A Cliff Birthday

I'm tucked away in a lamplit room at the Gollans with the windows open, listening to the muffled toss and howl of the wind tonight. I like it immensely.

Deb's parents arrived this evening for a three week visit, so I'm relocating to the Gollans for that time. It's just right down the hill, and I'll be at the Crowes a lot still, but I'll be spending nights here. Priscilla welcomed me in and showed me "my room" for now, complete with tiny Twix candy bar on the bath towel and, you guessed it! A hot shower!

Their well here is small, so they can't take long showers, but even three minutes in a REAL shower is huge to me right now! I didn't realize and didn't want to admit how nice it is to take a shower the normal way. It's odd what happens to your body when you take a normal shower after nearly six weeks of "abnormal" showers. Your skin rubs off. Your hair falls out. You begin to feel...oh, what's the word? Clean. Yeah, clean. It's nice.

Oh, and did I mention the mirror and the cupboard? I can put all my clothes on shelves, and I get to put make up on in the morning! Being at the Crowe's unfinished house hasn't been what I'd call roughing it, but I just realized there are some special little things that it's easy to take for granted. It's not like I "deserve" a break or ought to expect any certain thing...but it sure is nice.

Aside from the small comforts...ok, big comforts! I'm glad about spending this time at the Gollan's. I enjoy their family so much, and their love for the Lord and for people is just...appealing, I guess. It feels very home-like.

I got a teensy bit homesick yesterday when Shane, Mark, and Jackie, three of the people who have been here for the summer, left to go back home...or wherever they're going...Watching all the goodbying and hugging and slapping on the back kind of kind of gave me that weird 1 Thessalonians feeling when I thought of the goodbyes I've said in the past few months...it hit a sensitive spot for me.

But after a good think on the matter, and a Skype phone call to my family, I felt much better, and my constant underlying sense of things is that I'm SO GLAD I'm here. I really love it here, and I'm not focused on the day I'll go home. Each day holds new life, and I truly feel this freedom here to grow and become who God wants me to be, like a flowering vine when you give it a trellis.

Today we went on a picnic with the Gollans, Jono, and Cheryl. It was in honor of Marie's birthday (she was turning 11 I think.) They set up a tent next to a grassy "cliff" overlooking the river and we sat on blankets and had ice cream and cake and lunch.

It was an amazing view. On the way there, Brent asked, "So is this a cliff birthday?" :) This is Clark and Angel...

Here are Bronwyn, Marie the Birthday girl, and Rodgy making silly faces while devouring their cake...Cheryl's to the side there, taking pictures of something else. Cheryl put together some games, including two relays that we did in a nearby grove of trees (I love those trees...I don't know what they are, though. Maybe birches?)

I joined in this relay...Marie and I had to carry a balloon between us, racing against the boys. I don't know who won, but fun was the point, and I think the goal was accomplished!For the last game, four of the kids had to "dig for worms" in a bowl full of jello topped cookie crumbs. The worms were gummy worms, of course, although Cheryl left it a mystery. This was harder than it sounds, however: they couldn't use their hands! Competitive Jesse came out the winner, but Rodge did well too...Great fun. The kids hiked down the steep slope and went swimming in the shallow area of the river, while some of us stayed behind in the shade. (It was in the 80's or close to 90 today and the sun was intense.)

Deb took Clark down, and grabbed something along the way (we don't know if it was a wasp or some kind of plant or what) that stung her badly. Combined with the steep climb back uphill, the heat, and the throbbing, she thought she might faint...and she had to drive us home in the standard, because I can't drive one. (Bruce was home working). So Cheryl came along and did the shifting, after Deb was feeling a little more steady. We have had so many stings around here!

So it was quite a day. That was all before Bruce and Deb left to get her parents and the kids cleaned house and I made up some soup.

So I'm off to bed now, to a cricket lullaby...