Rhythms....

So...this year has proven to be so unique and in that we have so many opportunites, new routines and normals, mishaps, and constant adjustments. We have a second home, for goodness sake. 

  Our weekly rhythm looks like this : Friday afternoon we pack up after school, jump in the car and head up the mountain road to Zahle. The weekend is full of visiting friends, potential friends, and doing studies with them. Sunday afternoon we come home, and one of us attempts to rally and go to church that night. 

 Monday, tuesday are normal days- to get groceries, laundrey, anything internet done, team meetings. 

Wednesday I head back up to Zahle with Melanie and Val - Mel teaches in the school and Val and I do a simple medical clinic in two different refugee camps. 

Thursay is another “recovery” day..then off to our weekends...

 Our weekends have been sweet times of lots of visiting, finding favorite spots and simplicity. We all sleep on the mattresses on the floor, we have our favorite manaqeesh stand, the girls go play “ soccer team” outside in our little courtyard...

asking the Lord to help me focus on the "things that matter". letting the words " Seek first the kingdom of heaven and all things shall be added unto you" roll around in my head and heart these days. 

hearts matter. my daughter's hearts...allowing time and space and questions and giggles to create not just bridges but highways of communication and connectedness. 

creating space for story telling and puppet shows. tea parties and snuggling when so many other things are calling for my attention...emails, laundry, cleaning the house, groceries, sorting and organizing...

life feels like a swirl. a swirl of all things that i love. but i want to make sure that the right things are taking place. that in all the songs we belt out in the car, all the teasing, all the dancing around, all the visits we are packing our kids up for, all the times we put on a TV show for them so we can pray, all the times i hand them a coloring page so i can visit with someone...that there is a balance. that they feel valued. and that i am valuing the right things. 

and as much as i wish that things could just be planned out. that i could plan and strategize and make sure time is allotted in certain ways....it is just not how life here in the Middle East rolls. It comes in waves- surges of everything happening and then the surge of everything falling through. and our family and heart's just have to learn how to adjust to this. 

Resting in the fact that i have such a good Shepherd who speaks to us. Who nudges my heart that it is time to just be with the girls. to stop things and engage with them. 

but also so aware of the nudges " take them with you" or " this is where you are suppose to be right now, and the girls are loved, adored and fine" . 

it is funny how much they love our little mountain/valley home. Layla cries every time that we have to leave...it helps that Isaac comes up most weekends, that it is undistracted  time together. no laundrey, internet, small things for mom and dad to be doing. just being together. 

                              Favorite Layla moments of late: 

When she was upset with drew she asked him, " Why are you treating me like an old woman?"

not even sure what that means. 

When Sophia said she was Peter Pan..Layla said " I bet she will be a savior someday"

When Ali was here she wanted to pray for him and for his kids and for Syria, that he would get back safely. 

She was upset again and i was asking if she wanted to hear different ways that i love her- she responded as she wept " you are being so sweet to me, but this is not what i want"

Hearing her play school in her Lebanese english accent. 

Naming some of her "faces crafts" miss messy eyebrows, miss sparkles, miss  sideways necklace

hearing Layla teach Sophia songs back in the guest room. 

how much Layla loves the story of nehemiah. ha! 

Layla pretending to be Doc McStuffins, how cute and hilarious her check ups are. 

Favorite Sophia moments of late:

Wiggling her hips, scrunching her face and saying "o tay mama"

how much she loves monsters inc- kitty!

That she calls Drew "giant! " and always acts scared of him

"oh no! crocodiles on the floor" i have no idea where she came up with this, but this is what she says all the time and then rescues all her babies.

how she treats me like a baby and caresses my face and kisses me...and then roars and scares me...then comforts me...it is hilarious and confusing.

hearing her sing the bible song " yaayyy naomi. where are you going this wonderful day?"

hearing her sing "my little buttercup"

hearing her try and say zahle.

that she asks after being away from me on Wednesdays- mama u help da sick babies? dive them kisses? dive them meacine..."