Random thoughts on time...

I am thoroughly convinced that the older we get, the faster time escapes us. When we are little, it seems that certain events -- Christmas, birthdays, summers, etc... -- will never come. We wait with expectant and excited hearts for the times such as these. As adults, we also wait expectantly but when these times come, they seem to go just as quickly. As a teacher, summers are looked forward to, perhaps more than any other time. Then before we know it, the time has come to start a new school year and the whole process begins again.
This summer was one of the most relaxing and enjoyable that I have had in a very long time! In addition to enjoying the coolness of the weather, I felt no pressure to cram as much as I could into the month and a half that I would have, had I been in the States. And yet, I had a very specific schedule so I was not bored nor lethargic. As I said in my previous post, I worked on my Russian language -- very small steps to learning, and I tutored English. I told people that I had English lessons twice a week and that my English was improving. I am actually intending to continue studying Russian once a week after school starts.
As far as my writing -- well...I didn't accomplish as much as I would have liked, but I did make some definite progress. I will continue to work on that as I have time.
School begins on Aug 20th...thus my thoughts on time. It seems that this summer has flown by. I think I am ready to start school, but there is still a part of me that wants the enjoyable summer to continue. Perhaps it is the child in me that still wants to enjoy my play time. I have heard it said that you can take the boy out of jr high, but you can never take the jr high out of the boy. I struggle often with keeping the balance between my need to be an adult but my desire to hold onto my childhood. Part of me knows that I need to grow up, but the other part of me resists with everything I have. I always find it fascinating that, in Scripture, Jesus told us that we need to come as a child to Him, that our faith must be childlike. I wrote a poem a while back on this struggle of finding that childhood faith:

"To Be a Child Again"

A Child weeps in his mother's arms
And she comforts him.
I fall like a child and do not weep -- Why?
Where is the brokenness that I should have?
It is swallowed up by pride.
To be a child again...

The young have it easy, so we say --
No jobs to work, no bills to pay.
The joy of life consumes them.
To be a child again...

The ability to play with abandon
To see the richest colors and the brightest stars,
To live without this life's demands.
To be a child again...

The young have innocence and awe,
The ability to be amazed by everything.
To have that endless energy,
Pure and raw.
To be a child again...

To fall and feel the pain for the first time,
To cry unashamed and free,
And then wipe away those tears and live anew.
To be a child again...

The young have it easy, so we say --
They know they are forgiven and loved.
Lord, show me the way
To be a child again.

Please be praying for me as I begin this new year that I will find that balance and that I will make the most of that precious time that I have been given. I was reminded this summer how much of a gift each breath, each moment, and each day truly are. At the end of July, the mother of two of our high school seniors passed away very suddenly. It was a shock to the entire community. Teri Tarleton was 49 years old. She and her family have been in Russia almost 15 yrs and have touched so many lives. Please pray for this family as you remember. And remember that each day is a gift, so use the time -- whether it passes slowly or quickly -- for the things that matter.

I had the opportunity this summer to get out of the city twice and visit a couple of monestaries. I have posted full sets of these pictures at http://picasaweb.google.com/philbrande Here are a few of them:

Until next time...