when a leader is honored {day 19 :: honor}
It felt as though the world drew a collective breath when the news broke. Nelson Mandela, at age 95, was gone. The word "hero" doesn't suffice. I shudder to think what could have happened to the nation of South Africa, had God not used the life of Mandela to alter its course. It was grace, really. The grace and mercy of an Almighty and sovereign God, to protect South Africa from what "could have been" in the aftermath of apartheid, and guide it toward a path of peace. And I couldn't help but wonder as the riots in Ferguson broke out recently, "Where are the...
when a kitchen unites cultures {day 18 :: taste}
This is Day 18 of 31 Days of Life in South Africa — a series in which every post has been written as a five-minute free write. Today’s prompt is: TASTE. Ready? GO. *** My mother-in-law can cook. Like, really well. Whenever we used to visit her in Cape Town, which was usually once every week or two, she would cook up these amazing meals and make it all seem so effortless. I would stand on the other side of the island in the kitchen and just watch her do her thing, taking mental notes and sometimes even written ones. She was so gracious in teaching me the tricks of the trade. I probably...
five minute friday and a giveaway! {day 17 :: long}
You guys! We've made it through more than half of October! High five! Who else is doing #write31days? How's it going so far? How have you been challenged, stretched, encouraged, frustrated? Overwhelmed? Strengthened? Inspired? Which series have you been following? I'd love to hear in the comments! Today I'm super excited to share a brand new giveaway with you to spur you on in your October writing, whether you're doing Write 31 Days this year or not. Why? Because Words Matter. Krafty Kash is one talented lady who would agree that words do, in fact, matter. She thinks they matter...
parenting across cultures {day 16 :: adjust}
Hello! Welcome, and thanks for stopping by! This is Day 16 of 31 Days of Life in South Africa -- a series in which every post has been written as a free-write in five minutes flat. Yesterday I shared my daughter's birth story. The rest of the posts in this series can be found here. Once my kids were born, I had to figure out how to raise them in what was still a country mostly foreign to me. I didn’t mind that I got to have ultrasounds at every monthly appointment — a perk that some of my American friends envied. I also didn’t mind getting to spend three nights in the hospital...
a birth story {day 15 :: life}
I thought you were going to be a boy. Everybody did. Except Grandma. She said that as soon as she got off the plane in Cape Town and saw that I was carrying you all tight and compact in the front, she thought you were a girl. She said she had carried me and my sister exactly the same way. The day before you were born, I wondered what we would do the next day. We didn’t have any plans except to wait for you, and your due date was still three days away. But I woke up before five that Tuesday morning and thought I was having indigestion. After a while enduring the discomfort, I woke your...
gone {day 14 :: away}
It was a day or two before our Michigan wedding when my mom woke me up early. “It’s your pastor in Cape Town,” she said, holding out the cordless phone. My heart thumped hard in my chest. Why would he be calling me from South Africa? “Hello?” I answered, terrified of the news that may follow. “I’m really sorry to have to tell you this,” he said, “but your car has been stolen.” I’ve never been more relieved. Not that the car was gone, of course, but I was convinced that someone had died. In comparison, a stolen car was no big deal. I had left my Jetta with a friend while we...
dear zola {day 13 :: work}
Dear Zola, It’s been a long time since you worked for us. It still grates against my inner conscience to even say those words, that you “worked for us.” But it was a challenging chapter of my life, and you were a breath of fresh air. The friends who offered to hire you on our behalf could see that I wasn’t coping with a three-year-old, a one-year-old and a newly adopted six-year-old, so they said they would pay for you to come help me one day a week. You would wake up in your shanty before dark to catch a taxi, then a train and finally another taxi before ringing the buzzer...
rest is good {day 12 :: rest}
My dad says that rest is good. God thinks so, too. My husband says I’m not very good at it. Just resting. I like to be busy, even if it’s doing something that I find relaxing. I have a hard time just sitting, if you know what I mean. I’ve come to learn that, in general, Africans are better at rest than Americans. They’re incredibly diligent workers, too — but they also know how to rest. How to sit on plastic chairs under a tree and just let the afternoon pass by with a two-litre of Coke. How to stand around a braai and laugh while the sun goes down. How to steal away from the buzz...
you’ll just have to learn {day 11 :: teach}
Looking for this week's Five Minute Friday post and the giveaway from Red Letter Words? Click here. This is Day 11 of 31 Days of Life in South Africa -- a series in which every post is written in five minutes flat. Thanks for stopping by! I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. [Tweet "Moving to a foreign country is like becoming a toddler all over again. "] You have to learn how to walk and how to talk. How to shop and how to get around. How to show respect and how to listen. You need someone to teach you where to buy sweaters and that they’re not even called...
five minute friday .. and a giveaway! {day 10 :: care}
It's Five Minute Friday time, and as promised, I have another giveaway for you, my favorite internet crowd! In case you missed it last week, I've cooked up some amazing giveaways for every Friday in the month of October, mostly to keep the momentum going for many who are doing the 31 Days writing challenge, but also? Just because I love you guys. (And psst ... if you are doing 31 Days, do you realize that you're a third of the way done?! Nice work!) The theme of the giveaway month is Words Matter. Why? Because words really do matter. Your words matter. His Word matters. If you...
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