been on holidays, I've maintained well enough.  Lately though, I've been able to take on some opportunities that require me to be out of the house from 6:30am to dinner time, and so coming home to a sparkling home, with laundry folded on my trunk and food cooking in the oven is a wonderful treat.

I'm pretty sure that when we are directed back to Canada (or wherever), it'll be unanimous that the one thing we'll miss most is having a helper.  It's a blessing that we have such a good one, and I need to remind myself of that when my expectations get higher than reality can provide.

Thanks for reading.

Quiet Jakarta

School has started, my helper is on holidays for another week, and today I had the house all to myself.  Usually I crank music (well, in the distant past) and clean, but today, I scrubbed, mopped and folded in complete, lovely silence.  Even the outside help, the village-hired street sweepers and yard maintenance ladies haven't returned from their holidays yet, and it's so quiet around here.  Ramadan ended with Idul Fitri last week, and during the week surrounding Idul Fitri everybody goes away, either back to their village or typically, if you are an ex-pat, off to somewhere that is NOT Jakarta and the surrounding area.  Tris and I, we hung around our village and thoroughly enjoyed the quiet.  Last Monday, while the kids were still at camp, we headed into Jakarta and into the 'old city' of Batavia (Old Town).  Unfortunately, because it was a Monday, the day of the week that many things are closed, we weren't able to visit any museums or anything, but we did visit the old Dutch part of Jakarta, one of Jakarta's Chinatowns (Glodok), and the docks.  While at the docks we sat in the car and ate our lunch.  Although it was still during the time of fasting, we weren't so much respecting the Muslim tradition as we were trying to enjoy our surroundings without being obvious.  Apparently where we were isn't really all that safe a place to just hang out, so we kept a low profile.

What was incredible about the day trip is that we really were gone only 5 hours, but we drove through more districts (some more than once as we tried to become 'unlost') in those 5 hours than we typically could in 3 days.  It was a great way to gain a new perspective on how the city is laid out.  Sadly, the people are slowing trickling back into the city and into our village, traffic is once again becoming congested, and day trips into the city from Lippo Village will probably consist of one district per trip.  It's nice knowing that there are at least 2 days a year where one can drive into and around the city of Jakarta, get lost, find one's way again, and still make it home in time for dinner.

301 Posts: Time to Update!

It's a good thing when you're too busy to blog, because it means that you are, well, busy.  I like being busy, depending on how to define the word.  To me, it means not waking up and wondering "I wonder what I can do today" and instead wake up thinking "excellent, first I will meet with this person, then I'll go there for a bit and do that errand, and then I'll tackle this project at home or cook/bake that...."  For all of my children's lives, up until living in Indonesia, I've taught them that you can't be bored, you're just being boring (need to use some imagination, get creative, find something to do!!).  That changed when I got here.  I got bored.  Many times.  You can only paint so many rooms, bake so many cakes (then later find out that those cakes are poisoning your body and now you need to learn how to make new versions of those cakes), and study so many pages of language or whatever the study of choice is for the week.  After 3 years of living here, I finally feel established.  I do things.  I'm beginning to have a better understanding of what I like to do, what I'm good at, and to be able to admit those things I'm not good at.  It's been stretching living here, but it's all good.  Right now we're on holidays (Lebaran) and have days of plans ahead.

The kids have headed off to Ruff Camp, which is being held in the 1000 Islands.  Trivia for you:  these aren't the same 1000 Islands that the salad dressing is named after, at least that's what we've heard.  Tris and I have 4 kidless days ahead of us, and we're kind of just wandering around our house trying to figure out where to start.  Is this what it's like when empty nest sets in??

Time of departure was 6:30 am and so at 6:31 we were waving goodbye to a carload of kids. At 8:00 Tris and I headed off with 2 other families to an orphanage that our family goes to about once a month (we're on a rotational schedule).  My favourite part of our morning at the home was when a little guy, Aditya, stood up, looked around, saw that my legs were crossed in sitting position and unattended, and came and plunked himself into them.  After a few moments he grabbed each of my arms and wrapped them around his little body.  And I was worried I might overstep by side-hugging the little ones.  These guys are used to visitors coming in and loving on them, and I can't think of a better perspective for them to have:  hey, you're here to love me, wrap your arms around me and let's sing together!

Thanks for reading.

Settled Once More

We're back.  In Indonesia, I mean.  It was a full, fun, short 6 weeks (5 for Tris) in Canada, but we're glad we went.  I can't imagine NOT returning to Canada at least once a year.  Not returning in those first 2 years was very, very difficult for me.  This time, as noted earlier, we went on a road trip, so those 7 days used up some of our 'normal' visiting time, yet we were able to see my brother Darren and his wife Chrystal in Red Deer, Tris' cousins in Calgary, and our friends Jamie and Sheldon in Idaho.  It was a beautiful, sunny trip through the Rockies that our family will never forget.  Thanks to those of you who fed us and put us up for a few days:)

This time, while in Canada, we tried to keep it low-key.  When asked "so what would you like to do?" we usually responded, "sit and visit".  Mostly we just sat on back decks, back porches, couches and in restaurants, and visited.  It was just like we wanted.  Time and circumstance always take a few things away, and we weren't able to go fishing or canoeing, but the way we see it is that we did travel 7000 kilometers in our van, and you can't do everything.

Tris left one week earlier than the kids and I, and while he was getting his classroom ready for school, he was spending his home time preparing our new place for us.  He got our cable hooked up, internet ready, and he unpacked almost every one of the 60 plus boxes we had shoved into one of the bedrooms of our new home.  Between him and Ami, our helper, our house was almost perfect when we walked in the door.  Of course, by us walking in the door, perfection occurred as we were back as a family again.  I must admit, I have "rearranged" perfection since then, and made a few things a little easier for me to find.  When we said yes to moving into this new home, I had only seen it twice, and really didn't know what I was in for.  This place is absolutely wonderful.

There are things in my life here in Indonesia that I just accepted because of our circumstance, like having to fetch hot water for dishes from the main floor shower. We now have hot water in our kitchen and in our bathroom sinks.  We also have a great kitchen that looks out over a nice, tropical garden, and I have enough drawers in my kitchen to successfully store and eventually FIND any of my cooking or baking tools.  There are a lot of bonuses to this house that are well-suited to our family of 4, 2 of whom are teenagers.  It was the landing at the top of our stairs that sold me on moving into this house, and now the kids are using it just like I had imagined.  It holds our big desk, a sofa bed, and a lamp, and it has become "The Pad".  It's a real treat to know the kids are upstairs hanging with their friends while we are downstairs watching a video.  Before, whenever kids came over, Tris and I would usually hang out in our bedroom and watch a movie on his computer.  This wasn't a problem in any way, but it's now a treat to be able to watch the big screen while the kids make their noise upstairs.

It really is good to be home, although it's amazing how quickly I began to miss my Canadian family and friends.

Thanks for reading.

Animals We've Seen

It's been 5 years and I'm still holding out for my whale.  It can be any kind:  killer, blue, grey...green if that's what it takes.  I just want to see a whale.  I did see dolphins swimming alongside our boat off of Bali in December 2009, and that took off a bit of the edge, but I'm not giving in.  There's a whale out there somewhere and it wants ME to take it's photo.  In the meantime, I'm quite happy to report that on this trip, during and outside of our road trip to Alberta and the US, we've seen a multitude of animals in all shapes and sizes. We started writing what and how many in the back of our Sudoku book because we were losing count.  That's a good problem:)

the hind end of the black bear

Our tally is: a variety of large ground hogs, a mother duck and her 5 ducklings crossing the road, donkeys and mules (ok, farm animals, but they were unique to us), one black bear, 6 bighorn sheep, 2 elk, 3 moose and one calf (a mom and her baby only seen by our friend Sheldon and Matthew), harlequin wood ducks, chipmunks, 7 raccoons, squirrels, eagles, deer (sometimes over 25 in a day... and some of that's in town!), and a camel.

The camel was funny and timely, because earlier on the morning that we saw it, I had jokingly told the kids to look out for camels since we were entering historical gold mining territory.  I explained how over 150 years ago camels were brought in by miners in the hopes that the hardy desert creatures would do well as cargo carriers throughout the BC mountains.  Sadly, no camel is reported to have adapted in any way to being a pack animal in the British Columbia wilds.  According to the history I learned, camels were much too stubborn and ornery and in no way cooperative, and in the end miners and gold diggers released their camels into the wild.  Imagine never having seen a photo of nor heard of a camel, and then seeing one wandering through a BC forest!  I'm sure there were a few stories told around campfires about strange, evil creatures wandering as 4-legged ghosts around the area.  A few hours after I told them this tidbit of history, we saw a camel in the distance.  It was in a cage, however, and probably wasn't related in any way to the sad creatures that are a short part of BC history.

Thanks for reading.

Hiawatha Rail-Trails in Montana/Idaho

 So much has happened on our road trip, and there's a lot of interesting things to write about.  However, today was a pretty cool day and I'd like to share it with you.  We're here in Couer D'Alene, Idaho, staying with our friends Sheldon and Jamie Nord.  They're friends we met in Indonesia, who moved away last year, and who, honestly, I thought I may never see again.  Thankfully I was wrong, and they are the last visit on our 2 province, 3 state road trip.

This morning all 6 of us woke up early, ate breakfast, and piled into a bike-laden GMC truck.  We drove 1.5 hours up into the mountains, right along the Montana-Idaho border, and rented 3 more bikes so that we could ride the Hiawatha Rail Trails.  We knew a few things to expect, such as we needed to bring a jacket, and that we'd be riding through old railway tunnels.  There were a few things we weren't aware of and, if you're planning on heading to these trails, should really know.  They are:

#1.  The first tunnel is very cold and dark (ie/  you cannot see).  You are given bikes lamps with the rentals but make sure that you bring your own if you're riding your own bike.  Also, a headlamp is a great idea.  One guy we saw had a spot light tied to his bike and we were all jealous.

ready to go through the first tunnel:  1.7 miles long

#2.  Bring warm clothes for the first tunnel.  The temperature was an even 35 degrees F (2.5 degrees C) throughout, and apparently that temperature doesn't change throughout the seasons.  I'd suggest thigh covering shorts.

#3.  Bring a small pack to carry the extra gloves you may want for the first tunnel, and a good amount of water and snacks.  You will want to stop and snack because it's at least 2 hours down the mountain (yes, down...wonderful for the knees!).  Once you're at the bottom you have the option to wait for a shuttle ($9 per adult and must prepay), and if you're hungry it's a bit of a bummer if the shuttle line up is long.  Fortunately our wait was minimal today.

a deer drinking from dripping water

#4.  I cannot wear contacts and so I had to stop at each dark tunnel and change from rx sunglasses to regular glasses.  If you wear glasses and have either flip-up sunglasses or magnetic ones, I suggest you wear them.  It'll be less frustrating for the rest of the gang.

The ride itself was about 2-2.5 hours if you keep a steady pace.  We stopped a lot for photo opportunities, snacks, breaks for our sore bottoms and wrists (rather bumpy sometimes).  I was very impressed with the range of ages that were there.  We saw some grandparents and some really little guys, too.

Apparently today was a record day for bikers, yet we still enjoyed a peaceful ride.  Unfortunately our first ride through the 1.7 mile tunnel was rather disturbing because just behind us rode a group of screaming teenagers.  They screamed the whole 1.7 miles.  On the way back you get dropped off just outside of this tunnel by the shuttle bus, and you return to your vehicle after one last tunnel ride.  The second time through was peaceful and it even seemed a lot warmer, although it is said, like I mentioned before, the temperature doesn't change inside the tunnels.

 We saw a lot of wild animals on this trip, and Matt and Sheldon actually saw a mother moose with her brand new calf walk right in front of them.  She was about 30 meters away and by the time Matt whipped out his camera they were gone.  On the shuttle ride home we saw one in a marsh but it was too far away for photos.  We also saw a deer, a chipmunk, some beaver dams, and a few waterfalls.  If you look at the chipmunk photo, we crossed the trestle in the distant background.

We did it!!

The ride was 15 miles long, with 10 tunnels (some only a few hundred feet and a few others you need a light on to see in) and 7 trestles.  It pretty much took us the whole day to get to the rental shop (at the Look Out Pass ski resort), rent bikes, get to the Hiawatha trail, ride the trail, eat lunch, return the bikes and head home.  We did stop over in the small historic town of Wallace (an interesting history if you'd like to google it) and had a look around and an ice cream.  Apparently, it's the center of the universe.

What a perfect day!

Thanks for reading.

Canadian Taps & Wild Cows

There are some things that I just assume that my children know about, or at least have recollections about from living in Canada.  For example, on day 2 of our road trip we passed a field of Holstein cows, and Abby innocently asked "are there WILD cows around?"  After a little snicker (I apologize, but it was cute), we talked about how cows are typically domesticated in British Columbia.  Watch, one day she'll be hiking a mountaintop meadow and run across a wild cow, and both Tris and I will have to ask her forgiveness for snickering at her question.

I was a bit more taken aback at my brother's house when last evening one of my kids came out of the powder room and asked my sister-in-law how to work the tap.  It's one of those round, crystal taps that you turn left for hot, right for cold.  You push up to turn on the water and pull down to turn it off.  Simple.  Unless of course you've spent the last 3 years in a house that has only cold water in the kitchen and bathrooms (except for the showers which have individual hot and cold faucets), or in public toilets (not washrooms/bathrooms/restrooms) that either provide a squat toilet, a bucket and a scoop, or a sprayer coming out of the wall OR, in malls where the toilets flush themselves and the soap and water turn on automatically.  Those are the contrasting experiences we've had in the last 3 years, and none of them, apparently, includes a round, crystal tap.  This leads me to wonder what terribly exciting learning adventure is in store for my kids tomorrow.

Thanks for reading.

Alberta Bound

Candace and Nathan cutting their Mario cake

It's been two weeks since we arrived in Canada, and we've done a good job of vacationing.  The weather hasn't been too bad, not nearly as cold as last year but still not super sunny either.  I usually walk around with a light jacket on each day, so that's a bit of a treat after spending the last year trying to wear as little as possible while still being acceptable in public.  So far on our trip we've seen both sets of parents and we've been able to get a few dinners/coffee dates with a few friends.

lovely Dale

The highlight of our quick, 4 day return to Vancouver Island, other than reuniting with family and watching the Canucks lose to Boston, was watching a good friend Candace get married to a guy who seems just perfect for her.  They're quite two peas in a pod, and it's a delight to see her happily skipping off into the sunset with the man she loves, and didn't even know existed this time last year.  Sadly, although I was able to visit with my dear friend Dale (Candace's Aunty Dale) at the wedding, our paths won't cross again this trip home and that makes me sad.  On a happy note, I was able to meet and quiz my friend Rebes' new husband Wayne, giving him the friend-5th-degree, which he passed with flying colours.  Again, sadly, I will not see Rebes again for a long time as she's moved from the Island as well.  Thankfully, all three of the above mentioned women have spent some time in Indonesia and we have some wonderful memories and photos for me to look at whenever I miss them.

Last year I had fun camping with some girlfriends for my 40th, but with time and circumstance being the way that they are, we settled this year for a girlie, reminiscent-of-7th grade, sleeping-on-foamies-on-the-cement-floor-of-the-basement sleepover.  Times have changed since the 7th grade, and after a delicious steak dinner, a cooler or two, and some intense catch-up chatting, we were all fast asleep before midnight.  My goal is to one day all meet in Bali and we can chat non-stop for a week!

the cousins after a long walk

hanging in the hot tub

The last week has been spent in Cloverdale, visiting my husband's family and mostly just hanging out.  This year our intent is to just be with others, rather than always going, and overall we've done that quite nicely.  We've gone on long forest walks, explored the birthplace of British Columbia (Fort Langley--gotta get some Canadian history in my kids while I still can!!), gone for coffee and just hung out in the back yard.  I have to admit, I've gone shopping a few times, much more than last year, and it's been difficult to say no to all the good things that jump out at me ALL over the place.  Did Value Village twice and a few bookstores as well...very successful but not sure how we'll get it all home.

cousins panning for gold in Fort Langley

Today we're all sleeping in on the day we should be running around getting packed up.  In 2 hours we're expected to be at the Rod and Gun Club for a special events day, and after 2 hours of shooting fun our family of 4 will head off down the highway, take a left towards Alberta, a few zigs and zags and we'll be at the foot of the Rocky Mountains before we know it.  Tomorrow we explore the mountains, Banff and whatever else comes our way.  After that we'll head to my brother's house in Red Deer (I'm so excited!), down to cousins in Calgary and then further south to Idaho to visit friends we met in Indonesia.  This is a trip I'd never thought we'd take and so I am very excited about it, and about seeing all the people we'll get to visit.

Once we head back to Canada we'll keep on driving and will start the 3rd leg of our journey in Campbell river with my family. At this point the thought of returning to Indonesia overwhelms me, not because it's a negative thing, but because there's still so much to see and do before we pulang (head home).  Instead of stressing, I'm going to sit in the passenger seat of our van, watch the beautiful scenery whiz by, enjoy time with family and friends, and keep up the constant eating that I've done since I arrived.

Thanks for reading!

Halfway to Canada

When I was little we used to talk about digging our way through the earth, getting halfway to China.  Here I am, in Taiwan, which is halfway to my childhood home.  We've got 14 more flight hours and then we're there.  To get rid of any pent up energy from the first leg of the trip, and to stretch my legs a little, I plugged into my mp3 and walked the store corridor.   It's a long stretch of expensive, beyond-my-finances and beyond-my-need stores, people movers, and high-priced snack bars, and nothing really caught my eye enough to make me stop.  While I was walking, the Eagles' 'Desperado' came on and I had a major flashback to my teenage past.  Memories of sitting in front of a campfire along a lake somewhere, sometimes roasting marshmallows and usually watching the stars, blasted my thoughts and made my heart skip a beat.  Over the years whenever a group of us got together for the evening or to camp for the night, someone always provided music, and Desperado is one of those 'summer songs' that whisks me back to those nights.  As an aside, I remember camping across from our place at Sproat Lake in a spot that we could only reach by boat.  Wouldn't you know it, the people I was with brought the usual necessities like tents and food, but what I remember most about that trip is the generator, stereo and 2 HUGE speakers that they plugged in smack-dab in the middle of nature.  I kind of liked it!  Probably those across the lake weren't so thrilled, but it sure made a good memory for me.

Who would have thought, in the 1980s, that 20-something years later I'd be walking the halls of a Taiwanese airport, on my way home for a visit, and that I'd be living in a foreign country like Indonesia?  Life sure takes some interesting turns, and gives us some challenges and opportunities to stretch.  I must say, I've been stretched over the last 3 years, but overall, I am extremely thankful.  I am so excited to be heading home that I feel like an 8 year old waiting for Christmas morning to arrive.  Only 14 more hours and we land on sweet Canadian soil.

Thanks for reading.

O Canada, here we come!!!

O Canada!

Our home and native land!

True patriot love in all thy sons command.

With glowing hearts we see thee rise,

The True North strong and free!

From far and wide,

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

God keep our land glorious and free!

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

Canada, we're almost there.  Just a few more sleeps and we're on the plane.  There's a lot to do until then, with moving into a new house (new to us) just down the street, finishing up school, finalizing some paperwork and of course, going for the final travel touches...manicure/pedicure for Kim and whoever else in this family who wants to come along.

Tomorrow is a busy one.  We're moving some of our things out of our house tomorrow, school parties are planned all day long, I'm seriously booked for a salon visit (!), and tomorrow night Tris and I get to be part of a 'relationship' discussion panel held by the Senior School students.  I'm quite excited to be a part of this panel, and am impressed by the questions that have been asked (we get a preview of what they are...thank goodness).  I think it's good we have packed our days full, because I'm too excited to just sit around staring at my already packed suitcase.

On our Cdn agenda:  a good friend's wedding, a quick trip through the Rockies, a visit to family in Red Deer, in Calgary and on to stay with friends in Idaho, an open house at my parents so we don't miss seeing anyone on the island!!!, camping, and of course, just hanging on the porches at our parents houses, visiting with family and friends.  What am I most looking forward to?  Visiting, and showing my kids the Rockies.  I can't believe they're born and bred in BC and have yet to see them.

So, until we climb onto the plane that will land us safely in YVR (Tris is hoping we land the same time that the Canucks are passing through the airport...fingers, toes and all else crossed...), we will buzz around here, keeping busy, saying our sad goodbyes and looking forward to next week.

Thanks for reading.

Tomahon, North Sulawesi

Ok, one month later, life gets going fast, it's almost time for summer break and I still haven't written anything about the second leg of our North Sulawesi journey into the mountains.  It was a 2 night stay, cooler than on the island, and the landscape, outside of 'overall tropical', was completely different.  My favourite landscape photo was of a volcano we stayed near.  In the early morning the moon was slowly sinking down the blue sky while the sun worked its way upwards, and I attempted to get a nice, clean shot of it all.  In doing so, I intentionally kept out a plume of yucky brown smoke that just made the photo a little 'dirtier.'  Later, as I looked at our friend Jeff's photos of the same mountain on that same morning, I realized I had missed out on an opportunity to photograph the volcano smoking...I thought the smoke was from a nearby village.  Duh.

Our transfer from Bunaken to Manado's port was quite uneventful, which is always good when you're on water, but we did see a unique sight at the port itself.  Yellowfin tunas were being transported from a boat to a small truck, and it was quite something to see young guys haul 100 kg frozen tuna onto their shoulders, skirt up a skinny, worn wooden plank and plop the frozen fish into the truck.  I've seen big salmon and West Coat fish, but these were BIG.

Once in the mountains, we took advantage of the terrain and went white water rafting.  That, by far, was my favourite part of this trip.  I think I grinned the whole way down the river and then some.  That was a first for me, as was peering over the edge of a volcano into the crater below.  That didn't thrill me nearly as much as the hike up the volcano, with the fields of varying crops on all sides, in various shades of greens and browns.  Absolutely lovely!

Of course, how can you get the full feeling of a place unless you go shopping?  Just before our trip up the volcano, we needed to find 3 year old Caleb a pair of shoes, as he lost the only ones he had.  As his parents and the rest of the gang dug through shoes, chose the perfect pair, and dickered for a good price, Matthew and I wandered around and took a bunch of photos.  My favourite 'person' photo was this one of an older woman in the market.  She was quite willing to pose for me, although it's the candid shot of her than I like the best.  If ever I had to take a survey, I think that Sulawesi is by far the most friendly place to visit in Indonesia (with Jogjakarta a close 2nd), and this woman epitomizes that for me.

There was more to our trip in the mountains, with a hike into a waterfall, free massages for each cabin, dinner with friends and even a movie channel in the villa!
It was a super "Spring" break for our family, and traveling with other families was a great way to go.  Indonesia is such a huge country and we'd like to experience a bit of every part of it, so who knows if we'll ever go back to Sulawesi.  I hope that sometime in the future we'll have another opportunity, and if you're thinking of visiting, I highly recommend it.

Thanks for reading.

Yard Sale!

I've been grinning since Friday just before 3 and haven't stopped since.  Well, maybe a few times, but the grin keeps coming back.  The charity group that I belong to held a Yard Sale on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, and it was so fun for everyone involved.  Our goal was to collect enough "goods" to sell to the local drivers, helpers and yard maintenance workers (hired by the village to keep the place looking good) at really cheap prices, while raising some money for the medical fund for underprivileged children that we're involved with at the local hospital.   The first reason for my grinning?  My expectation, with having mostly clothes and small items, was $200-300, while my friend Dalenea's was a little higher at $500.  We ended up raising approximately $700 US in little less than 5 hours.

Sales like these are not all that common here.  In fact, we've only ever seen a similar sale at our school, held through the Parents Committee, and that one is usually quite successful too.  The second reason for my grinning?  Every time I see a helper or driver that knows I was part of the event asks me "Mrs, when's the next sale??"   Realistically, probably once or twice a year is enough with all the collecting and work that goes into one, but when I give that answer it brings a smile every time.  Now regardless of what position I hold this time next year in the charity group, I'll have to push for a 2nd Annual Yard Sale.

The 3rd reason for grinning is that every person who bought clothing at the sale that I've seen since Saturday has been wearing something they bought for themselves.  This morning my helper arrived from her home with a big smile on her face, her new pretty, green shirt on, and again, with the question "when is the next one?"  When we went shopping, I tapped on the window of my friend's car, waved hello to her waiting driver, and the next thing I know he's popped up next to my car with his new, long-sleeved men's dress shirt on, grinning, and helped us unload the groceries into my car.

To be honest, we could just give the things away that we collected.  In fact, with having help in our homes, that is usually what we do with anything that our children have outgrown or we've become tired of (kind of sad, isn't it, that we become tired of things so easily).  However, the buzz that was at this Yard Sale, and the sense of community was really neat.  Although the pace was really, really fast (can you say mind-spinning!?) most of the time, and we were all dripping with sweat, tired and thirsty, it was really fun to help people shop, make change, work as a team and, in the last hour, to practically give things away for free.  The guy who walked away with a swivelling office chair for about 20 cents didn't really know what to do with the chair (rode in on a motorbike) but was ecstatic he'd bought himself a chair.  My friend's helper didn't need anything, but she bought a bunch of baby clothes for her sister in their home village 12 hours away.  One security guard isn't married yet, but he bought a wooden high chair, some lamps, and a set of wooden blinds for a couple of dollars, for who knows who.  He went back and forth on his motor bike a few times just to haul his treasures away.  Each time he rode with a grin.  That made the collecting, sorting, printing, cutting, taping, sticking, folding and hauling all worth it.

Thanks for reading

Bunaken Beach Resort

Note:  This post was started on Monday, finished on Tuesday...
Today is the last day of "Spring Break" here in Lippo Village, and kids all over are scrambling to finish their homework.  In my home there's a lot of printing off the internet, cutting and gluing as posters are assembled to be handed in tomorrow.  The hot season seems to have descended upon us and so it's actually nice to be indoors, with all the doors closed and the a/c on, listening to the kids work hard.  Tris has just returned from a golf game and he and I are simply savouring the last few hours of idleness.  We did go on a trip for the holidays, but returned with 4 days of freedom remaining.  Lots of time to continue the relaxing we started in North Sulawesi.

Our trip began on my mom's birthday, April 16th (unfortunately mom was still in Canada though).  We flew out with the Weedas and the Mercers (the latter would head to the same destinations, only mirrored dates) and landed in Manado in the evening.  Although it was dark and I was a bit apprehensive of boating at night, our ride to Bunaken Island was a dream.  It was a clear, starry night with a full moon and puffy white clouds.  As we sat on the roof of the wooden vessel, we all chatted and laughed and reminded each other that this was truly a night to glue into our memory banks.

On the other side, we were welcomed by Bunaken Beach Resort staff who were running about preparing for their boss' wedding, to be held the next day.  At one point we spoke with the bride-to-be about my unique dietary needs and she seemed as calm as the ocean we'd just rode in on.  After a long travel day, the Whites and Weedas all headed to their rooms (Lehmans had arrived earlier and were already asleep) and under a single sheet each, feel asleep to silence.

The next day, sitting in front of Tris' and my cement hut, overlooking the ocean and the mountains beyond (for any West Coast Canadians reading, it was very much like being in the Quatsino Sound area), I called my mom to wish her a happy birthday.   I described where I was sitting as a little piece of "primitive paradise," not only because of the beauty but because of the quiet.  That was all to change for a little while.

At around 7 am the wedding sound system was set up, and the man in charge of the 12-speaker sound system began to adjust for the 2 pm wedding.  After a few hours of what sounded like "serenitY, serenitY, serenitY" (how ironic) coming through the speakers, the volume was increased and they began to play pop songs. Not bad, except that when the actual wedding occurred, our entire group was so overwhelmed with the noise (the volume was increased even more during the wedding, we're sure of it) that instead of participating as originally intended, we headed off to the nearby village for some quiet.  So much for our anticipated first day of laying on the beach, listening to people chatting, babies crying (little Aliya just turned one and we anticipated some baby noises on this trip) and watching the tide go out.  We were able to snorkel a little, though it was awkward walking through the guests in our bathing suits and gear to get to the ocean. I admit that I was a little disappointed, because had the volume been lower, we all agreed later that it would have been fun to head into the wedding crowd, chat with the guests, and to eat some of the buffet (but not the dog-rat stew!). Thankfully, true to the resort host's word, the party ended at 6:30 and we were able to eat wedding buffet leftovers in quiet.

Aside from the unanticipated wedding, we enjoyed the resort. The adults (except the Lehmans with their little ones) had their 'love huts' along the ocean, complete with a/c, fans, a hammock and further out, an area with a table & deck chairs to call their own, the boys their own room, and Abby and Hope had theirs (ok, a little scary for mom to have Abby in a room on her own but everyone else was fine with it so I went with the flow.  All went just fine, just like all the other adults said it would).  The snorkeling was outstanding.  As you swam out from the beach the water was incredibly warm, then it cooled a bit and coral appeared. Further out the coral dropped off into nothingness.  Mysteriously freaky.  I missed the sea turtles but others said that they saw them hanging around the drop off.

There was one time that was a bit scary, and that was when Janet, while snorkeling alongside me, said she had tingling all down her right leg and arm.  After a few moments of indecision, we headed back just in case it was something medical (we hate to admit it but we're all getting to the age where we have to consider that tingling may be more than just a result of sitting on your feet too long!).  Once on land, she found she had swollen patches along her arm and leg.  Turns out that she had swum through a cloud of little electric-blue plankton and had a reaction to their stings.  We all had our own turns swimming through them but there were no further reactions.  Regrettably, although they were beautiful, I never stuck around long enough to inspect them.

Bunaken is a small island with very little to do but relax.  The options are snorkeling, boating, taking a glass bottomed boat out to the reefs (which we did), scuba diving, walking or riding a motorcycle to either end of the village, and reading.  If you need anything to eat, there aren't any warungs (small roadside stands) or hotel restaurants or anything.  Very much a camping atmosphere so if you don't like roughing it a bit, this isn't a good place to go.  However, if you are like our family of four and you like to experience life quite simply, this resort was perfect.  The food was simple, served on time, and there were always cold drinks on hand.  The rooms were clean enough with very basic plumbing and no hot water.  The staff were helpful--especially when our three teenage boys got lost (a different post to come)--and although I think I freaked them out with my Celiac diet, they tried to accommodate our needs whenever we brought any up.

Our stay lasted 3 days and 3 nights, and by the time it was time to go, we were looking forward to our next stop:  the cool mountains and Highlands Resort, Kinilow (or Tomohon)..  We packed up by 9 am, loaded up the wooden boat and headed back to Manado.

One last word on being a Canadian girl

I received this forwarded email this morning, and it made me chuckle.  I thought it went with my previous post. For the record, I've never beat my husband...

Three friends married women from different parts of the world.

The first man married an American girl. He told her that she was to do the dishes and house cleaning.

It took a couple of days, but on the third day, he came home to see a clean house and dishes washed and put away.  
The second man married an Irish girl. He gave his wife orders that she was to do all the cleaning, dishes and the cooking.

The first day he didn't see any results, but the next day he saw it was better. By the third day, he saw his house was clean, the dishes were done, and there was a huge dinner on the table.  
The third man married a girl from Canada.  He ordered her to keep the house clean, dishes washed, lawn mowed, laundry washed and hot meals on the table for every meal.

He said the first day he didn't see anything, the second day he didn't see anything either but by the third day, some of the swelling had gone down and he could see a little out of his left eye and his arm was healed enough that he could fix himself a sandwich and load the dishes.

Canadian Girl All the Way

Bacon and Eggs over a Campfire

 A few days ago I got into our car, and out of the corner of my eye I saw a rope hanging from the top of our car to the front of the hood.  Immediately I thought it was a canoe rope hanging from our rooftop, and our canoe was obviously tied to it.  In reality, this was only a trick being played on my eyes by the hot afternoon sun, and there was no rope, no canoe.  It made me think of how ingrained my Canadian roots are, no matter where I move and hopefully, no matter how long I live there.  I will never stop thinking about and loving the outdoors, especially the rugged Canadian ones:  camping, fishing, canoeing, hiking, biking, skiing, swimming in rivers, tubing, and the list goes on.

Canadian Girl in Training

Our family is preparing to head northward to the Indonesian island of Sulawesi in a couple of days for the Easter break.  Hopefully there we'll be able to snorkel and swim and maybe even go whitewater rafting. After that we hunker down for 2 more months and then we're home...6 weeks of west coast Canada (and a little bit of Alberta and even Idaho, USA too!).  I think that that was what was making me feel homesick the other day, just knowing that we're heading home soon.  Time will fly by and before we know it, we'll be in our old van driving down the quiet New Island Highway, windows open and passing the odd car now and then.

An image we hold fast to on hot, Indonesian days

I was thinking of all the things I learned growing up in a small forestry town, things that as I grow older and meet more people, I realize are truly unique.  I know I have a lot to experience in this world, and hopefully I'll have the opportunity to travel and learn so much more.  There are things that even my kids may never experience or learn because of their own circumstance:  their parents uprooted them from their semi-rural home, french-speaking school, and took them from their family, friends and even their corgi so that they could experience new things! gain new perspectives on life, to learn new languages and meet new people.  Although we've all settled into our Indonesian life here, there are things I will never, ever forget, and they will always make me the West Coast Canadian Girl that I am.

Canadian Girl with Canadian Boy 

I know how to identify some types of wood by the way they smell when they're cut***A toque is a knit, tube-like cap that sometimes ends in a pom-pom**dandelions bleed a white substance when cut, taste terrible when bitten, and when their stems are pulled apart and put into water, the stems will curl into pretty whirls that you can join together to make a necklace**pitch (Ontarians call it 'sap') is a great fire ignitor**salmon will swim great distances and through any waterway to return to the place they were hatched, to lay their own eggs...then they die**dead salmon lining the rivers are intriguing but very, very stinky**I know how dry a piece of fir firewood is by its weight, and where to hit it with an axe so that it'll split apart in--hopefully--one swing**when you put your bare foot into the dirt in the spring and the ground feels warm, it's time to plant (ok, you can use your hand but your foot is so much more fun!)**never, ever ride your bike blindly into a huge mud puddle because you a) don't know how deep it is b) don't know how sticky the  muck is at the bottom c) never know what living creature is lurking at the bottom!**it is possible to have snow, cold rain and warm sunshine all on the same day**I've skied down a mountain with just a t-shirt on (and pants, of course)**Whisky Jacks are little birds that are so brave they'll take a bit out of the sandwich that you are eating, WHILE you are eating it**black bears have set routes that they establish over time, and when you build a fence in your backyard it really confuses them**I've had a MARS water bomber drip water on me while it was ascending after filling up with water**huckleberries, salmon berries and thimble berries mushed together taste good to a 5  year old but become bitter as you age**the list could go on, and that's an excuse for another post...

Photos from last post

gravestones, wood fuel, recycling carts and sorted recycling

 Some photos of the area I wrote about in my last post.


Thanks for reading.

fresh graves

outdoor kitchen

bathing/fishing/laundering area

Darren, Tyler, and poverty (not related)

It's funny how life can get really busy and I don't have time to write, and then when I have an evening free I can't remember the phantom blogs I've written in my head.  There are a variety of topics that I've been thinking on in the last while, one of them is homesickness, and another is poverty. Why?  They are things I've experienced in the last while.

Just over a week ago, for a few days, I felt extremely homesick.  Not sure what triggers it, and how to alleviate it, but I do know that as I am in it, the weirdest thing happens.  I see my brothers everywhere here in Indonesia.  I saw Darren, my big bro, in a mall, as an actor in a sitcom and a movie, heard him talking behind me in public.  I see Tyler, my baby bro (36 and still my baby bro) in an Indonesian driver, on the local golf course during a tournament, and when I look at my sons legs (identical!).  Why that is, I do not know.  If you think about it, it's weird.  These are two people I lived with for less than 1/2 of my lifetime (Darren about 12 years, TJ about 18) and who I didn't always particularly like when I was in the same room with them for at least half of that time.  I'm pretty sure, and would bet money on it, that they didn't particularly always like me either {Note:  I'll never forget, when I was little,  I'd be so angry at Darren and all I could think of was to yell "I hate you!" at him, and he'd make me even madder by saying "I love you, Kimmie" right back at me. Can you believe the jerk??}.  It must be that although as we age we spend less and less time together (rather difficult to do so when I live halfway across the earth), their lives have impacted me.  Things they've said, choices they've made and things they've done have influenced my life, making it so that no matter where I live, I will never forget that they are eating, sleeping, living, working and playing on the other side of this globe.  I miss them.  I like that.

Completely unrelated, the other day I headed into the slums with my camera, able to take photos much more freely than usual because I was with an Indonesian woman who goes into the area regularly, and she was also toting HER camera.  I just followed her around like a goose and stopped when she stopped.  It was an extremely bright day and so the photos are all quite shadowy, yet we were able to capture some pretty incredible shots.  Incredible because they were of newly dug graves sitting right next to a person's home (not their family's grave...that of strangers), of a woman trying to boil water in a large pot using garbage wood for fuel (pressboard, plywood, glue-based wood products, painted wood), sitting out in the open with a tree as her kitchen wall.  On it hung her fry-pan, string, and cooking utensils. A large, brown river was her backdrop, as was a crystal blue sky.  On the river men in rickety catamarans were plunging poled baskets into the river, fishing for whatever they could scoop.  Often what they came up with was plastic or mud...I didn't see many fish.  Across the trail from her were piles upon piles of plastic, already sorted, and more graves.  I do not have these photos up yet, as my own computer is still "down," but I hope to show a few at least, later.

What is really apparent to me is that if I was to move home, back to Canada, it's these kinds of settings that I will miss.  I'm not really sure why because they're dirty, uncomfortable, challenging and quite sad, really.  I think it's because they have impacted me so deeply, and I love being there.  I love the kids, I love the potential photos (most I don't take, I just store in my personal memory-bank), I hate the lifestyles that these people are forced to live and it makes me think of what I can do to impact others, either them or someone else, in some way.  It inspires me--although inspiration and actually DOING are two different things--and I love living where I'm forced to feel deeply.  It's kind of weird to admit, but sitting in a graveyard, next to a river, surrounded by tropical trees and grasses, I feel like I'm closer to nature than in my own world here, too.  Yes, reading it over, it does sound weird.

O well.

Thanks for reading.

Is it really meaningless?

"Meaningless, Meaningless...everything is meaningless!"  These words, found in the book of Ecclesiastes, are believed to be written by King Solomon, the world's wisest and one of the richest men ever to have lived.  A few verses later (chapter 2) he adds "I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind."  I remember the first time that I really read those words, sitting on my bunk bed amongst all my roommates in Tijuana, Mexico.  They really depressed me, and I didn't understand what was being said, even when I read contextually.

Twenty years later, I'm still learning what those words mean.  As always, whenever I study a topic in my bible devotions, it isn't a coincidence that the same topic is being discussed in other studies I attend and in conversations occurring around me.  Quite often it relates to what is going on in my life and in the lives of those around me.  These last few weeks has been full of the question "why?"  Right now Japan is experiencing horrors that we can only imagine, the likes of which have been written about in futuristic novels based on catastrophic events like floods, quakes, explosions and the loss of thousands of lives. I can't even begin to imagine what they're going through, and to be painfully honest, I pray I don't ever find out.  In our own school community, a kindergarten child has died after going through surgery for a brain tumor, a staff member has lost his child to a convulsive fever, and a colleague of Tris' has passed away from cancer, all within a week's time.  Hearts are stirred and I pray that people are contemplating the meaning of life, the whys of what they're doing and who they're doing it for.  Those of us who are not acquainted with the people who have lost these loved ones still are touched by the deaths, by the loss of life, by the sadness that comes from their stories.

I live on an island, and in an earthquake zone.  I have lived this way most of my life, except some of it on the other side of the world.  People in my family have died from cancer.  Illness has touched my life in various ways throughout the years, whether someone else's or my own.  I can choose to life in fear and turn within myself, to close myself off from pain and challenges, from reality around me, and ultimately, from God, or I can choose to live the life that God has always had for me.  I struggle, I struggle badly sometimes, at following God's leading.  I know I resist, and sometimes I wonder if I am missing out on something else in my life because I didn't obey Him earlier in some areas.  That I will never know on this earth, but I continue on, asking forgiveness and God, always gracious and merciful, is always forgiving and loving me to the next step.

When Solomon was saying life was meaningless, I believe he wasn't referring to living.  He was referring to what we fill our living with.  I am learning--slowly, painfully, joyfully--that it doesn't matter what I do.  It's who I do it for.  If I'm looking for approval, acceptance, wealth, prestige, wanting 'stuff', it's all for naught.  Unless what I'm doing is going to continue on after I die, then it's worthless. I don't mean having a school or a road named after me, or even having a plaque stating all my good deeds at the city gate.  I mean when I die, will I have touched the lives of others? Will they have been drawn closer to Jesus because of my words, my deeds, my actions, and ultimately, because of my relationship with the Lord?  Am I doing 'good stuff' and creating a 'happy' environment for others, but not leaving a legacy that leads people to seek, to know and to believe God, their Creator?  If so, then I believe my life is truly meaningless.  My challenge to me is, how will I make it meaningful?  I know that one, maybe two generations will know of me after I am gone, maybe even three with the way we are able to record history now.  The question is, will anybody in the generations to come know the Lord because of me?  I pray daily that this is so.

Thanks for reading.