cards

It was a pretty good day, except my Mary and my Martha clashed a bit.

I got up early and exercised, in spite of ongoing stomach troubles. :-P I made an egg for breakfast in this cute little one-egg frying pan. It makes a perfectly round little fried egg. Then I coached for an hour. Again, very satisfying.

The rest of the morning was spent making cards (mostly birthday cards) for friends and family back home. Our friends are moving back to the US, and they leave tomorrow, so I needed to have them finished today (so they can carry them back to the US and mail them from there). I created and wrote and addressed 11 cards in all, and believe me—it was a marathon of creative madness! Paper, glitter, scissors and stamps are still strewn about the kitchen table. I will deal with the clean-up tomorrow. (again a :-P face)

During my flurry of greeting-card-making, I had to deny a cute little kitty who wanted to play in the worst way (so she jumped up on the table to "help" me with the cards) and also turn away a friend who called, wanting to come over to chat. I felt awful saying no, but I chose the task over the people. Martha insisted that I had far too much to do.

She was right, of course. I was supposed to be finished by 2, because we were meeting our friends to say our final good-byes. But I missed the deadline. I was very close, but I was simply out of time.

We went on over to their hotel and surprised them with a birthday cake (for the mom of the family). It was a very rich, delicious chocolate with chocolate frosting. Yum, but you couldn't eat too much!

And then the Mary in me took over. We just sat and talked with them for hours. It was so nice. I took family photos for them, because one older son is staying here and the rest of the family is going to the States. I thought it would be nice to have a few shots of the family all together. They are certainly dear friends. We'll miss them.

But the good-bye time will be prolonged, since we are going to deliver the (now finished) cards to them early tomorrow morning, before they head to the airport. So, my procrastination actually gives us the chance to see them once more. Not bad.

People are so transient here. Relationships are temporary. Friends come and go so quickly. These friends are extra special, because we have known them for 12 years—ever since we arrived. I think we have a bond that will stretch across the miles and the years.

I think one reason I wanted a cat is because it speaks of a more settled, rooted way of life. Cat owners have to provide a certain amount of stability and safety for their pets. That's the kind of life I want. But the reality is, that my life just doesn't line up with that definition. I am not sure, but I highly doubt that we are going to be settling in and putting down roots anywhere for a long while.

Do you think the cat can learn to find security and comfort in just me, instead of her surroundings?

Funny. I think that's what God asks of us as well.