it's friday. it's pouring rain. these are the top 5 good things about the last 24 hours.
1. i did rosies hair:
why is this a big deal? the poor girl has a muzungu mama. i've had no lessons in how to do her hair (although i'm famous for stopping people on the street and asking how they get their hair to do what it does- resulting in crazy looks like, "lady your hair will NEVER look like this!") of course she did wake up at 5 am crying for me to remove the back half so she could lie down.
2. i went to a friends house and had a trader joes dark chocolate with caramel and sea salt candy bar:
i also saw an american sized refrigerator and freezer and stove. they were so big that i thought maybe i'd shrunk, when i went to put the milk away, there was room for it with out any rearranging. i had a moment. then i saw a kitchen-aid mixer, and trader joes peanut butter, and i forgot for a moment that i was in uganda, which is what the people who work for the US embassy get to forget sometimes. then i got to visit with my new friend- who i "get" because she is a doctor and a mother and an american living abroad and someone who has a differentish kid and someone who tries to know and love God. it was lovely.
3. i found my way:
i got seriously lost, on some serious dirt roads. after leaving the house that made me feel like i was in america, i was quickly reminded that i was not. no road signs, off of 'google maps', not able to communicate with most people on the street, and trying to avoid very small children and goats- it was more of a path than a road. when the road petered out into a legitimate path, and i had to ask a boda driver where i was, he simply said- "you go that way." and motioned with his hand- eventually, i found my way.
4.it's friday:
that means movie night. all the neighbors come over and we eat pizza and the kids watch a movie and the grown ups talk and we feel good and connected and thankful. it means i get to kind of sleep in tomorrow and spend the next 2 days with my favorite people.
5. i got to see zoe in a moment of regular glory:
this can't be fully appreciated by people who don't know me, or zoe, or other kids like zoe. but if you've been sharing life with us, you will get this.
here she was, at a regular school, doing the regular class performance.
it was year 6's turn to do
the friday assembly. they've been studying the solar system. she wore her tie-dye skirt from kenya (that she's been wearing since age 5- i'm not kidding) because the swirls sort of look like a galaxy. it was so perfectly beautiful in it's normalness. there was no drama. no anxiety. no great differences. she was just a girl, at school, doing a small performance with her class. i wanted to squeal with glee. i was bursting with joy. three years ago, this was not in the picture. three years ago, we were falling to bits. for the past three years, if i closed my eyes really tightly and allowed myself to dream, this would have been my dream. to get to a place of usual, average, alright. i didn't need extraordinary, or above average, or star of the show, or high grades, or even age appropriate math, i just want whole, and happy, and not in pieces. this, is the goodness of God. this is above and beyond what we can ask, or imagine. this is fullness. this is answered prayer.
i .am. just. so. so. thankful. i am so happy for her.
1. i did rosies hair:
why is this a big deal? the poor girl has a muzungu mama. i've had no lessons in how to do her hair (although i'm famous for stopping people on the street and asking how they get their hair to do what it does- resulting in crazy looks like, "lady your hair will NEVER look like this!") of course she did wake up at 5 am crying for me to remove the back half so she could lie down.
2. i went to a friends house and had a trader joes dark chocolate with caramel and sea salt candy bar:
i also saw an american sized refrigerator and freezer and stove. they were so big that i thought maybe i'd shrunk, when i went to put the milk away, there was room for it with out any rearranging. i had a moment. then i saw a kitchen-aid mixer, and trader joes peanut butter, and i forgot for a moment that i was in uganda, which is what the people who work for the US embassy get to forget sometimes. then i got to visit with my new friend- who i "get" because she is a doctor and a mother and an american living abroad and someone who has a differentish kid and someone who tries to know and love God. it was lovely.
3. i found my way:
i got seriously lost, on some serious dirt roads. after leaving the house that made me feel like i was in america, i was quickly reminded that i was not. no road signs, off of 'google maps', not able to communicate with most people on the street, and trying to avoid very small children and goats- it was more of a path than a road. when the road petered out into a legitimate path, and i had to ask a boda driver where i was, he simply said- "you go that way." and motioned with his hand- eventually, i found my way.
4.it's friday:
that means movie night. all the neighbors come over and we eat pizza and the kids watch a movie and the grown ups talk and we feel good and connected and thankful. it means i get to kind of sleep in tomorrow and spend the next 2 days with my favorite people.
5. i got to see zoe in a moment of regular glory:
this can't be fully appreciated by people who don't know me, or zoe, or other kids like zoe. but if you've been sharing life with us, you will get this.
here she was, at a regular school, doing the regular class performance.
it was year 6's turn to do
the friday assembly. they've been studying the solar system. she wore her tie-dye skirt from kenya (that she's been wearing since age 5- i'm not kidding) because the swirls sort of look like a galaxy. it was so perfectly beautiful in it's normalness. there was no drama. no anxiety. no great differences. she was just a girl, at school, doing a small performance with her class. i wanted to squeal with glee. i was bursting with joy. three years ago, this was not in the picture. three years ago, we were falling to bits. for the past three years, if i closed my eyes really tightly and allowed myself to dream, this would have been my dream. to get to a place of usual, average, alright. i didn't need extraordinary, or above average, or star of the show, or high grades, or even age appropriate math, i just want whole, and happy, and not in pieces. this, is the goodness of God. this is above and beyond what we can ask, or imagine. this is fullness. this is answered prayer.
i .am. just. so. so. thankful. i am so happy for her.
1 comment:
Felice fine settimana...ciao
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.