Octopus and the Familiar

I am in a Cypriot cooking class which is a highlight of my week. Several weeks ago it was my turn to do the shopping for the class. I felt confident about most items on the list except when I got to "fresh octopus." I didn't know anything about cooking octopus, let alone shopping for it in Cyprus. Do I buy the legs or the whole thing? Where do I find it? How many days before do I buy it? I was told not to buy it more than one day before the class. I started wishing I had taken my turn a different day. Since I couldn't shop the day before my class, I was left on a wild octopus hunt the day I needed it! To add to the complication, on Wednesdays all major stores close early in the afternoons for the rest of the day.

After an early lunch, I strapped Charis and Gabriel in the car and headed for our closest local grocery store, Costas. It is a small grocery store that manages to pack in a little of everything. Most of the employees don't speak much English. I had heard they occasionally carried fresh octopus. Charis thought shopping for octopus was great! We walked in the store with her chattering about how many legs an octopus had and if they were scary....

All of a sudden, I heard "ya'll" loud and clear. I almost got whiplash as I spun around. There was a large group of young people with brand names on their jackets that I recognized. I tried to keep moving and not act obvious as I strained to listen to their English confirming that their accents were from the US. Here we hear English a lot, but there aren't many Americans. After checking to see if there was fresh octopus (there wasn't), I got up my nerve to introduce myself. Several were Americans and loved Jesus! They attended a Messianic school near the store! Later I found out they were connected to another American girl I introduced myself to when I heard her American accent.

I left in search for fresh octopus at the next closest grocery store which was 30 min away. I was surprised at how excited I was at meeting these people. I am sure a big reason was that they loved Jesus! Another reason hit me though. Most of what is around me is different than where I lived for the last 14 years and even from my life before that. I drive on a different side of the road. I don't know where to buy things. I don't always know how to get somewhere. I can't always read labels or signs. I can't always communicate. AND I was out shopping for octopus! Sometimes all this is exhilarating, but it can also be exhausting! I realized I walk around craving something FAMILIAR. I realized how things that aren't familiar can also be in a way like the octopus looked to Charis - scary.

In the end I found fresh octopus at the third store I went to and met most helpful customer service person in all of Cyprus. All as the store was about to close. I brought home the meal from class. We all liked it, but Charis ate more than both Joshua and I combined. Through it all I became a little braver.

My little world traveler...

My energetic and sweet Gabriel turned one recently. His first year was a whirlwind... shortly after his birth we packed up our lives, lives we enjoyed and miss, to move temporarily to Spain. Well, that "temporarily" ended being even faster than expected, and we were on to our current home in Cyprus. By Gabriel's first year, he has lived in three different countries and outside of the US longer than he lived in it. Like the saying goes, time waits for no one. During these travels Gabriel kept growing and hitting milestones. Sometimes it felt like he was on a fast track. He started army crawling at 4 months, sitting at 5, pulling up at 6 and taking his first steps by 10 months. Lets just say this boy is always on the go! He adores his sister and is determined to keep up with her. He is intense whatever his mood - happy or sad. Gabriel has been a bright joy in the midst of amazing places, lots of changes, awesome experiences, struggles and adjustments. And what can we say, he has stolen our hearts with his smiles, laughs and even humor. Gabriel we love you!

Peek into our lives {Setting}

All bundled up, Joshua and I laid on our one floor rug. We hugged each other while wrapped in Joshua's red sleeping bag that is as old as our relationship. More than trying to soak in the warmth from sharing a sleeping bag, we both soaked in the moment of quiet to talk. We commented on how we would have never guessed we would be living in Cyprus. We thought we would be in Italy or even somewhere else. Like many people, I didn't know anything about Cyprus and the first time I tried to write "Cyprus", I spelled it "Cypress". We didn't expect a lot of our new realities including the cold (maybe more on that in another blog). But mostly I couldn't imagine what Cyprus would look like.

When I read that Cyprus was a country in the middle of the Mediterranean, I pictured it to be like Costa Rica, Puerto Rico or somewhere tropical. A week before moving to Cyprus I found out there was a mountain range where it snowed enough to ski! We flew in at night and got up early the next morning to find a place to rent. As we drove around Limassol, my first impressions of Cyprus were terrible. Had I moved to a desert? Everything looked arid. There were hardly any trees. Hills were rocky. Any American would be surprised at the amount of litter, or I should call it "rubbish" in this part of the world. There was nothing green for it to hide under. The city of Limassol seemed poorly planned, for example, homes on one block and tractor store on the next. Parks were rocky with no grass but an occasional parched weed. I wondered if I would ever want to take a picture of Cyprus. Then we started to drive...

Cyprus landscape is unique. If only looking at a hill from below, it looks dry, rocky and barren. But as we climbed up, we were able to behold extensive views because there are so few trees. The views and sunsets here are breath taking. Behind our house is a mountain where we can see the Sea and Limassol on one side and the Troodos range (highest mountain range) on the other. We can see our village and house nestled among grape vineyards and olive groves. Near Mount Olympus, we stood where we could see both sides of the island's sea coast. The quaint villages with cobblestone paths, old door handles and ceilings with hanging grape vines are a photographers dream. Lets just say, I love this place and am grateful for the opportunity to live here.

Gabriel - 11 Months

Before Gabriel turns 1, here are a few snapshots when he turned 11 Months...

Little Princess

Charis' birthday is always in the midst of lots of celebrating so I don't always find time to blog about my sweet girl on her birthday so here are some belated birthday pictures and thoughts...

I found myself a bit melancholy as I took Charis to bed at the end of her third birth day. I held her close to my chest as I walked up the stairs giving extra kisses...trying to soak in the moment forever. When I try recall her as a baby, those moments seem less vivid than I'd like reminding me to cherish each moment God gives me. Yet I wouldn't trade the unique girl she is growing into. One thing that marks this year is her discovery of princesses and in particular Cinderella. The old book she found at my mom's and claimed has been read countless times so that she has it memorized word for word. So I figured this was the year to do a princess party. But more than fun princesses and dress up the things that characterize Charis are her sweet spirit, her love of books & learning ("mama teach me" is something I hear often), her laugh, her smile that lights up my day, and her sensitive soul that humbles me. What a gift she is to us!

EVEN a cup of cold water...

"And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”

Matthew 10:42 ESV

"Mama, I am thirsty" or "Mama, juicy, please" is something I must hear countless times in a day. Sometimes the requests come in not so polite forms "JUICE!!!" or with a baby's cry. And some days when I am weary or when I forget how much I prayed for these precious gifts, I am grumpy at any form of the request. I may not being healing people or moving mountains, but this small act of even handing water to my thirsty child is just as powerful and will not lose its reward. Yet if I don't do it "with love" and for my Savior, I am nothing (1 Cor 13:2). So as I read this today, I thought maybe it could be an encouragement to other moms, dads and caregivers as it was to me.

A New Prayer

I can't count how many times I have started a One Year Reading Plan. Needless to say, I have read Genesis 1 almost more than any passage of scripture except perhaps a few of my plumb lines. This January 1st, I asked God for something new as I read this well worn passage... and I got a new prayer.

As I read about God creating, He brought to mind bits of wonders I have gotten to see of His vast world so far. Then as I continued to read, the verse "Create in me a clean heart" came to mind. I usually think of this prayer by the Psalmist only as a request to be washed clean to have a fresh start. Or when reading the creation events, I get excited that God has the same power that He had at creation to change me. What struck me this time was the word "create" and the image we are given of God's creativity in Genesis 1. Everything was void, and God created this amazing world we live in with bright colorful flowers, sparkling stars, blue seas, lush mountains, white crunchy snow... This same creativity could happen in my heart! So this is my New Years Prayer:

Lord, I want you to create in my heart a clean heart. I want my heart to be pure. Please make something new. Create in my heart the way You did at creation. Separate the darkness and light in my heart. Fill me with Your light. Sprout new lush vegetation so that seeds grow and I bear juicy fruit. May the soil of my heart be soft. May I sprout colorful flowers that show Your work of creation. Most of all may I fulfill Your design of mankind to be "in your likeness". Make me a reflection of Your glory. May my life magnify You. Help this year not be about a bunch of to dos, but about magnifying You, abiding in You, seeking and knowing You even in the midst of life... in the midst of the dreaded mundane. May I reflect You to all those I meet this year. Create a new wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend that is full of Your creativity!

I pray this will be true for you too this year!