What's New

I realize that i do not keep this blog up-to-date very well. Sometimes it is just hard to think of new things to write about that are interesting. I find that life just goes on and it all seems normal to me. Sigh. I guess the biggest thing going on is that Annaliese is now in the U.S. That seems to absorb much of my thoughts and and prayers these days. I think about her all the time and wonder how she is doing-how her headaches are and how she is navigating life as a Third Culture Kid in America. For those of you that don't know what a Third Culture Kid is, it is a child that has been primarily raised in another culture than his/her parent's culture. They are a blend then of their "passport" country and the country in which they are being raised and tend to not feel totally "at home" in either culture. I just gave a talk on that to a baseball team from Vanguard University that came through here on a service project. They spent Friday at the school and i was asked to talk about "TCKs" and the things they deal with. It was good for me to be reminded of the things that Annaliese is probably dealing with, but also hard because i felt like i didn't prepare her as well as i should have. But now she is there and there isn't a whole lot i can do for her now, which makes it really, really hard. Did i mention that it is hard? So for now, i will just keep praying and keep trusting the Lord to watch over her and all that is going on there and try to remain sane and focused on what i need to be doing here.

I have been reading a really good book lately called "The Grand Weaver" by Ravi Zacharias. It is basically the idea that God has intentionally arranged all that we are and all that we are going through, especially the day to day things. All the chapters are title with "...... Matters" for example "Your DNA Matters", "Your Disappointments Matter". It has been a really good read for me. I think especially the first two chapters mentioned above. It just was good to be reminded that God has all these things in His hands, nothing has come to me without His knowledge and His hands being on it. He uses the analogy of a tapestry that is being woven and the different threads that are woven into that tapestry are all important and an intricate part of making that tapestry what it is, and that God is the Grand Weaver of each of our tapestries. One quote that i like is, "God the Grand Weaver seeks those with tender hearts so that he can put his imprint on them. Your hurts and your disappointments are part of that design, to shape your heart and the way you feel about reality. The hurts you live through will always shape you. There is no other way." Guess that sinks in for me as the many things we have dealt with in this past year are all a part of shaping me and molding me. I can either embrace them and grow and learn or reject them and become hardened toward life. I pray that i will soften and grow always.

The pics above are from our vacation over the Christmas Break and from saying goodbye to anna at the airport.