My Bubbling Teapot

"I am going to OH tomorrow for a school reunion that will be this Saturday. It's been 9 years since we've had one. I'm secretly hoping that the other girls have matronly shapes, too. (: I dug an elegant little purse out of the closet to replace my diaper bag!" My friend in my writer's workshop sent the above quote to our group. Another writer answered with this email. "And, by the way, matronly shapes are a sign of a noble calling. Go in delight. Would you really rather be a slender single girl?" I've been thinking a lot about this. How many times during my children's infancies, had I longed to exchange my diaper bag for my dapper bag? When I would stand beside a young slender slip of a girl, I would think about my pear shape. When I looked into the mirror and see bags under my eyes, I would think about the many sleepness nights. When a friend would tell me all she accomplished in one day, I would think about my interupted schedules. When I w...

Dear family and friends, Some of you know that we have been keeping our eyes open over here for a house to buy. We have rented this present house for five years, and although we could live here the rest of our lives, it isn't a place that we would be interested in buying because it isn't ideal for our family. Property prices are definitely rising in this area. We have seen an increase in the past two years. We have looked at various places and have even had serious interest in some of them, but it seems that God hasn't opened the door for us to buy yet. We are once again seeking His will and would ask you to join us. John went with Jacek to look at a property this past weekend. We decided that I wouldn't go along since the price seemed unaffordable and it seemed senseless for both of us to waste our time chasing dreams. When John returned, he told me, "I have just seen the place of our dreams." The property is 2-3 miles from Minsk. It is a 2.5 acre place with ...

For one week our red limousine was in the shop. There were many things to fix. This meant no vehicle for us at all. We live on the edge of town. What are legs for anyway? We found out this week. We've learned that when walking, --allow plenty of extra time because it will take longer than you think. --beware of road water that cars throw like a tsunami toward the pedestrians on the sidewalks. --walkways can be icy during the winter months. Wear sensible footwear and avoid shiny spots. --scraped sidewalks are a one-way street. Please yield to oncoming pedestrians. --stray dogs follow pedestrians all the way to your front gate. --buy in small quantities when at the grocery store. Every ounce seems to become a pound heavier with each quarter-mile. --think and plan ahead and avoid extra trips. --remember that you always wanted time for your daily exercise program. --don't think of the taxi you could have called for $3. --you become more thankful for your reliable? transportation. S...

Valentine's day has always had a bad omen in our relationship. Sixteen years ago, on the 14th of February, shortly after we were engaged, I was attending winter Bible School and John was teaching school. Our contact was only by phone and mail (email hadn't been invented yet). My mailbox was strangely empty over Valentine's Day. Nothing from my beloved!!! How can this be? My imagination ran wild... John is trying to tell me it is all over between us... maybe something will come tomorrow... He doesn't love me anymore... Well, poor John. He never once thought about Valentine's Day until he recieved my life-sized card in the mail. He rushed to the stores that evening only to find that all the cards had been removed from the shelves and Easter cards were taking their place. The next day, in desperation, he sent me a big bouquet of roses... which of course I should have loved... and they were gorgeous... but somehow I couldn't forget that they were one day late... We...