July 30, 2007
i need a quick quotes quill
Finished with Potter no. 7; very satisfied. The bit I most like about the whole experience was that it came into the perfect reading environment. All my surroundings – various beds, chairs, couches, with the company of friends who were all cooking, making tea, or reading books of their own – only brought out more flavor from the book itself. Not only that, but it came at a time when all I wanted was to be comfortable and to hold my life at enough of a distance to examine all of it carefully.
Coming back to the world wearing J. K. Rowling-coloured* glasses is a small price to pay.
For work this week, I'm recording lots of observations/reflections. This means I have to let go of that part of me that loves riding on the edge of chaos and find my inner scribe, somebody who's passionate about documenting things in a well-ordered way. Sounds kinda dusty, but it's usually a good time for me, in terms of getting a reality check about how moments always tend to become history. And history has things to teach us.
So if you see me out socializing, tell me to go home and type.
*I'm even spelling colour with a u. This is serious.
July 25, 2007
growing up
Listening to a Patty Griffin song about Peter Pan today, while I get loads of work done. "Hey Peter Pan, I'm going home now. I'm all grown up; you're on your own now. I'll think of you, all painted with the night. You sit and watch from somewhere as one by one the lights go out." It's one of those days for sorting life into keep, toss, and donate piles.
I feel like moving.
July 18, 2007
it's over.
...and i can relax.
e & t are happily wedded. we've all eaten and drunk to them and the health of their marriage. it was the kind of wedding from which i walk away thinking, "will there ever be such a union again upon the face of the earth? of the weddings i've seen so far, THIS was the best, my new favorite." and bob treasured all these things up in his heart.
the local two-week outreach is over. every local partner had positive experiences with short-term workers. every short-term worker left with experiences of God that will bear all kinds of interesting fruit in the future. new contacts and lessons learned all around. i'm documenting what i saw, felt, and heard, both for our own people and for the organization that ran the program.
j and a have arrived, oriented themselves, attained a local network, and are all set for a series of research trips beginning tomorrow.
the week before the outreach we had a U.S. partner spend about a week with us working in another city but staying near to my city.
t and j are wrapping things up and approaching the close of their internships. we're going to debrief soon.
*huge sigh of relief and satisfaction* i just want to go find a desert island and live there for ten days. with sarah. and an open bar. and with language helpers who speak french, arabic, and (why not) gaelic. free food wouldn't be bad, either.
