Out and About

Today I went to the Fu Xing nursing home for probably the last time. I adore the people there. Three of the older gentlemen became family members!! PTL!! One of the little old ladies is reminds me quite a bit of one of my aunts. Both have/had Alzheimer's, and both are/were amazing. The last time I went to Fu Xing, the lady there thought I was her daughter, and in the midst of feeding her an orange, she stopped eating and made sure I had a bite as well before she would eat any more. She can't walk anymore, due to a pretty bad fall that injured her hip and ankle, and it's dampened her spirits a bit. Any pr's would be welcome. I'm so sad to be leaving these new friends. It was difficult to hear today that one of them has passed away in the past month, but he was in a lot of pain, and had accepted Dad, so I know he's in a better place. Dad has shown me so much through their precious lives, and holding hands and talking to them has made all the difference in the world to me, and I hope to some of them as well.

A New View

So I realized today after walking a few miles that my attitude has changed a bit in the past seven months. When I first arrived, I wasn't thrilled to even have to walk to the bus stop every morning, which is maybe a half mile at the very most. Today, a friend and I had lunch, and after discovering that she had no patients, we decided to take a walk. We walked at least a few miles, but it was really warm today (40s), and it felt incredible, so I didn't realize how far we'd walked until my friend commented on it. I felt like I could walk forever! Walking is not the only way in which my view of the world has changed, but it's certainly a noticeable one. I also have learned what it means to be patient (potty training tends to teach that), how much of a treat it is for some people to be able to come in to the city, and how beautiful and incredible Dad is in every aspect of our lives, as well as the fact that He has control over every situation.

I was walking a few days ago, looking for a certain bus. I had gotten off of one and was looking for my connecting one. Anyway, the directions I had written down for myself apparently weren't the best. I got lost. I took a turn, found a bus yard where my bus was parked and felt like jumping up and down.. until 20 minutes later when I finally asked someone and found out that the buses do not start or end there. :( So I was once again lost. I left the bus yard and continued down the road until I came to an intersection. I wanted to go straight until I found a bus. The "common sense" in me thought that if I started making turns, it would be harder to find the main road again. However, I felt a small little voice, just once, say "left". So after a few steps, I went back and turned left. At the first intersection I found the bus I was looking for. :) I have no doubt that the small voice was Dad. He's just good like that.

So incredibly blessed!

Today has been amazing. I guess it really started last night though. I received an email from a friend about plans for when I arrive Stateside (in roughly 3 1/2 wks), as well as having a second friend invite me to either a baseball or basketball game not long after I return. I can honestly say that it was a answer to pr to remember that I'm going to have people to talk to, and that I felt like I was walking on a cloud. I have been blessed with some of the most incredible friends in the world (although, I'm admittedly a bit biased)! =)

So I started talking about today and ended up at yesterday. Today... I taught English, learned about Chinese New Year, shared my week with an awesome accountability group, and went to a nursing home with a pretty awesome group of people! I haven't laughed as much as I have today in a LONG time. Smiles are contagious. It's official. My Father is the most amazing one I could ask for and I love HIM beyond compare!

38 sticks of level 3 "coffeeness" is the best way to start your day. Just sayin.










Adorable? I think so.