Friday Means...Fave Fives

Can it really be near the end of the second month of 2024 already?  Cliches can be boring but the one about "time flies" seems to be simply true.  I have had to stop and take deep breaths this week, to stop and calm down, to stop and hit the restart button.  Right now, I am stopping to relax and reflect on the good things that occurred this past week here at Willow's Cottage, and I am writing about them as my Friday Fave Fives.  The link will take you to Susanne's blog where you can read more FFFs and join it you want.

1.  It seems that during certain seasons people, me included, obsess about the weather.  Like me. This week.  I am thankful for snow, rain, and sunshine.  Rain and snow mean that we are unlikely to have drought conditions.  Sunshine means a relief from the darkness of clouds (and Vitamin D).

2.  Exercise is important for our health.  I am thankful that we can visit the local Y and exercise there.  We worked out two days this week.  And our granddaughter was with us and work out, too.

3.  Usually, we do not just visit a restaurant for a meal out.  This past week, we had dinner in restaurants TWICE.  We visited a local Thai restaurant with a couple and just had a great time chatting.

4.  Then on Saturday evening, we met up with a family who lives in Kentucky.  Why would we do that?  The husband/father was a missionary kid in Papua and attended the same international MK boarding school that three of my children did.  He was a few years older but remembers them. (It was a quite small school)  We had spent time with them a couple of years ago at a reunion, and this is the first time we've been able to meet up with them even though we live only one and a half hours away.  It was a wonderful and joyful two hours we spent with them.  I have to add that their two children were a delight, too.

5.  Can I just give a thankful shout out to coffee?  That caffeine boost has really helped my schedule this week!

It's Friday Already??

 Oh yeah, it's Friday!  We have had such a busy traveling week that I totally forgot what day it is.  Well, better late than never, right?  Here are my Friday Fave Fives...Willow's Week described in sharing five blessings.  The link takes you to Susanne's blog where you can read more or join us.

1.  On Sunday afternoon, The Professor, Older Daughter and I packed our bags and threw them into our new car and headed out.  The reason for our trip might not seem like a happy occasion.  We were traveling to attend the funeral for a beloved co-worker in Papua, Indonesia.  But truly, it is a blessing to know that the God we served in Indonesia had welcomed our dear friend to her eternal home.  She joined her husband and youngest daughter and one grandson.

2.  On the way, we stopped overnight in Michigan to visit another couple who also served with us in Indonesia.  They now live here:

What a wonderful time of reminiscing we had!  Their daughter was one of Older Daughter's best friends and roommates at the missionary boarding school. (you may remember that last summer we hosted a family who are missionaries in Thailand--that is the same 'girl'.)  Our friends live on a large farm and we had great fun tramping through their woods before we left and went on our way.

3.  Our destination was Wisconsin.

How do you explain to people that co-workers in places where we lived are really family.  After checking in to our hotel and grabbing dinner, we drove over to our friends' home and just settled in chatting like we had seen each other yesterday.  We got caught up on everyone's activities.  Out of respect for this grieving family, I am not posting any photos.

The next morning, we attended the service for our friend and met three more co-workers who also made the trip to attend her service.  Lunch was just the best catch-up time!  And we returned in the evening to hang out again with them.  Our hearts were full!

4.  You can't travel to eastern Wisconsin and not visit Lake Michigan.  It's 'almost' like being at the beach...

5.  Since we were driving through Illinois anyway, we stopped for lunch and conversation with The Professor's older brother and his wife.  We had not been to their 'new' house, so it was great to see it in person.  And our nephew brought four of his children over to visit.  It was so good to sit and talk with them before we headed out toward home again.

And of course, it is always good to be home.  Safe and sound.  Truly our week was stuffed full of blessings and wonderful memories.

A Week of Memories and Travels

 Wow.  What a week full of blessings this has been.  Some weeks are mundane and routine; others are full of adventure.  For me, this week has been the latter--full of adventures and of memory making.  Here are five things, Five Faves,  that stick out to me from this past week.  That Five Faves link will take you to Susanne's blog where you can join in with us to share your five best blessings from the week.

1.  The Professor and I drove to Orlando last Wednesday and Thursday.  There is always so much beauty mixed in with the boring miles of freeway.

2.  We spent four amazing days with former colleagues from our Indonesia days.  Some of the attendees at the reunion were people we had never met but had known by name and reputation; others were close friends.  For example, the doctor who spent a few months with us on the island of Java in Indonesian language school and who now lives just 1/2 hour drive from us!  (Yes, we are planning to get together!)  The pilot and his wife and son who have remained friends with us through the years.  We met an older man who was an MK (missionary kid) but before our children's time.  We just hit it off with him and his wife, having so many things in common (like she KNITS!).  Our hearts are so full!

3.  I don't know if anyone reading this blog has ever heard of or read the book Lords of the Earth by Don Richardson.  Don's son Steve was the host of our reunion, the president of Pioneers, a mission organization whose home headquarters is in Orlando, Florida (and where we held our meetings).  Lords of the Earth is the biography of several people who were killed or died in accidents which brought a very violent and antagonist tribe of Papuan people to become Christians.  Some of the people who spoke during sessions of the reunion had first hand stories of their experiences with the Yali tribal people.  I would encourage you to read Lords of the Earth; the stories in the book are true and riveting, and I know some of those people!

4.  After the reunion, The Professor and I drove over to a town on the Gulf of Mexico side of Florida.  My cousin lives there and we spent two days with her.  It was so lovely to spend that precious time with her.

5.  Of course, a visit to Florida needs a visit to the beach, too.  We enjoyed the drive to St. Petersburg and then from St. Pet's to Fort DeSoto on the gulf shore.  The weather was hot and humid so we didn't linger on the beach, but we did stick our hands into the fine white sands on the shore.

What a week full of blessings!  And now we are home, having driven through the Appalachian Mountains today.  What contrasts of terrain from the wet, mossy swamps of Florida to the the majestic heights of the mountains and valleys of Tennessee, Kentucky and Ohio.

Was your week blessed with routine things or crazy wild things?

Third Friday in December

Happy Friday!  And Happy Fave Fives Day!  Christmas is fast approaching.  Are you ready?  I am pausing and taking a deep breath to focus my attention on the blessings of this past week.  Here are just Five.  (Friday Fave Fives link.)

1.   Third week of Advent.  Joy.

2.  An older missionary colleague asked me about photos I might have of the national missionaries we worked with in our tribal area.  She and her husband had been mentors and teachers to the Hatam pastors before sending them to the Moskona tribe where we were assigned a couple of years later.  I have scanned many of the photos and was able to send them on to her.  Here are three of the Hatam missionaries praying for a newly appointed Moskona church leader.  These men (Bahar, Pete, and Abner) were mentored and then passed on their learning to others.

3.  Browsing the pictures brought back so many wonderful memories-- my younger son and his friend Simson (the son of one of the Hatam missionaries).

Our first village, Meyokda

Wow, this picture brings back memories!  Our Christmas card!

Yes, we are sitting in front of a MAF helicopter--our only means of transportation in and out of our village.

4.  Christmas cards and letters have been arriving in the mailbox!  I love receiving and sending those greetings and updates.

5.  Is it true that it isn't really Christmas until you post a picture of your Christmas tree?  Just in case, here is our tree this year.  Just lights.  No ornaments.  We looked at the tree and decided we liked it the way it is.  (the fave?  super easy)

May you continue to have a JOYous December!

Gratitude in Autumn

What made you smile and be thankful this week?  Some weeks, it is just the small things.  Other weeks, it is huge, amazing things.  Whatever God brings in to your life will have ways for you to be grateful.  Here are FRIDAY FAVE FIVES from Willow's Week.  (the link takes you to more!)

1.  When I was at Costco this week, I wandered into the fresh veggies and fruits area where I don't usually go.  Imagine my delight to find RAMBUTAN!  What's rambutan, you ask?  It's a tropical fruit, similar to lychee, that we loved eating when we lived in Indonesia.  The name mean 'hair'.  The reason is obvious when you see the photo.

2.  What's not to love about finding a package on your front porch that you weren't expecting?  And it contained BOOKS!  My beautiful, thoughtful, book loving, librarian daughter-in-law sent me some books by a new to me author.  D.E. Stevenson.  I love anything British, and this author reminds me of Elizabeth Goudge.

3.  The weather has changed.  Time to pull out my warm snuggly AFGHANS!  And one more is almost finished, just in time.

4.  Last night our family drove into the city to attend a showing of the MOVIE Ends of the Earth.  It is produced by Mission Aviation Fellowship, the group of aviators who provided our only means of transportation into the villages where we lived when we were missionaries in Papua, Indonesia.  As you can imagine, we were all so excited to 'see' the places we knew so well.  There was even a clip of one of the national missionaries preaching in OUR little village church.  PLEASE, if you have an opportunity to see this film, GO!

5.  To add joy to our evening, we met a family as we were walking out of the theatre.  Their family member lives in PAPUA!  So we chatted and exchanged information.  The sister even texted her brother--obviously we know the same people and he lives in the town where our children attended boarding school.  What a small and wonderful world!

And here is some fun for you to enjoy...a sign I noticed recently in a local park.  I don't think it is correct...

August Means...

August! Wow!  I'm not ready for August!  But here it is and here it is the first Friday in August.  Fridays are my FRIDAY FAVE FIVES days.  (Follow the link to join in!)

1.  It's FAIR TIME!  Our county fair opened on Wednesday and The Professor and I were there.  We dragged along his sister and nephew and a young friend from church.  Dragged might be a bit of an exaggeration.  They happily accompanied us.  We love the exhibits and the musical group son the small stages.  I'm thankful for where I live!

2.  While I was demonstrating spinning at our weavers and spinners guild booth, they all took off to look at fun things like the stamps section in one of the "hobby buildings" and the photography competitions.  Then they decided to watch the pig races.  From their reports back to me, the pig races may have been their favorite.  I'm thankful they all wanted to spend a fun day with us.

3.  I have also been (FINALLY) organizing and scanning some of our old photos.  After I scan them, I am putting them into various albums.  Right now, I am focusing on the photos from our years in Indonesia.  We lived for three years in the house in the foreground of this photo.  For us, that was luxury living!  We had access to stores, four hours of electricity at night, and running water!

Erickson-Tritt Bible Institute

This is where we spent more of our time.

Our home is not in the picture--it was just to the right outside the photo.  The church is the building on the far right.  Only access to the village was helicopter (or walking for a week).

I'm thankful for the years we were able to live and minister in such an amazing place!

4.  The reason I started back up again was that my daughters asked me for some photos of them together when they were young because they are having a birthday party barbeque this weekend to celebrate their birthdays which are two weeks apart.  I found one which I though would be right.  They were SO CUTE! (They still are!)  I'm thankful my girls still love each other and love to spend time together.

And this one of the three of us

5.  I love to study new things.  Right now, I have TWO NEW THINGS to study.  I just signed up for a free introductory class for making herbal preparations.  AND I checked out some books from the library on sketching.  Why two such different things?  Well, partly because I want to learn about herbs and herbal medicines AND I want to draw the sketches of each herb I study. Now those are not the only reasons for my interests, but that's how these two intersect.  I'm thankful I can learn new things and it's mostly free access to so much knowledge!

What are you thankful for this week?

Presentations, Anniversaries, Birthdates

Friday Fave Fives, a little bit late.  Here are Five Wonderful Events in Willow's Week.  Thanks to Susanne for always hosting Friday Fave Fives.

1.  I've been focused on a project I am presenting this weekend.  The title is Textiles in Indonesia.  All week, I've been searching my old photos, scanning a few, taking new photos of the batik fabrics and Papuan strings bags and woven bags I own, and double checking my facts.  I'm enjoying reviewing (and reliving) this part of my history.

2.  The Professor is doing his magic with my photos and miraculously producing a power point presentation for me.  I am so thankful to have a tech savvy and willing husband.

3.  Cool evenings for walking.  The weather has been perfect for our night walks.

4.  Happy Anniversary to my youngest daughter and her husband!  It has been TEN YEARS!

5.  And finally, last but certainly not least--very dear friends introduced a new baby into the world on Thursday morning!  My daughter was privileged to be there and help in the delivery room.  I feel a bit like this is a new grandbaby.  Her photos already melt my heart!

November Thankfulness #25

November 25th, Wednesday
Today I am thankful for a working oven.  The reason that we did the total upgrade of our home about a year ago was because our oven died, couldn't be fixed and couldn't be replaced in the space where it was located.  I have lived other times without an oven.  When we first moved into the Moskona area of Papua, Indonesia, I had neither an oven nor a stove.  We cooked on a wood fire.  Really.  Then we upgraded to a two burner kerosene stove (think camping stove) with a small removable stove top oven.  That oven had two heat settings:  off and burn.  Still we learned to adjust.  For awhile we had a wood stove/oven.  That was fun although it was a built in upper body workout machine too--if you want to cook, you need to cut the wood and kindling and carry in to the house. (My house helper was strong.)  So, today I have an efficient gas stove and oven combo.  I walk over, turn a knob, or punch a few spots on the white surface of the stove and PRESTO! my oven is working, and it's automatically the correct temperature.  A functional oven is a modern miracle.