What I Wore Wednesday

I'm too shy to link up with the official WIWW but apparently not too shy to take a (blurry) picture of myself and post it.

As My Neck Turns

Thrilled to be en route to a family holiday in Galena, I removed my seat belt.  My husband was driving and I was in the second row of our mini van, so what harm could there be in shifting our provisions around a bit?
Plenty, when the older gentlemen in the next car veered into our lane.  Brakes slammed, and so did I, right into the seat in front of me.  Since I had been partially standing, my head and neck bounded away from my body for a moment.
Fast forward to the next morning.  I awoke from a night of restless sleep to find whiplash had frozen my neck and upper shoulders.  Holiday? Ha!
Creeping around our condo and trying to take care of everyone without moving my head or shoulders was frustrating.  Thank God for my husband, who stepped into the gap and heroically escorted our three small children to the resort pool.   Four times.  Within 48 hours.
The pain and stiffness began to fall away slightly as the hours and days passed.  However, Sunday morning I was back home and still couldn't pick up my youngest daughter for the pain radiating down my left arm.  I was starting to panic.  My husband was gracious, but his grace wouldn't cover my temporary disability once he was in Tokyo.  His departure was in three days.
At church, the message barely registered.  The service flowed over and around me as I waited for prayer time.  At last, I went forward and found two gentlemen to pray for me.
Physical healing by the Holy Spirit is something I've been privileged to hear much about and even witness over the last 10 years.  I cried to the two prayer warriors and to the Lord about the pain in my neck, upper back and arms, and then experienced healing for myself.
My arm and much of the pain in my back disappeared.  But knowing all of my needs, God didn't stop with my physical body.  He prompted one of the men to speak about the "whiplash of the heart" I was suffering.  Exactly.
Realizing that the Lord of the Universe knows the state of my internal being floored me and flooded me with peace.
Since then, my neck and back have gradually returned to full function.  I am posting this today because on the two week anniversary of the accident, I went through the day and not once did I note, "OUCH, that bit of my neck apparently wasn't healed!".  The peace ebbs and flows a bit with the rhythm or lack thereof in the days, but even at ebb, it's more with me than before.

How have you been healed?  Or how would you like to be healed?    

Izumi's First Day at Sea

Izumi turned five in May, which means that as of today, she's a big kid at her school. She moved from the 3 & 4 year old "Sky Class" up to the 5 & 6 year old "Sea Class". Last year, particularly at the beginning of the year, it was hard for her to separate, but today, she walked right in like she owns the place.

That's what her teacher reported as well: that she literally jumped in as you see above.

She also hand sewed two little bags. They are for catching "kobito," which means "little people". They are tiny dwarf like creatures who supposedly live around her school. I haven't linked to the site, because I don't think they are particularly appealing as pictured in the book. Better to imagine them, catch them and imprison them in a small cloth holder...

So proud of my biggest little girl!

Child's Prayer

In cleaning out a box of junk, I found a napkin on which I recorded the following prayer:

イエス様、この食事をなおしてください。
この食べ物をたべてください。
アーメン

Yesu sama, kono shokuji wo naoshite kudasai.
Kono tabemono wo tabete kudasai.  Amen.

Jesus, Please fix this meal.
And please eat this food.
Amen.

It's funnier in Japanese.  And it would be an even better story if I noted here which one of the kids said this and when.  But alas, I left those details unrecorded.  Ah well, it's a relief to know that if we can't be bothered to eat our own food, we can always ask Jesus to do it for us.

Climbers

Over the last three weeks or so, the once reluctant Koji has mysteriously transformed into an avid practitioner of karate.  For the most part, I am in favor of the transformation.  Finding ways to get him to the dojo daily Monday through Thursday feels strangely easier than dealing with his previous reluctance to go once a week.
A large part of my adventure, finding myself a sudden and thorough "karate mom," is figuring out what on earth the girls and I are supposed to do from 5:30 to 6:30 every day.  Let me note that I would love for us to linger and watch him at practice.  Alas, my only quibble with his dojo: the waiting area is too small to accommodate two active little girls and their increasingly frazzled mama.  We have to drop him off and then entertain ourselves as the distance back home is just a little too great to warrant a trip there and back.

Thank God, it's summer, for now.  Killing time isn't so complicated.  And I'm finding the more we do it, somehow, I don't mind the waiting as much.  We're moving from killing time to investing time in making memories together.  And that feels like a sort of climbing.  

Studious

I haven't been thanking God that Koji is studious, but I should be.  Every day when he gets home from school, he does his homework immediately and for the most part, without being asked.  Historically, motivating others hasn't been my strong suite.  That is why, when I thank God today that Koji is self-motivated (for studying; helping around the house, not so much), I will also add a plea that he may continue on this way for as long as he is a student...

A Possible Resurrection

I know well that when someone posts to their blog after an extremely long silence, it's passe or boring or some kind of uncool to apologize or make excuses for one's absence.  Nevertheless, I have to note the hold up, if only for my own sake in posterity: we got a new computer.

One would expect that getting a new computer would likely lead to MORE posting, not less.  Erm.  That goes for people who know how to operate their sparkly machine.  Let's suppose the old one was a PC and the new one is a Mac and against better judgment, no help articles or manuals or anything that might actually explain what to do have been used.  At all.  Ever.

That is why I did not know how to resize a photo to post to the blog.  Though I'm sometimes pompous enough to rather enjoy my own blathering, I know better than to presume the same of you.  In other words, no pictures means no posting.

But now, ever so fortuitously and accidentally, I have discovered how to resize a photo.  And thus, I hope to revive this blog.  I hope.  I hope.  When I post next time, maybe I will arrive at informing you of Koji's school Sports Day, pictures above.  Wait for it.

"Outfit Post"

Short Term Short Distance Exchange

Last Wednesday Jan. 26 the 1st grade class from an elementary school across the road came to visit Koji and his classmates for the day. They had a full program of activities, including some very creative games. A highlight for me was when one American kid asked how to play "Rock Paper Scissors". Know that Japanese society would not function (seriously!) without RPS. Consider that at 21 months, Misaki has some grasp of RPS.... Anyway, here is Koji and his partner for the day.

Courtesy of Aliyah's Hope Chest and Grandma

In 2011, I will

Play more Bananagrams. Find more people who want to do the same, and/or use this banana shaped game as an excuse--that is, perfectly legitimate reason--to reunite with the like-minded. Along the way, learn more words that start with "Q" and "Z".

Snow + Nobu = Good Times

If a Tree Falls in the Forest, No One Hears a Thing

Another mark of the extreme nature of my extroverted (extraverted?  is there a "right" way to spell this word?) is that I often feel things haven't properly happened unless I've experienced them with someone else.  Thus, when I have "incidents" and I'm alone, their status seems debateable.  That is, maybe nothing happened after all, unless I told someone.  Note that I do understand and believe that God is always with me, but I confess here that I don't always get cozy feelings from that reality.

So the flip side: if something embarrassing occurs, bonus, it needn't have as long as I don't make it reality by telling someone....except, I can't help myself.  And I mean, really, I can't help myself.  You'll see what I mean. 

Spent this afternoon jumping ahead of a rare fire under the bum for the cleaning and organizing that I usually can't be bothered with.  Which is why it takes soooo long whenever I do hop to it.  Well, the pleasant end of the run around the house was six bags of stuff for Salvation Army, three for the moms at Izumi's preschool and one more for a friend's house.  Just before I was to pick Izumi and Koji up, I unlocked the van from inside the house and then made several runs to get it all loaded. 

I then ran back into the house, grabbed Misaki and all of our luggage, and ran back out.  And closed the locked door.  Note I did not say "picked up my keys".  Because I didn't.  Pick up my keys.  Feeling ever so relieved and thankful that at the least the van was unlocked, I got Misaki and myself settled in to what I was sure would be our temporary home for the next hour or two.  Then I started making the incident real by calling and reporting; first to the friend who had Izumi, next to the friend that could pick up Koji. 

Finally, I called Aogu and asked him to please hurry home so he could unlock the door.  I explained the entire incident, including why it was so great that at least we could sit in the van.  That's why he said, "Why can't you use the lockbox?". 

Right.  That thing with the key in it that we bought because I am prone to locking myself out of the house. 

Please picture me with a sheepish look on my face.  And please note that I was on time to pick up Koji.

This is What She Does When We Say...

....Bikkuri Gao (make a surprised face)!

Dinner @ Hardys'

During which, as with all old friends, we had to discuss when we saw one another last and how we can't or at least shouldn't let that much time pass before we meet again. Hope to see you in less than eight years!

Even If the Shoe Doesn't Fit, Wear It

Lincolnwood Turkey Trot 5K Successfully Completed

The Wonders of Mama's Powder

Because everything is more interesting right before bedtime.

Breaking All the Rules

Though I like to think of myself as a free and easy person, the truth is that I have a lot of rules. 

For example, "no talking on the phone at night".  There's nothing inherently wrong with talking on the phone at night, of course, but I would much rather connect in person than on the phone.  And by the evening, I have usually expended my energy for the day already.  So all I'm good for is holding a book in front of my face.  Or looking at the computer for way too many hours on end.  Which is another topic for another time. 

At any rate, last night a long time and long lost friend got ahold of me at around 9:30 pm.  I made an exception to my rule for her.  And then, then, after that, before I knew it, when we finally said good-bye, it was 1: 20 am and my rule was blown to all kinds of tiny smithereens. 

Lesson: talk to long lost friends, in the evening or otherwise, more often than once in four months.  Two birds with one stone effect: long lost friends will be found, and rules will be obeyed.   

Misaki's First Date

with Minato at Bravo Italian Restaurant.