(At the end of this post are pics from the Christmas season)9 August, 2008
Dear Friends,
These days in my garden are idyllic. I make my way each morning to the bottom of the garden for my quiet time. The little day school behind our house is on vacation, so the mornings are deliciously quiet. How can I tell you the beauty of those hours with my Father! Recently I've found myself expressing the beauty of my garden in a poem. It's in very loose form and I'm not really a poet, but I'll send you my little offering with all my love. I trust your summer has been, and will be, filled with quiet hours before the throne as well.
Rebecca - "In My Garden"
For church bells pealing the hours of my reverie
I thank You
For leaden skies that do not rain
I thank You
For tall straight pines,
Green cathedral overhead
I thank You
For Mirabella robed in spring-time white
I thank You
For birdsongs' sweet cacophony
I thank You
For tall, pink tulips waving in spring-fresh air
I thank You
For golden sun spots stealing cross new-mown grass
I thank You
For Hydrangeas piled in blue profusion
I thank You
For the slug-war's general, night robe flapping in the morning air
I thank You
For heavy jacket, blankets piled, and mittened hands
I thank You
For loving hands bringing steaming cups of tea
I thank You
For winters blast - driven in at last,
My garden now through window pane
I thank You
For You, Yourself - the reason that I come
Your Presence, Person, and Word
I praise You
Dear all, this is Paul.
First a little explanation: Rebecca's delightful poem follows the seasons, and (hmmm) I'm the slug war General.
Shortly after the last Rebecca's Journey was sent out I received a phone call from our daughter - who had just read my comments about her new job in Macedonia. She jokingly said I made it sound like she was the new Macedonian Ambassador. (Sorry, Darling!!) She asked that I send a clarification. Susannah's OKed this one.
Susannah is working as a "Foreign Associate" in Macedonia's Foreign Ministry. Because of her experience in the European Parliament, she will primarily be working to lobby on behalf of the country through her contacts and relationships within the European Institutions.
I'm actually in Skopje at the moment, having arrived yesterday afternoon. It was over 100 degrees Fahrenheit here. Susannah has a stand-alone AC unit in her D/LR, but the bedrooms were hot. I'm going to buy her fans today.
The inside of the apartment is charming. The outside - an old Communist block building from the '70s; unkempt commons areas; large commercial dumpsters right out front, with people going through them searching for anything they can use; walkways in disrepair; no lock, or even handle, on the front door; the entry has yellow mailboxes - most without keys, old stairs with tiles off the wall and floor; and the ceiling light doesn't work. The elevators (antiques) are tiny and poorly lit.
Then we enter Susannah's place - completely redone, with a red tile floor. It also has decorative tiles outlining the L&D areas. While she was at work yesterday I re-arranged the furniture and the wall hangings, odds & ends. I must say it looks lovely - and balanced. (That's my thing!)
We went out to dinner last evening to a little restaurant in the neighbourhood. This afternoon I'll go get her a mirror, waste baskets, etc. Will be fun!
We'll try to take lots of pics and hope to get some of them out to you. We are excited for Susannah as she takes this next step in her journey.
Love from Rebecca and me,
Paul
