tina & carol

My original post didn’t save properly, so I decided that it just wasn’t meant to be.  On to other things then.  :)

First, try the newest Altoids variety.  Dark chocolate dipped mints.  Maybe it isn’t new, but it’s new to me!  And oh my - I can’t stop eating them!

Secondly, I’m once again accepting the fact that change is constant.  I’ve struggled with change for most of my life, and yet, I’m still alive!  By God’s grace…  I feel like Anne of Green Gables asking why things have to change…  But I also see the beauty in change, like the greens of spring and summer turning into the reds, oranges, and yellows of fall…  So, I press on, knowing that “He has made all things beautiful in its time.”  Ecclesiastes 3:11a

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”  Paul in Philippians 3:12-14

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven…

{Ecclesiastes 3:1}

Our exchange students/siblings have taken flight!  One has literally flown to LA for the next part of her story.  And the other is now attending a local university.  But I heard a little bit of wisdom along the way, to prevent me from being totally overtaken by the “empty nest syndrome” which I wrote about earlier…

A teenage daughter we know, went off to college and told her mom (in a roundabout way) that she’d be happiest if her mother were living happily while they are apart from one another.  So, I took that and made it my own.

Now, it’s a new season in my life.  (Literally, too, since fall came right on time.)  And now, I’m going back to the simple things.  Reorganizing our house, cooking w/ joy this time, getting deeper in the Word…

I know, super simple.  But hey, what’s the most important things in life, but the super simple?  Faith, hope and love…

Yesterday, I met with a dear friend and sister in Christ for 7 hours.  Yes, that’s right!  Seven whole hours.  For those who know me, this is on the lengthy side, but not unusual of me, right?  :)  To say the least, I walked away feeling “full.”  Full of love, thankfulness, purpose, resolution…

It was what the Greeks called, “kairos.”  One of the two words used for time: chronos signifying chronological time, and kairos signifying significant or opportune time.  In the Bible, it’s an appointed time in the purpose of God.

And my, was I blessed…  All the things that I’ve been trying to sort out, through the Spirit, got spoken and sorted and now, I’m in a settled and restful state…

Stay tuned!  There’s more to come…

It’s already beginning to be a warm Thursday here in Seattle.  And I’m already busy, so I’m glad that my flu is getting better, and so is Steve’s. Prayer and Oscillo!

I was thinking about my busyness and amid the chaos of my mind, I took captive my thoughts and made it obedient to Christ (2 Co. 10:5), and went to a place of thankfulness for my family.  Right now, as our husbands and parents, even Carol and I, are busy each in our own way trying to live for His glory, I know that though our bodies are apart, our hearts are together and our spirits, one…  (Thank you, Lord!)

So, I’m off to be of service again.  If there’s anything to leave you with, it’s a thankful heart, which can change one’s whole day, but more so, one’s mindset…

So, I didn’t get to eat champong (jjamppong), but Steve and I picked up an old friend, and had pho at Pasteur’s in Everett, instead.  Good food and good company - what more can you ask for?  (I had the chicken pho, to fight off the residual flu…)

Sigh…  I cherish and value my old friends.  There’s no need to explain yourself or apologize for this or that…  They just get you, and whatever was hard to get about you, they already got over a long time ago!  :)

I can write on and on about this subject, but I need to keep this short, too, since I’m not completely better yet, but stay tuned!

Starting Friday night, I felt the weather relent and a cool breeze soften the heat of summer.  It’s still warm now, but no longer stifling.  The heat had kept many of us in a stasis, bound in some sort of human cast.  There was so much to do - so much I wanted to get done, but my body was in mutiny.  But today’s a new day, and my body and mind are one.  :P  

I’m starting with the innermost room, which is the master bathroom.  Then, our bedroom and then, the closet…  And then, slowly outward, one room at a time.  I’m not sure how I acquired this pattern of cleaning, but it’s similar to the pattern of a chambered nautilus.  Every so often as I clean, I like to look back to see what I’ve done so far.  And I feel such satisfaction in knowing that that “chamber is closed” and that I don’t have to go over that area again…  It’s like our past or even our sins, once forgiven, huh?  

I can go even deeper with that analogy, but alas, I have cleaning to do!  

By the way, just to throw in a gadget for today, this is our favorite scooper:

Initially, it was my mother-in-law who had it and when I found myself constantly looking for it while helping out in her kitchen, I decided to get one, too.  After using it and confirming its indispensability in my own kitchen, I tried to get one for my sister and mom, too.  Well, I couldn’t find it again.  So, now, after many years, I finally found it at Uwajimaya in the International District (ID).  This is more than a rice spoon.  Actually, we don’t even use it for rice - it’ll scratch the sides.  We use it for scooping everything else…  

Happy Monday, everyone!

The other day I was reading in Matthew, and I was blown away AGAIN by how radical Jesus really was/is.  

For instance, the verse “be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect,” is tucked at the end of a passage about not just loving those who love you, but loving those who don’t love you, and not just greeting those you know, but greeting those you don’t know…  So, perfection takes on a whole new meaning!  Sigh…  I have to remember that…  ”Perfection” is not so much about “coloring within the lines” and getting things OCD right, but about unconditional love…  AGAPE, a love that can love an enemy…  

Today, I stumbled upon the most inspiring bit of info that I’ve come across in a very long time.  You see, I’m a “Jill” of all trades, but master of none…  And for some reason and for so many years, I started focusing on the “master of none” part and became really discouraged…  Then, this morning, I googled “Jack of all trades, master of none” and found the following from the free dictionary website:

• “Jack of all trades, master of none” is a figure of speech used in reference to a person who is competent with many skills but is not outstanding in any one. The full phrase is “Jack of all trades, master of none, though ofttimes better than master of one.” 
• The term has become a cliché in its current form and is frequently used in a negative way when describing a person. It is rarely cited in full. The complete phrase is much more balanced in its assessment. 
• A Jack of all trades may also be a master of integration, as the individual knows enough from many learned trades and skills to be able to bring their disciplines together in a practical manner. Such a person is known as a polymath or a Renaissance man, and a typical example is someone like Leonardo da Vinci.

So, yay!  I found a new word, “polymath,” AND I feel so liberated.  (Thank you, Lord!)  It’s amazing how these little mind blocks can really limit us from living our lives to the FULL!  John 10:10…  So, for all you Jacks or Jills out there, be encouraged…

Previously, I wrote about my exchange “siblings” and how we’re growing into a family, right?  Well, another aspect of family life, is the empty nest and somehow, I’m experiencing that now…  (Sigh, I always get the feeling that God makes me go through certain things earlier than most people, which is an incognito blessing.)  So, yeah, my exchange “siblings” are also like exchange “children”…  And now that their English has gotten much better and they can be much more independent, they are trying out their wings, nearly ready to fly…  Their TOEFL score being the launch pad…  

So, after some time of blueness, I decided I need to be that “mom” that finds herself again after the children have left.  I’ve resolved myself to “be joyful always” and have a happy heart…  No “Debbie Downer” here or the frumpy housewife!  :)    

My apologies for all the quotation marks!  :P

Another of the many reasons why I wasn’t able to write in a while was because I’ve been surrounded by exchange students.  There’s one in my home, another one in my parents’ home, and yet another in my in-laws’ home.  On top of that, we have connections with other exchange students in Vancouver, who will be visiting us on break.  Hm…  I’m starting to notice a pattern…  :)

But now, to call them “exchange students” sounds rigid and sterile, since we’re slowly growing into a family.  Even having to hurdle differences and disagreements, gracefully.  :P  It’s been interesting to say the least.  Personality, family backgrounds, culture, age, gender, expectations, scheduling, etc…  Sometimes, I wonder what we got ourselves into.  And then, I’m so very thankful for the good that’s come out of all of it.  But the greatest reward?  The Seattle Freeze in our home is thawing…  And it’s about time.

My sister and I grew up surrounded by a large extended family, so basically my cousins were more like siblings.  Even my aunts and uncles watched over us, like our own parents.  Then, we moved up to Seattle, and somehow we grew a surrogate family here, too, through church and school friends, who themselves had families that were far off.  But as the years passed and marriages started happening, those friends navigated towards their own, including us, and somehow, there was a shift.  And I began to feel the Seattle Freeze…  (Actually, I called it “scheduling spontaneity” because I didn’t know that such a phrase existed.)  I’ve struggled with depression on and off through the years, but there was a particular sadness and isolation that I couldn’t put my finger on…  And it wasn’t because of the gray skies or the other complications in my life.  Well now, I know what it was.  For those who don’t know about the Seattle Freeze, it’s the feeling you get from Seattleites - a noticeably “nice” courtesy and politeness, but in stark contrast, a distance and reserve.

BUT I’m in defrost mode now, since knowing is half-the-battle  :)  and because as by-the-book as I am, there’s a side to me that likes to be counter-culture.  Don’t get me wrong, reserve and distance are good qualities, too, but just enough of it.  And thankfully, even my hubby is easing his way into the sunlight.  :)  So, that’s my little spiel about exchange students and the Seattle Freeze…