Sunshine, Sicknesses, and Smiling Babies

So I feel somewhat humbled and embarrassed. After my weather rant a few weeks ago, we've ended up having the mildest December I've ever experienced. I think I need to apologize to the universe (or at least the local weather system). April keeps reminding me that December isn't always that bad. It's January and February that you have to look out for, so maybe my nibbling on humble pie is a bit premature. I still think we've had a few amazingly sunny weeks. My apologies to the atmosphere.

In other news, I'm just getting over dysentery. Chalk that up as one sentence I never thought I'd be saying (or typing). First, I never thought I'd get dysentery. Second, I didn't realize dysentery was ever not fatal, so I couldn't conceive of "getting over" it. I think when I was young I read too many missionary biographies where the protagonist has a friend or loved one die of dysentery. Apparently, there's plenty of non-fatal versions; though for a few days I was pretty sure I was a goner. It's good to be able to once again eat food and keep it in my body for more than a minute. Major kudos to April, who for the first 3 days of my dysentery (which actually went undiagnosed until day 5) also had to care full-time for Helen. Helen went back to her foster family on Saturday.

And just so this post ends on a happy note, let's close it with some appropriately censored pictures of Helen. The one of April feeding her is possibly one of my favorite pictures from the past few months:

Thanksgiving

Perhaps I (Rob) was a bit hasty (and negative) in my venting about the weather. This week has been a beautiful autumn week- cool but not cold, sunny, crisp...
So of course I got sick, Maybe I got that "Swine Cold" April was talking about. April, for her part, is in class this Thanksgiving Day, because there's no such holiday in East Asia!

So I'm trying to learn thankfulness. I'm realizing that default mode for me is to only be driven to thankfulness when I am in want. When something is lacking, I realize that I shouldn't take for granted what I do have. Even that phrase, 'take for granted' speaks a lot to me. I take for granted, that is, I assume will always be the case, that I have food, general health, friends, shelter, etc. I never envision a world where I lack these things.

True thankfulness sees even the 'givens' as gifts. Ironically, we call them "givens" and mean that we ought to have them. We are entitled to them. But the word "given" even points to the gift, and the gift points to the Giver.

So Happy Thanksgiving! We hope you are able to celebrate in a warm home, with a full plate of food, surrounded by loved ones. Good gifts all around.

The Blahs

November in our city can be a pretty nasty month, weatherly speaking. Pardon me while I vent and revel in a moment of discontent.

It's usually in early mid-October that Summer makes its hasty exit, like a social butterfly who just realized she has a better party to go to somewhere south of the equator. Summer is followed by what might be called the season of Autumn, but around here, it's less of a season and more of a short reprieve. But it's usually an enjoyable two or three weeks here. Then Winter shows up like an angry bully with something to prove.

Winter: "So you liked all that sunshine and warm weather, eh? Well let's see how long you can last without it! I can make the sun disappear for so long, you'll break out the Coppertone the next time you see a streetlamp!"
Me: *cough, cough*

Spring? Spring is as fleeting as Autumn, and it doesn't start until mid-April. Ugh. Our extended forecast calls for rain and cold. The meteorologists here have the easiest job for the next 6 months. "Weather forecast? Uh, sure. How about- mostly cloudy, 50% chance of rain, high of 45 degrees." There you have it. I have predicted the next 6 months of weather with depressing accuracy.

Rob has his seasonal cough/sniffles from the sudden change in seasons, and April wishes that humans were capable of hibernating. It's just a blah kind of day.
And the Steelers lost. To the Bengals.
Maybe tomorrow will be better :-/