Coyans in the Czech Republic

daybook

for January 5th

Outside my window...it is gray and frozen. Everything is cold and soundless and still. Even the air is stiff and unbreathable. I can't explain how quiet it is outside. Sleepy, drowsy, in suspended animation, ice-bound where it lay. The chill is mind-numbing.

I am thinking...that God knows what He is doing and does it so beautifully...way more than one can hope for or imagine.

I am thankful for...my oldest daughter, Rebekah, coming home today happy. She made a new friend at school.

From the kitchen...disgusting cookies meant to be handed out as thankyou gifts. Ugh...I suck in the kitchen. They were ugly and flat and almost inedible. Where did I go wrong? Not enough flour? I, apparently, can't even read a recipe...

I am wearing...black pants and a turquoise blouse and long black beads around my neck. I had on pointy-toed, kitten-heeled black ankle boots at school, but now I have fuzzy socks on.

Pondering these words... You learn to speak by speaking, to study by studying, to run by running, to work by working; in just the same way, you learn to love by loving.- St. Francis de Sales

I am going...to walk to our local grocery store with my family and try not to freeze to death. "Why not drive?", you may ask. Well, I think it would be faster to walk there (40 min round trip) than to wait while the car warms up.

I am reading...Spin by Robert Charles Wilson. I loooove good science fiction. http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/w/robert-charles-wilson/spin.htm

I am hoping...for lots of snow, that our friends will come in February, and that my daughter's school situation will be solved not according to our will but God's.

I am hearing...my children "doing homework" downstairs. What it really sounds like is some weird play put on in both Czech and English simultaneously with some old Czech folks songs and new Hannah Montana ones thrown in for good measure.

Around the house...limps a beat up cat. He has been getting into fights at night and his leg is hurt. We don't own him, he has just adopted us. The mayor of our town went to talk to the owners on our behalf to ask what we should do about the cat's leg. The owner doesn't care for the cat so he said we could have him. Vet bills here we come!

One of my favorite things...beef sauteed in soy sauce with pea pods, broccoli, mushrooms and cashews served over soba-type noodles. Not traditional Czech cuisine, but the yummiest thing Dan has come up with and a great dish to serve on Epiphany as we talk about the Magi who came from the east.

A few plans for the rest of the week: To celebrate Epiphany and spend time with friends. To research new school options for Rebekah. To continue to emphasize the virtue of compassion.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epiphany_(holiday)

Here is picture for thought I am sharing... I am thinking of my sister, Misha, who must go back to work after having her precious little girl, Ellie, four months ago. She will be going back full-time and my heart aches for her as she must leave her baby in someone else's care during the day. I remember doing this myself and it was very difficult. But, it did get easier over time. Hang in there, sis. I love you.