Thankful Wherever You Are

There's a reason I loved being a third grade teacher... I think like a kid so I appreciate children's stories, movies and songs. One of my favorite movies is from the Veggie Tale series, Madame Blueberry. It hits you right in the gut - We're always tempted to look around and see what we don't have rather than choose to be thankful for what we do have. As a result, all the joy and sweetness of a moment can be sucked away. Madame Blueberry is reminded of this lifegiving truth by a little child who has very little materially but riches galore in character and relationships. This is the song the child sings while Madame Blueberry watches from afar.

I thank God for this day,

For the sun in the sky,

For my mom and my dad,

For my piece of apple pie!

For our home on the ground,

For His love that's all around,

That's why I say thanks every day!
Because a thankful heart is a happy heart!

I'm glad for what I have,

That's an easy way to start!

For the love that He shares,

'Cause He listens to my prayers,

That's why I say thanks every day!

Thursday didn't feel like Thanksgiving since it was a regular work and school day but from the other side of the pond, we gave thanks with Dennis' American team members at our house on Friday night. It's a new thing to celebrate a holiday with people you work with but it was fun just the same.

Julieanne and one of the American boys,Brandon, had played a guitar duet while she sang at school last week (her first ever!)so we had them play for us as well. We also had Anna Catherine play a Bach piece on the cello. They were a kind and enthusiastic audience. It was a nice evening together.

Julian's Here!

Our dear friend, Julian Battle, who lived with us for almost two years in Augusta, arrived on November 20 for a visit. As always, he brought his million dollar smile and servant attitude. Over the weekend we took him up to Glasgow, Scotland to see a Rangers soccer match since he's a big sports fan. While he's here, we hope to show him the other big English sport of rugby. It's not cricket season or we'd try to show him that as well. While the guys went to the soccer match, the girls did a little secret santa shopping for school friends and then we all headed over to the west coast of Scotland which is opposite the water from the Lake District where we live.

We spent a lot of time relaxing reading, sleeping in, catching up on our daily Bible reading (we got a month behind when we were in States this summer and have never recovered) watching some movies, hiking, and goofing off. It was great timing too as all three kids were a bit run down with colds.

Monday we headed to the Isle of Arran by ferry for a hike. This island was the location from which Robert the Bruce safely waited for the signal to return to mainland Scotland for the attack on the English. It was a gorgeous sunny, cold day for a hike around the castle of Broderick (featured on the Scotish 20 pound note) You can see it off in the distance behind Julieanne and Dennis on the beach.

We arrived home late Tuesday after keeping the kids off school for two days only to get busy planning a train route and tourist stops for Julian to head to London at 6:34 the next morning. He's spending Wednesday - Friday down there doing the 'tourist thang'. He'll be back in time for a Thanksgiving meal at our house with the American members of Dennis' team. Nathan keeps asking when Julian will be back.

Golf for the First Time

Saturday before last, it was sunny and 40 degrees so Dennis decided we should try our first 9 holes at the St. Bees Golf course. I had other plans for the day but I was persuaded to take advantage of the pretty day and go for a few hours. Most of the holes were par 3 or 4 which was a joke for us. The first hole I lost 3 balls and probably got in the hole in about 10 strokes. When they say, "your ball is in the rough" over here, they mean rough! Like forget it - not going to find it! The score got a little better after the first hole. Dennis wasn't half bad. It was really beautiful and cheap to play on this course.

I'm glad I dropped my expectations for the day and went with the new plan and my two men.

Many Happy Returns of the Day

We celebrated Dennis tonight in the way he enjoys most - not too much fuss but with great food! He is well loved!

Julieanne made a pecan praline bundt cake that was yummy. We've discovered that the flour over here is different which explains why our US recipes didn't quite work. I was beginning to think it was all my fault but no, thankfully an ex-pat explained the problem and brought us two 5 lb. bags of Gold Medal flour in their suitcase. Very nice gift. Dennis' birthday cake was just right.

5th of November

Remember, remember the 5th of November

Gunpowder, treason and plot

We see no reason

why gunpowder treason

should ever be forgot.

Did you remember Guy Fawkes Day from last year's blog? The country celebrates with bonfires and fireworks saving the life of King James in 1605 from crazies that tried to blow up parliament?

Neighborhoods all over town host bonfires and fireworks. If you didn't know what was going on you'd think the town had been set on fire. This year we went to our neighbors for jacket potatoes, fireworks and a bonfire which was nice.

We also got to celebrate later in the week at St. Bees School where they do a spectacular fireworks show and bbq. Funny thing, last year when we went we were totally crammed in this small space trying to inch along to get some food and drink. I thought that they would have solved that little kink this year but no, it was worse. They all seemed totally resigned to this way of doing it. Being the oh so effecient Americans that we are we tried to think up a few solutions for next year. I sent a thank you note to the house parents that host the huge event for the school community offering for next year the services of the budding parents organization that has started up. They gladly took us up on the offer.

This year's fireworks celebration lasted over a week. Thing is they can only buy fireworks in the stores for about a three week window. If you want to shoot off fireworks at other times during the year, you have to have a permit so they make their week count.

We had the youth over at the end of that week for our own fireworks and roasting S'mores. It was raining so hard we had to make the S'mores in the oven and shooot off the fireworks as soon as there was a lull in the rain. The kids were happy to stand in the drizzle with their sparklers and ooo and aahhh over the fireworks that the pirotechnics, Dennis and a boy named Phil, set off. While waiting for the rain to subside we introduced them to the animal game and finished the night off with a round of Battle of the Sexes which ended in a tie.

Remembering

It is easy to take liberty for granted, when you have never had it taken from you. Dick Cheney


One of the things I like about England is Remembrance Day or Veteran's Day. They involve young and old- everyone (and I mean that almost literally not the teenage kind of everyone) buys and wears a poppy on their shirt. Private and public schools hold special assemblies in honor of these heroes of the past. Even church had a special emphasis beginning the service early remembering those that were killed in battle specifically this year, hearing taps played by one of the kids on his trumpet, praying for the soldiers' families, and then singing 'God Save the Queen' at the end. It was announced that if you were from a different country you didn't have to sing England's national anthem but we did because they provided the words to sing along. They are appreciative of your effort to accept and appreciate their country. Another aspect of Remembrance Day is that at every war memorial or monument, you will find wreaths of poppies laid at the base.

In the beginning of a change, the patriot is a scarce man, and brave, and hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot. Mark Twain Quotes


We would do well in America to be more involved in Veteran's Day rather than leaving it to the older generation or the families of service men and women. We've become far too complacent about the privilege of our freedoms and the cost by which they were acquired. I remember watching 'Saving Private Ryan' for the first time and 'We Were Soldiers' and how I left the movie theatre sobbing and sobbing because of the graphic reminder of our liberty. I felt that every young person should have to see that - gory as it was to gain some sense of the personal cost to their daily life.


This is dedicated to the men in my family that have served our country - my dad, my brother, my Uncle Jay, and adopted bros Jonathan Stamberg and Adam Ray.


As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them. ~John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Saying it Like it is...

You can usually count on Nathan to say it like it is, uncensored and raw. The other day, one of his friends was over whose parents have been 'partners' for 10 or so years. It seems to be much more common here than in Augusta that people by pass the commitment of marriage and just live together or 'partner'. (Dennis had a long chat with one of the secretaries about the sanctity of marriage as she was telling him about her new partner who was definitely the 'one' but didn't need to marry just to be committed. A few months later, she admitted to Dennis that 'the one' had left for another woman.....)

Anyway, the little friend was talking about his dad while we were eating dinner when Nathan interrupted him with, "How can he be your dad when your parents aren't married?"We explained that whether this boy's parents were married or not, the guy was still his dad. Nathan couldn't get his head around this and kept pushing to understand - "I just don't get it... they're not married?... Why aren't they married?" I think we changed the subject somehow so as to not have to explain all this over dinner in front of the friend. Nathan meant no embarrassment for the friend, he just wanted to understand. Problem is, he thinks out loud on a rather regular basis which doesn't always give people warm fuzzies. We chose the name 'Nathan' for him because it was our prayer that he would be a man of truth, brave and willing to tell it like it is just as the prophet Nathan spoke God's hard truth to King David. Nathan, like many kids, says it like he thinks it. With some maturity let's trust that he will learn to boldly speak the truth in love.

Freedom to Vote

Voting, having a voice, though a small one, is a privilege we are thankful for. From afar, we have watched and listened to the election coverage. England is of course tightly connected to America so they know a lot about elections and have their opinions just as Americans do. This election we have voted by 'absentee' ballot. I spent a day reading about the different local and national candidates and issues before casting my vote and mailing them back. Today, I am wearing the little 'I'm a Georgia voter' stickers, why? Because we're obnoxious Americans? I hope not, but I am grateful to be a US citizen and appreciate the right to vote freely and without fear. I'm grateful for the heritage that our forefathers gave us in the many Godly principles that they crafted our nation upon. On our way to school today we prayed for the elections, remembering again that there is really only one true Sovereign in this world and He is still in control.