I’ve had an interesting two days.  Yesterday, while popping a turkey into the oven for the kids’ Thanksgiving celebration at school, I managed to pop something in my lower back.  I could barely stand up, and since then have been in pretty constant pain.  I move like a 90-year old!   Eric has been great, covering for me on many fronts (including going to the lunch yesterday… doing all the dishes… cleaning the bathroom… changing diapers, etc).  

Thirty minutes after this happened, Eric drove me to his chiropractor’s.  It was my first time.  While no miracles happened, it did seem to loosen up my neck, which had also been quite tight.  And then I went back again this morning.

I was the only patient this morning – Annie went with me to help open up doors for me.  As he did his adjustments, we talked about literature.  And then he asked if he could read a poem to me.  I was rather surprised, but knew from Eric’s weekly visits that they have frequently talked about the Bible and God’s work in our lives.  Eric had ordered and given him a children’s Bible because he wanted one that was understandable for his children.

He started reading a poem by a 13th century mystic whom I had never heard of.  I was somewhat anxious to get back home, but as he started reading it was like God broke through my thick skin and aching back to touch my heart in a new way. Here is just a brief excerpt of this very sensual love poem to God:

Jerusalem, by Meister Eckhart (trans. by Daniel Ladisnky)

What a womb God has — what wild love He must have made to HImself for days and days without stopping

to have given birth to all you can imagine, and to all you cannot conceive.  

Draw a circle around the frontiers of space, barely can God fit a toe there. 

All language has taken an oath to fail to describe Him;

any attempt to do so is the height of arrogance and will always declare some kind of war…

Eckhart was a 14th century German theologian and mystic whose writings were held in suspicion by the Pope such that he was sentenced to death (he died before the sentence was upheld).  Pope John Paul II sought to restore his writings to full orthodoxy, but many non-Christian mystics have embraced his writings and found parallels with Buddhism.  

Having researched this a bit since coming home, it does not detract from the sense of peace and affirmation that came over me as my new chiropractor read me this poem.  It was so good to step aside from my small problems and realize again that I can never embrace the grandeur of God.  This doctor, most likely not a believer, interrupted my self-filled morning with Reality – the reality of a God must bigger than me and any problem, or joy, in my life.

I read this quote in a book that I’m studying several weeks ago and it has stayed with me ever since.

“This message — I am someone God so loves — is a message we’re likely to hear from God in contemplation…God is so anxious to tell us this that the only time God is pictured in a hurry in Scripture is when the father ran down the trail to the prodigal son, ‘threw his arms around him and kissed him.'”  (Jan Johnson).

So – it’s made me think about all the times I’m in a hurry – what are the reasons?  To please others? because I’m trying to do too much?  Or because I’m so anxious to show love to someone…?  And then I wonder what messages God has been trying to tell me but I haven’t slowed down enough to listen… I want to keep listening.  Pretty neat to think of God in a hurry once in a while when it comes to showing us His love.

On Sunday during our whirl-wind DC dash, we were able to play tour guide for our Japanese friend Hakase.  Hakase lives in Sanda and is part of the same house church that we are; his annual neuro-science conference this year was in Washington DC.

Hakase was overwhelmed with the size and the people at Fourth Presbyterian Church!  It was neat that he was able to be a part of worship and then the evening fellowship dinner.  Here he is with Eric as church was letting out.

After church, we took him on a whirlwind tour of downtown Washington DC.  Even though I’ve done this many times, I was impressed again with the beauty of this city. And then, when the Petersons hosted him on Saturday night, and then he hung out with the Shoultz family when we dropped him off Sunday afternoon…then Susan T. picked him up and took him shopping; and then her parents welcomed him at the church dinner; and then Lyn and Larry hosted him for the evening and got him to work the next day – wow!  the beauty of friendship.  We were pretty amazed.

We received an invitation several weeks ago that we couldn’t pass up- an invitation to our friend Lyn’s surprise 50th birthday party down in Leesburg, VA.  My sister and brother-in-law offered to watch our kids so we could go down overnight, so it was a go!  We drove through a crazy, blinding rainstorm but arrived in time to briefly visit with the Petersons, where we were going to stay that night, and make it to the restaurant in time.

The dinner was at a wonderful restaurant in old town Leesburg.  We celebrated in the Marshall room, with a large portrait of General Marshall over the fireplace.  Larry had done a great job planning the whole surprise, and everything was beautiful.

I think all of us loved seeing Lynnie really surprised – and really honored.  Here is part of what we wrote in a note for her special album:

It is such a joy, and such an amazing gift, that we are in the U.S. And on the east coast to be with you to celebrate this momentous occasion.  Wild horses could not keep us away!  We are honored to be in the small group of friends attending, and realize that there are scads of other friends who would love to be there because that is the kind of person you are… You are an amazing friend, to so many people.  When we are with you, we feel like your dearest and only friends.  And I know so many other friends feel the same way when they are in your presence.  You have the ability to love so deeply, and so widely.

One of the fun things about going to Lyn’s party was making a cake to bring to for her.  This was a new cake challenge… I ordered supplies and learned how to make a photo cake.  I loved honoring Lyn, and was so thankful to my sisters Allison and Beth for coming over to help me on decorating day. I used hexagon cake pans and put twelve sepia photos of Lyn through the years on the sides of the cake.  Lyn and her mom had fun looking at each photo and remembering…

There was a secret decorator for this cake!  An hour before leaving for DC, Eric and I were rushing around trying to get ready… and I walked into the dining room and discovered Annie with as guilty a face as I’ve ever seen.  And clutching the brown frosting… She said, ‘But Mommy, I just wanted to put some pretty flowers on Aunt Lyn’s cake.”  I was afraid to look at the cake.  But sure enough, she had added her own touches:

I couldn’t deal with fixxing the cake…so Eric spent 30 minutes trying to remove Annie’s special artwork.  In the end, it was fine.  Lesson learned:  keep the cake REALLY REALLY high and hidden, or have an “extra” cake that Annie can help make beautiful.

Finally, we left the party with smiles on our faces… until we reversed out of the parking lot.  We heard a sickening noise in the back of the car.  Eric turned off the heater and radio, and went forward – the same noise.  Ugh.  One more time.  And then, it dawned on me — someone had tied tin cans under our car.  We both got out, and had a great laugh.  It didn’t take too long to figure out it was the Peterson boys (pictured bottom right)!  We tucked the cans into our van and drove back to the Peterson neighborhood.  Then, a block before we arrived, I got the cans out of the car and we had fun clanging up to the house.  It was nice to let them know we were home, and that we had enjoyed their prank.  Nice work, guys!

Yesterday, Veteran’s Day, Eric was spending the day helping my Dad with some outside projects.  We had an idea during breakfast to surprise my Dad and take him to lunch to thank him for being a veteran.  Eric drove him to Chick-Fil-A, my Dad’s favorite! — and Olivia and I came and surprised him.  I think I forget that my Dad is a veteran… that he was drafted at the age of 22 to go to Korea, and shortly after boot camp his lottery number was drawn and he was one of the first sent into the front lines.  HIs sister typed up all of the letters that he sent home into a notebook of memoirs… I am hoping to spend some time reading through it.

During lunch, he told us about an experience when he had returned to the US from combat.  He was stationed in Washington D.C., and General Marshall invited him and about eleven other military men over to his home in Leesburg, VA.  It was fun how clearly my Dad remembered that evening – quite unforgettable.

When Eric and Dad got into the car, my Dad said, “No one’s ever thanked me for being a veteran before.”  I need to be more intentional and better at showing my thanks.  Thanks, Dad!

(Below- a recent visit between my Dad and Annie and Olivia).

We had a chance near the end of October to spend 5 days in Washington D.C.  We were there primarily for a missions’ conference at Fourth Presbyterian Church, which is no small deal!  While the idea of conferences conjures up images of lots of programs, what was such a joy for us was that it was all about people and relationships. (Below – sharing at Fourth’s family mission fair in our “Japan room.”  Eric made the blossoming cherry tree in the corner).  We loved working with Yumiko Chapin and Susan Tanigawa!

We loved the chance both at the church, and at different occasions, to connect and reconnect with old and new friends.  As our children have the chance to get to know our good friends from this area, too, we realize that these friendships are the greatest souvenir from such visits.  (Below, visiting with our friend Joan in Williamsburg, VA;  with my Aunt Carol; with the Lamberts).

Our whole family had a BLAST with the Bond family, where we stayed during our time there.  Annie got it right when she called Phil, “Mr. Bomb.”   The whole Bond family — they  are the Bomb!

It also served, personally, to remind me of our calling and the mission that God has given us in Japan.  Being here in the US it is easy to separate “Japan life” from “US life.”  The reality is that they are very much inter-related, and our time in DC was a great reminder of what we are all about.  We loved how much people really cared about what God is doing there.

And the last souvenir we came home with?  Bronchitis!  Annie and Olivia both were hit with it the first couple of days when we came back.  The bronchitis, though, went away; but the great memories and the friendships are what will stay.

This past weekend we went away with our friends to Amish Country:  Lancaster, PA.  We stayed in a wonderful Bed and Breakfast for one night – it is an active farm, and it kept our kids active!  They loved the whole experience… feeding the baby goats; gathering eggs; taking a hayride; jumping into hay from the barn swing.

There were tears when we had to leave the farm;  every day the kids have asked when we are going back to the farm.  It was teacher’s convention for New Jersey, so all schools were closed on Thursday and Friday… it was a great chance to get away with our good friends.  We had actually briefly considered the crazy notion of all driving down to Orlando, FL for those 4 or 5 days (about a 16 hour drive each way).  The cost, and the time, made us decide against it.

As we were enjoying the simple pleasures of the farm, I thought about how different our experience was there compared to what it would have been at DisneyWorld.  Hard to compare;  but there was a certain beauty to the simplicity of this rhythmed lifestyle that all of us seemed to greatly appreciate. As we roasted marshmallows under a beautiful clear night sky our first evening, I felt like we were really ALIVE.  I didn’t mind the kids staying up until 10 pm.  I know they’ll remember those days for a long, long time.  And all the kids want farm animals — who knows — move over Molly?

We haven’t turned the news on yet.  In some ways we wanted to watch the election news with a group of people, and make Martha-Stewart-election-night-cupcakes and the whole shabang.  But on the other hand I feel a sense of gravity about tonight.

Last night Eric and I had our Monday night meeting/prayer time that we try to do weekly, and we spent time praying about the election.  I wasn’t sure how to pray at first, but I found myself praying for the two candidates… not who would or should win, but rather praying for their hearts.  I prayed that these two men would both be struck anew with the responsibility of the position they wish to assume, and would fall on their knees in humility and recognition of their need for God as they have never done before.  A million dollars would never be enough for me to want this position  – nor want my husband to have it– but  for these two men and their wives, and their VP choices — how much I pray that they are trusting in God as they never have before.  “To whom much is given, much is expected…”  I will keep praying this into the night, and praying that our response to the results models who God wants us to be — people of integrity, prayer, and humility, not divisive people of hatred and sarcasm.

This morning was the end to daylight savings time.  It has been quite a few years since we have been in the US to celebrate this glorious event that gives us one extra hour’s sleep!

But, with daylight savings’ at a close, our nights become longer;  our dark evenings start sooner; and winter seems to set in.  I have a hard time relinquishing this season of beauty.

Yet I loved watching our children today after church as they celebrated autumn in their own way. The huge sycamore tree in our front yard has been shedding its expansive leaves over the recent weeks.  Each gust of wind brings a few more tumbling down… the perfect objects to be chased and caught by six eager hands.  The pictures speak for themselves as our kids lived in the joy of the moment, with no concern about what comes next, and entertained all of us immensely.

It has been great fun in recent weeks to participate in American rituals that celebrate fall.  Japan has its own way of celebrating this season that we have learned to enjoy, but being in New Jersey has brought our whole family great joy as we have participated in numerous events that have made for unforgettable memories.

We have had THREE harvest parties!  Our kids have felt immensely lucky… and keep asking when the next one will be.

Here are some memories from the Mt. Laurel E. Free church harvest party-

And photos from Cedar Lanes harvest party, the mission community in which we are living.  Owen and Annie learned how to bob for apples;  Annie got her face painted;  and we all enjoyed American s’mores.

Then, on Halloween itself, our kids had a chance to go “trick-or-treating” with their little cousin Isabella.  Cinderella, Annakin, and Kitty Cat seemed to enjoy the conquest of ringing the doorbell more than getting the treats, which we aren’t complaining about.  We used the opportunity to visit several newer and older friends…

One of my friends shared that her daughter’s Kindergarten teacher told her that October 31st is the devil’s birthday.  While I understand some of the sentiment that makes many Christians anti-Halloween, we have loved how many Christian communities have used the harvest season to celebrate; to bring people together; to build relationships.  It has been – and done — all of these things for us.