p is for photos April 3, 2009

It rained all day yesterday and wouldn’t you know it, it was the day my big fat package of vacation photos arrived from Snapfish.  They sat in the mailbox all day and all night because I didn’t feel like going out in the rain and wind to fetch them.  John brought them in this morning, however, and it seems that no harm was done.  Can’t say as much for the Macy’s flyer and a magazine, but the snapshots faired well.

I really like photos, the kind you can hold and shuffle through and share with people not leaning over a computer.  I like putting them up on my photo rail in my hall way.  I like sending copies to people in the mail.  As I sorted through the big stack I ordered, I relived the trip a little bit and here’s what I noticed this time:

- the happiness of a reunion with Chris is reflected in Thomas’ eye.  Pure joy.

- there is genuine warmth and affection in the faces of the host families with home we spent time around the table.

- my daughter is beautiful.

- the grandeur of the dom in Cologne cannot be captured in a photograph.

- I only have ONE photograph of our family of five.

This last one really frosts me.  Here we are half way around the world together only briefly and for the last time until who knows when and I only manage to snag one family shot.  It’s not even very good because I did it on the self timer and a couple of heads are chopped off.  Next time I will be more bold to ask the strangers around me to take some photos of our family.  That is if I can learn that phrase in the language required.

I may not have the photos, but I have the clear memories.  I will never forget the effort Kate went to get there:  planes, buses, trains all just to spend 48 hours with us.  I will never forget the delicious German food and drink and lively conversation we shared around the table at Frug Brauhaus in Cologne.  I will never forget hearing each of my three children converse with their hosts in German.  Amazing.  And I will treasure these moments until God grants us the opportunity to do it again.  But next time I’ll be sure to get some photos.

r is for re-entry April 1, 2009

Getting back into the swing of things is going slowly.  I’m still falling asleep about 8:30 PM and waking about 4:30 AM.  It could be worse.  I’m getting a lot done before I go to work but  yesterday, in my first day back at the office, I noticed I was really dragging by mid-afternoon.

We seem to make things like re-entry more urgent for ourselves than we really need to.  I was glad to hear my daughter had scheduled a late start to her first day back and I also took a day to adjust.  But even so, my email was filled with hundreds of messages.   Each of them seemed to possess a sense of urgency – from the spam that leaked through the filter promising me a fortune to the request for participants in an upcoming volunteer fair.  What, really, is urgent?

Urgent is the appreciation of those who helped make our trip possible.  Urgent is catching up with the friends and family I missed while gone.  Urgent is the missing of those we left behind.  Urgent is not task but person.  I am going to put my focus there today.

I have a full day at the office, but will squeeze in lunch with good girlfriends.  I will be ready to sleep by 8:30 PM, but will welcome our small group from church for reunion and study.  I will look my kid in the eye and listen when I ask him about musical practice.  

This morning before work I wrote, dusted, ate, drank coffee, checked email, checked facebook, straightened, prepped, fixed.  Now on to the urgent.