On a regular
basis, as one of my children is mentioning something she misses about home, I
am heard to say, “No matter where you are and what you are doing, there is
always something to miss.” I don’t
know why this statement stuck with me from some movie or another, but I ponder
it often as we adjust to our new normal.
I have come believe
missing something or someone cannot be equated with regret. Missing can be the same as treasuring ,
taking the time to notice how important something is to you. And I think we can all afford to treasure our
blessings more. At the same time,
missing should not replace the value we put on our current circumstances. The statement “There is always something to
miss.” says to me that we need to look around and appreciate what we’ve got,
when we’ve got it, because when we move on in this journey of life, we will
regret not noticing it when we had it.
So my blog today
is about missing… what I miss currently and what I will miss when we
leave. What I currently miss will be the
treasure component of the blog… what I will come to miss will be the daily
gratitude part. These lists are a kind
of extended, more-thought-out version of my “First Impressions” list from
August.
What I Miss: (The
Treasures of Home)
- those boxes of
fresh salad that have been pre-washed three times and you just rip them open, dump them out and
EAT! (I know I should have said “Friends
and Family” first… but it is hot here and I really miss SALAD!!)
- bags of raw
carrots and you just rip them open, dump them out and EAT! (I know, I know,
continuing on a theme is all.)
- Friends and
Family ;)
- dependable
electricity
- hot showers
- hot water that can
actually cut through grease while washing dishes
- my dishwasher
- clean streets
- wide sidewalks
that don’t have giant, unmarked caverns in them, barbeques springing up
unexpectedly in the middle of them, or
roosters lining them.
- Northern Ontario
in the summer time
- fresh water
lakes – parasite free
- good sewer
systems
- immunizations
for all (we have already had friends with Typhoid and Mumps since we have been
here)
- universal health
care
- being able to
flush toilet paper (here it goes into a garbage can beside the toilet… I know…
UGH!)
- toilet paper
(here you have to bring it with you… and it is called “toilet tissue”)
- Children’s Aid
- the changing leaves of Fall
- being able to
wear jeans, a thick sweater, and hiking boots
- being able to
talk to my family on a phone that doesn’t fade in and out
- being able to
wear my hair down
- worship time at
our church
- sermons in
English
- being at the
entrance of our trusty Zehrs, shopping cart in hand, money in pocket, with an endless plethora of good, clean, food
surrounding me all for the picking
- freshly
harvested corn on the cob and strawberries
- homemade (by
someone else) preserves
(Okay… I shouldn’t
have written this when I am hungry!)
- a big school
photocopier ,you know the kind that can copy 100 pages both sides in 3.6
seconds flat?
- dependable
school computers (yes, I said dependable… it is all relative)
- small class
sizes for all (yes, I said small… it is all relative)
- educators who
are paid a living wage (see above :) )
- a refreshing
absence of security guards with rifles in the banks and other public places
- being able to
sleep in a bed without this impending sense of doom that some kind of creature
is going to land on me in the night… or burrow in my ear or get tangled in my
hair
- no roosters crowing…
all DAY LONG
-a blessed lack of
ants, ants, ants, ants, ants
- Friends and
Family
What I Will Miss When I Leave: (The Daily Gratitude of my Heart)
- the people… the
warm, friendly, kind, helpful, Godly, humble, loving, gentle, always laughing,
randomly singing, people
- looking out my
living room window and seeing palm trees, beach and ocean
- being able to
swim in a warm, blue, beautiful ocean whenever I choose
- walking
everywhere I need to go
- mission groups
that come, support, inspire, pray and share
- big parties of
love, singing, worship and celebration as a way of thanking those mission
groups
- wearing nothing
but summer clothes and sandals in October
- cheap anklets
and earrings
- the adventure of
newness
- typhoons (not
the scary, dangerous type, but rather the crazy, windy rainy type that closes
the school, cools things down slightly, but
doesn’t cause any real damage)
- the 20s (this is
a group of young, energetic, happy, service- minded, full of faith, inspiring, fun missionaries
that we work with and who live in the apartment below us)
- the peaceful
whirl of ceiling fans
- being daily
amazed at the feats of strength our Filipino neighbours perform on a regular
basis- everything is done manually and when you are surrounded by constant
construction you see some pretty incredible things… pretty incredible things
done by men - average height of probably 5’5”- average weight of maybe 140 lbs
(this guy below is carrying a washing machine … up two flights of stairs… then
back for more!)
- being able to
get a pretty good therapeutic massage for 10 dollars
- white, soft,
warm sand as far as the eye can see
- living in a more
spontaneous, flexible, laid back (well… I’m trying anyway) manner
- Cracker Nuts (a
delightful combination of peanuts surrounded in a crispy, light cracker shell
in various yummy flavours… not sure why we don’t have them in Canada!) Big bag -
one buck
- Butter Coconut
Cookies - a wonderful little, sweet
cookie/ cracker kinda thing… super yummy with a cup of Green Tea (the only hot drink
I can tolerate in life) on a “coolish” typhoon day (where it might drop to 24
degrees) Twenty cookies – twenty cents.
- Mario’s Pizza on
the beach
-Mario’s Mocha
Shakes
- Fruit shakes…
four fruits, a little sugar, ice… pure bliss - available EVERYWHERE
- Mangos… best in
the world… period. (This from the Lonely Plant travel series books.. .and they
should know.)
- the children in
my class – the sweet, curious, big-smiled, loving, laughing, enthusiastic,
grateful, fun children (especially now that we have a common understanding of
how to behave in school !)
- people spontaneously
pulling out acoustic guitars, singing, clapping, praising God, laughing and
dancing
-Laughter. Everywhere.
- lots and lots
and lots of time with my children and husband – they come to work with me, they
eat with me, they walk with me, they shop with me, they live with me, they
socialize with me… and I LOVE it! (except of course when I need space.. but
that is surprisingly less than one might think!)
The Family Walking to the Jungle Barn |
-hearing cheesy
music from the 80s and 90s everywhere – Flashbacks! – better yet, hearing cheesy
Filipino versions of music from the 80s and 90s everywhere – distorted Flashbacks!
- meeting interesting,
inspiring, wandering people from all over the world
- going to Panay
island on a trike, boat, bus and looking out the window at the Filipino country
side – completely beautiful
- never really
having to think about what I need to wear when I leave the house. I mean it is either going to be hot and sunny
or hot and rainy. When it is hot and
rainy it is usually too uncomfortable to wear a raincoat and too windy for an
umbrella… therefore we often just get wet… or wait it out. So basically I just need to make sure I’m
dressed modestly for stinking hot weather, wearing sunscreen, sunglasses, and
a hat – and I’m good to go.
- Sundays spent at
the “Jungle Barn” – the mission building on White Beach where many of our
Filipino friends work and live. We love
to go there on a Sunday afternoon following church and play cards, swim, and
visit. The children love to play with their
new Filipino friends, cuddle the babies and paddle around on the surf board
that is stored there. Sometimes we even
get to go sailing. Sailing isn’t really
in a boat, as you might think about in Canada, but rather this vessel has two
large netted arms on either side that you balance people onto according to
weight. You zip through the water,
getting soaked to the skin as you dive in and out of the waves. It is a blast! It makes me whoop! We all need more “whooping” in our lives.
The Jungle Barn where many mission groups stay |
The Children at Sunset |
The Children and their Friends |
- the people… the
warm, friendly, kind, helpful, Godly, humble, loving, gentle, always laughing,
randomly singing people
So, there are my two lists as
they stand this sunny, hot October 15, 2011.
I wonder what you might put in yours?
What are you grateful for today? What specific, little simple things
warmed your heart? Put them on the blog
(we will post them after reading) or send them in an email if you are too shy
to share publically. (You had to know there would be homework at some point… I
am a teacher!) Attitude of
Gratitude. I am constantly working on
mine. God Bless, Mair
Mair .So good to read this and hear that you are well for the most part !!!We definitely miss you at Salem!!Your smiling presence is very vacant!!!But things are rolling along .You are in our prayers. God bless....Lucy and her family.
ReplyDeleteHello Mair! Thanks for your amazing blog that gives us a window into your experiences in the Phillippines! I think that this time will be one that you will treasure for life. You are able to spend so much time with your family, experience a new culture, teach others and learn from others! What a great time. We love and miss you and your family, but look forward to time in the future when we will see you again. Take care! Heidi
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