Little bit of Paris

Today we are having some amazing wind and rain storms, this somehow made me think of the time we were caught in an awful rainstorm with our French cousins at the zoo.  Brought back to mind that sweet little video sixpencenonethericher did way back when. I felt a bit like the moose in "If You Give a Moose a Muffin" Enjoy :)

Winter Blues?

For those of you getting the winter blues enjoy the following music below by IZ.  If you are in the north close your eyes and pretend the scraping sounds of the snow plow are the soothing waters of the beach, if you are in the south pretend the gusty winds are blowing across the big blue ocean instead of the miles of sand without any trace of water whatsoever..... ok I know it isn't quite the same.   But I am a firm believer that IZ' music can bring a smile to your face.  Most of you probably know his rendition of "Somewhere over the rainbow/Wonderful world"  But in truth all of his music is absolutely stunning.  Enjoy!

WHITE SANDY BEACH

Never Too Late To Learn

This past weekend was absolutely lovely.  We had a small group over after meeting Saturday, Sunday we decided to embark on our first day of our learning adventure attending a Spanish meeting, and wrapped it up by joining a dear family from our congregation out for dinner at a fabulous Southern Mexican restaurant. 

We've decided to start attending one Spanish meeting a week in order to add  Theocratic Spanish terms to our vocabulary as we endeavor to learn Spanish.  In the ministry it is an abosolute necessity to be familiar with Spanish as for the most part all of those we speak to when canvasing, the families of the Deaf, and the Deaf themselves primarily use Spanish. 

Attending some Spanish meetings when I was younger and our lovely brothers in Youngstown were struggling to start a Spanish group I remember the scattered feeling of not knowing for sure where we were, which paragraph they were asking a question to, and how in the world they could possibly read off big numbers so fast.  I was pleasantly surprised to find now that we have been here over a year I was able to follow along just fine and actually focus because I wasn't having to scramble for anything that may sound familiar.  Jehovah provides us with such wonderful opportunities to learn no matter what language group we may be in.  It was such a joy to watch the young children comment, and see that no matter what language you are in it brings a smile to your face to hear one of our dear elderly friends state the answer under their breath loud enough for all to hear.  What a blessing Jehovah's organization truly is!

Mondays and Art

Today I heard a brief excerpt on NPR discussing the fact that children today have little appreciation for classical art here in the USA and that the museums are concerned that by the time they grow up many museums will have to resort to becoming storage facilities due to lack of funds.  Although I beg to differ, knowing many fine art appreciators, young and old alike, I do find at times the incredible urge to share beauty, such that can be found in the classical artists, with others.  August Renoir has always been one our family's favorite artists.  From the time I was little I remember staring at a beautiful print my Mum had of Renoir's painting of two young girls playing the piano.  His impressionistic style seemed to capture realistic touches that other artists of his genre missed in an effort to inculcate light into their works.  I absolutely love the painting which I've posted as background today. It is such a gentle painting yet so full of life.  I thank my parents for the many joys they've inculcated in us children, especially their love of art!

Morning

Woke up this morning realizing that for the first time in a long time I did not have any where to be, no obligations, no appointments..... sigh..... What a feeling!  The biggest decision we will have to make today is whether or not to make more coffee...(which the answer to that is obvious)... I thank Jehovah for this small breather in our hectic schedules and the chance to just relax with my family, all of us, together, on the same day, what a joy!

Mushaboom & 1234

I've always loved Feist but felt she was over commercialized when the ipod commercials came out using her song.  This shows a bit more of what she is really about though.  A French Canadian in Paris, down to earth, and comfortable lyrics make it a pleasure to listen to.

Dean and Britta

This is a lovely duo from across the pond who used to be in a band called, LUNA.  The footage is of a raw earthy sort but I just love the simplicity of their sound, music, and filming.  Enjoy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWVtrqXZlFk

Opening Doors

Had to share this little experience that brought a smile to my face.  As I've mentioned before, for the msot part down here, the ladies are treated as exactly that, a lady.



 As I washed my hands in a public restroom I saw a Mum struggling to enter with her little boy who could not have been older than 4.  He had his hands full but was attempting to hold the door open for his Mama. 

She politely asked him to go on ahead of her and he shook his head no saying, "Papa said I always have to hold the door open for girls... you go." 

The Mama asked him to obey and to please go ahead that it was ok since his hands were full.  He again protested, "Noooo that's not what Papa said you go Mama you go."

 It was absolutely adorable to see how firmly he stuck to his chivalrous behaviour.  Another glimpse of beauty through the deeds of children.

Never know what the day will bring

Today during our lovely service day Stefan received a phone call from Bethel.  He has been asked to serve temporary in January!  We are so excited for him!  What a privilege!  He having this opportunity, his fiancee serving where the need is great in Honduras, and Tony recently appointed an Elder, I feel overwhelmed with excitement and am so proud of them all!  As they work hard in Jehovah's service it is always amazing to see what happens next.  Jehovah has such a beautiful organization and what a joy it is to be a part of it!

Thoughts Update

One of our first commenters in answer to my question:


    "I am of course most thankful for the sign language DVDs in sooo many different sign languages world wide! Can't even get my head around the fact that we now have Revelation in ASL!
    The family book is still one of my favs!
    I remember attending some sort of meeting at a school with my grandparents when I was a kid, long before I was a JW. Maybe it was a assembly but don't think so. Any way they had all of the young folks including my little brother & I walk up to receive the newly released youth book. I read it off & on during my worldly youth but remember knowing from what I read that I was not living as I should be. This little gem had a lot to do with me finally realizing this was indeed the truth that I wanted to be part of." -Elizabeth



Please keep them coming!  For some reason some have problems posting comments not sure why but if so feel free to email it to me instead :)

Thoughts

This past weekend our parents headed up to Albuquerque and Santa Fe for an anniversary/public discourse trip.  It has been so long since us 4 youngin's have been together alone I had quite forgotten how strange it feels.  It is always amusing to hear the boys playing their music first thing in the morning, ahh the rebellion of it all ;)  Eventually it even gets to me though (yes I know Stefan I'm getting old :) ) But we really had a lovely weekend with just us kids. The boys have grown and are growing into such fine young men and sometimes I sit back and wonder at the fact that it doesn't seem that long ago that we were all lil munchkins running around throwing snow in the air. 

Speaking of snow.... Although I know how beautiful it must be I would like to say that if I could life flight all of you from the North down here to our amazing 70 degree and sun sun sun weather I would.  I feel almost selfish living in such an amazing climate. Don't get me wrong it will get colder and colder and I am starting to crave a bit of rain..but January is coming and then soon there after we shall get our rain...I hope...  But please send us photos of your winter wonderland so we can share them with all down here. 

Last night at meeting our school overseer brought out that we have had the BE book since 2001....I choked back the shock and realized that the book came out almost 10 years ago!  Jehovah's organization is progressing so rapidly that I often lose track of time.  I remember when they announced the release of that book and our school overseer in Youngstown East was beaming from ear to ear with excitement.  MAN I do feel old!  I was thinking how nice it would be to share some of those moments of truth expansion with our friends.  So if you have any lovely experiences that you remember of releases or new thoughts brought out in our publications that you would like to share and how they've impacted you please comment or send me an email :)

Well all the fam is back together now and I must tell you that although everyone needs time apart it is always a joy when you are together again!  Something so empty and melancholy when people are missing.  29 years since our family's beginning.....so proud of you Mum and Pops for all of your hard work and dedication to a beautiful marriage and family which I consider it a privilege to be a part of!

Nostalgia

The other day I came into work and found taped above my desk a yellowed scrap piece of paper.  Written in the careful exacting writing of a child in grade school.  And guess what it said, "Hi Dad my name is Meagan".  My Pops came across this little scrap he had saved from our old office in Ohio and has kept it all these years.

 Although it is slightly embarassing to look at the ridiculous things we have done as children it is also a reminder that at one time we were naive, young, and full of new ideas.  My Mum and Dad have always been sentimental, and this has been something I have struggled with understanding over the years as I tend to be more tied to the memories than actual physical things that remind me of the memory.  But now as I get older, (yeah I know I'm not old yet but we all are aging)  I am starting to understand this more and more and find myself holding on to more things than I ever used to.  I think it has to do with living in this system of things, knowing that life in this world is short and we try to hold on to what we can till we can reach the time when we will no longer have to worry about holding on to everything as we will have forever.

Sentimentality is a beautiful attribute and I thank Jehovah for giving me such beautiful parents that have taught us the importance of family, of loving life, and loving the Truth.

Boots

Today as I walked to work I realized the sounds of my boots were echoing slightly through the neighborhood with each step.  Then I realized how funny it is that here in El Paso, casual Friday at work means we can break out our cowboy boots.  Mind you, we wear tennis shoes every other day of the week with our scrubs.  What can be more comfortable than that?  But wearing your jeans and boots just seems to give you a feeling of complete satisfaction that can't be accomplished when you feel as though you are wearing pajamas.  Don't get me wrong it is nice to not have to adhere to a strict dress code but sometimes you feel as though you never really got out of bed at all and it tends to make you a bit sleepy.

So speaking of boots I cam across a little email that holds so true and for any of you who have ever been to West Texas or are currently living here I would love your thoughts as I have found that I agree with these comments:

You know you are living in West Texas when:

1. You have used the phrase "Fixin to" during the last 12 months.

2.  You can properly pronounce Pecos, Amarillo, and Chaparral

3.  You can recall hot summers by the year they happened easier than you can remember your anniversary.

4.  You know why there is a town called "Notrees"

5.  You believe that more than 3 inches of rain a year is a "Rainy" Year

6.  You think that people who complain about the wind in their states are wimps.

7.  You know that the true value of a parking space is not determined by the distance to the door but by the availability of the shade.

8.  You have owned at least one belt buckle bigger than your fist but are afraid to wear it.

9.  You know that most bad traffic jams aren't caused by the accident themselves but by the rubbernecking and concern of the drivers not involved in the accident.

10.  You know that Odessa-Midland will never be.. it will always be Odessa and Midland.

11.  A Mercedes Benz is not a status symbol.  A Ford F150 Texas Edition is.

12.  You speak Tex-Mex as a second language

13.  You have had this conversation:
    
"You wanna coke?"  "Yeah."  "What kind?"  "Dr. Pepper."

14.  You own several pairs of cowboy boots but don't live on a ranch.

15.  You no longer associate bridges over rivers with water

16.  You know what a swamp cooler is.

17.  You discover in July it only takes two fingers to drive a car in order to avoid the heat

18.  Sunscreen is sold year round yet no one has weathered skin.

19.  "Y'all" can be singular

20.  You know that Chuck Norris is actually now a Real Texas Ranger

Home

Today was another beautiful day out in the ministry.  After service we stopped to try a fabulous restaurant.  We weren't able to try the dish recommended by our friend as it was only the lunch menu but what we were able to enjoy was fantastic.  Check out my mum's blog for more details on this as well as other neat spots here in El Paso.  www.floursandfleurs.wordpress.com

Right now I am sitting in Kinley's Coffee House before I head to the last class of this semester to interpret.  So interesting being surrounded by loads of El Pasoans and students and out of towners.  You can spot the out of towners right away.  I have been studying it for a while now as I remember the first time we stopped here when we first came down to check things out before moving.  I remember the stares as we must have looked funny wearing our short sleeve shirts in the middle of what I now consider chilly weather.  At night the temperatures really drop compared to the day as the lack of cloud cover allows for all of the heat to escape from the day.  Now I sit here in my cardigan and am tempted to put on my jacket as the draft is starting to be a bit much.  What a change!  I no longer notice the distinctions between Spanish and English as the chattering makes its way through the air.  I smile as I realize that I am living in a place that I truly truly appreciate for all of its beautiful qualities.  The mix of cultures, the people, the music, the dancing, the food.....did I mention the food?!!!  Though we never know what Jehovah may have in store for us in the future or where else we may have the beautiful privelege of living I am truly appreciative of the opportunity to be here in this moment, in this place, that I call home.

Things to Do Week of 12/06/2010

El Paso Events:

Railroad and Transportation Museum of El Paso

 — More than 150 years of El Paso railroad history are on display at Union Depot Transit Terminal, 400 W. San Antonio, at Durango.

Hours:

11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday

10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday

1 to 5 p.m. Sunday

 Admission is free.

 Information: 422-3420 or elpasorails.org.

Youngstown Events:

Fellows Riverside Gardens

D.D. and Velma Davis Education & Visitor Center

123 McKinley Avenue Youngstown, Ohio

Garden Cafe hours

Tues. - Sat., 11 am - 2 pm

Sunday, 11 am - 3 pm

Pittsburgh Events:

Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens

Hours

Phipps is open daily from 9:30 am to 5 pm and until 10 pm on Friday.

 A tour of the Conservatory will take approximately 90 minutes so please plan to arrive in plenty of time to complete your visit before the closing times noted above.

http://phipps.conservatory.org/visit-phipps/

Admission

Members: Free

Adults: $12

Seniors (62 and older): $11

Students with a valid ID: $11

Children 2 to 18: $9

Children under 2: Free



Café Phipps, which is Green Restaurant Certified, offers fresh foods with a sustainable twist. The seasonal menus feature entrées, salads, pizza and panini, plus soups made in-house daily. Click the "View our Menu" tab, right, to take a look at the café's current menu offerings. For daily specials and café updates, click the icon to follow us on Twitter.

In our effort to be sustainable, we focus on local and organic foods and sustainably-produced wines. All cups and flatware are compostable; plus, all water is filtered on site and leftover food waste is composted.

Whether you've come to spend the day touring the Conservatory or are dropping in

for a meal or latte, Café Phipps is the perfect

place to stop and smell the flowers.

Free Wi-Fi available.

Summer/Fall Hours:

Mon.-Sun., coffee and grab and go, 10-11 a.m. and 2-4 p.m.; lunch, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Fri., coffee and grab and go, 10-11 a.m. and 7-9 p.m.; lunch/dinner, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.

*Friday happy hour from 4-7 p.m. features discounted drinks and appetizers.

Current Displays:
HEADWATERS OF THE AMAZON

Featuring new plants and displays, Tropical Forest: Headwaters of the Amazon introduces you to the unique cultures and ecosystems of this diverse and exciting region. Beginning less than 100 miles from the Pacific Ocean, the first trickle of water that forms the massive 6,500 mile long river collects on Mount Nevado Mismi, in southern Peru.

The Andean mountain range boasts both the highest navigable lake and the deepest gorge in the world. Come explore the unparalleled variety of flora and fauna found in these ancient and complex ecosystems, collected and displayed with care in Phipps' 12,000 square foot Tropical Forest Conservatory, the most energy-efficient of its kind in the world.

FUTURE DISPLAYS

ORCHID AND TROPICAL BONSAI SHOW

Jan. 15-March 13, 2011

Rare and colorful orchids will be displayed in a number of rooms including a large and varied collection in the Orchid Room. Bonsai will be featured in rooms throughout the Conservatory.

Weekends

We had a lovely visit by a visiting speaker and his wife from Tucson this past weekend, they brought along with them a dear dear Deaf sister that we met when Tony had the privelege of giving a talk in their congregation about a month ago.  This is the sister who has a bible student who is vietnamese and she shared with us such wonderful ideas on how to visually show different Biblical truths when you are struggling between two sign languages.  We were so excited to see her fabulous energy filling our small group on the East side.

We've been meeting seperately on Saturdays with our East side group now for quite a while and are seeing the hard work our brothers are going through to make adjustments and make our transitions smooth.  It is such a joy to be a part of our congregation I thank Jehovah every day for our beautiful brotherhood.

This weekend was also the Cirque Du Soleil's first time visiting El Paso with a fabulous performance of "Alegria"!  What a show!  Although we have seen it before everytime it seems some acts get switched out and there is always something new that I missed before.  The music from that show literally swarms through the air and into your veins.  Your heart feels as though it has beat so fast that it has completely stopped!  If you have never had the chance and it comes to your area, go!  There is no such thing as a bad seat in the place as the stage is in the center of everyone.  Some of the shows even have clowns that are Deaf so it adds an extra little hidden joy when you know this and you see them signing "I love you" at the end of night.

Yesterday, I spent a beautiful day in service with my Mum, Da, and Shayne.  Unfortunately, we weren't able to get any of our return visits and studies at home, but Jehovah made sure to keep us upbeat with just the fact that we were able to spend time together.  Soon we are going to start attending Spanish Meetings for the Watchtower and Public talk in order to get a grasp on Theocratic terms as even those who know fluent Spanish struggle with this.  And with most of our Bible Students having Spanish-Speaking family it is important that we can thoroughly explain to them what it is we are teaching their Deaf family.  So we are nervous but with Jehovah's help all things are possible!

Lisa Hannigan

So today I woke up with the little bug my family has been passing around.  But it was really nice to spend some extra time at home.  Stefan showed me a lovely video on one of my favorite singers, Lisa Hannigan.  

So in rummaging through some others I found another video in which she is singing with another of Ireland's finest, Kathy Davey. 

 Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFIdaF7ciM8

The Boys Are Back

So after a long weekend in Denver for the Elders/Ministerial Servant Training School all of our boys are back in one piece.  Although they were all exhausted physically and mentally there was a beautiful glow of content and spiritual uplifting that came from their eyes last night at meeting. 

This Train Keeps On Rollin'

One of my favorite sounds is the soothing yet slightly haunting sound of a train far in the distance.  As I sit here and write the low whistle is making its way through the crisp night air.  There is something beautiful about the fact that with the time changes, our night begins before we even eat dinner.  At times I find it slightly depressing, but for the most part it is a nice reminder that fall is here and soon winter.  For those of you who are not currently living in a desert or tropical climate or anywhere south of the general Ohio area do not be fooled by our forecasts of sun sun sun.... it is chilly and sometimes downright cold here at night!  Last night it went down to 32F and Friday it will be 55F during the day....this seems like nothing compared to the snow and frigid temps some of you are currently or will be soon experiencing but with the pure clear skies there is not any blanket of cloud cover to hold in heat and it makes for the super crisp beautiful night air that I adore. Just another one of the many things I love about it here.

Speaking of things that I love here, I have to share with you a cute little moment my Mum and I had the pleasure of witnessing the other day.  As you know kids down here are allowed to be just that 'kids'!  Such a refreshment!  And while we were roaming the aisles of Super Target we heard a little boy proudly reciting a poem to his Papa. Not sure if he was practicing for future use or not but I must say I was impressed ;)  His poem went like this: "Roses are red, violets are blue, I don't know the rest, so I'll have to kiss you."  And who said Romance was dead?!  Definitely not here that's for sure!

Tomorrow I am sad to say that two of our usual  Bible students had to cancel which is understandable with families being in town and such.  But I am looking forward to trying to find one woman again that my family and I have been trying for months!  Last week it just so happened that we caught her at home.  When I say months I mean months!  We got the lead around the time I first moved down here and have been trying every time of day and night every day of the week since.  We were so pleased to find that she was so friendly and hopefully will be able to find her again tomorrow.

Well everyone, send me an email and let me know how you are all doing.  Miss you all loads and am sending big sunny hugs to keep you warm!  Best get going as Mum and I are going to try to get back into our old Zumba routine. ;)

Never Judge A Book By Its Cover

Our congregation has the opportunity to participate in a unique facet (spell check) of the ministry regularly.  The brothers have an arrangement with the local community college that enables a small group to set up a table with our various publications during school hours.  This enables those passing by who may be curious to feel less intimidated and able to come up and ask questions at their own leisure. Both the ASL Congregation and the Sign Language Congregation have tables.  Which is really great as we have the opportunity to associate with those from the neighboring congregations that we never get to see otherwise being in completely different circuits and such.

 There are a number of campuses here in El Paso and we have a table at two campuses.  One of those campuses has many deaf students and so the table is extremely busy during the day.  However the other campus where I normally have the privilege of being at is at a much less busy campus with very few if any Deaf students.  As a result our table is usually very very shall we say quiet.  Once in a while though students and professors will stroll by and start to say how they have been interested in sign and such and often we are able to give them a good witness even finding out about Deaf they may know in the area. 

Last night was no exception to the quiet time we normally experience.  However all was not lost.  A little boy came running up and soon his father and followed.  Now the two looked like a typical father and son duo you would see here in El Paso, but the sister and I were both surprised to hear how passionately the father spoke of the Bible and his love for learning.  He brought up a number of points that bother him about the religions he has studied, the main being, why they don't teach from the "BIBLE".  We were able to direct him to the local hearing congregation and we were left with "happy heart puffs" (Sign language reference) and a sigh of satisfaction.

We never can tell who may have an interest and we must always be on the alert no matter what language congregation we are in for those with honest hearts.  This week over all has been especially encouraging in the ministry.  It seems slowly but surely we are witnessing Jehovah's word piercing the hearts of those we have been visiting for quite a while.  What a beautiful thing to behold.

"Here I Am Send Me"

Our congregation has been truly blessed with an abundance of children. Those of you who have experienced or are currently experiencing a lack of children in your congregation know that there is an odd silence, almost an eerie silence without them. Don’t fret Jehovah will fill that void soon enough. I remember growing up in a congregation with very few children now that very same congregation is LOADED with little munchkins 

When parents with small children join a foreign language I greatly admire their love and trust in Jehovah. Nowadays there is countless information available showing that children can and will learn multiple languages at any given time and will learn it as not a second language but as a primary language. Often times it is us adults that hold them back thinking it will be too difficult. Things have improved very much in this area. I remember being young and many questioning, my parents wondering, and even I pondering whether or not it was a good idea to make Sign Language our primary language for theocratic activities. Looking back I smile and laugh at our distress. Here we are all fully immersed in Sign Language truly seeing Jehovah expanding the horizons with multiple DVD releases, beautiful opportunities for the Deaf and Hearing a like, and circuits expanding and splitting so fast I can barely keep track. The same is true of all foreign language and I am thankful to my family every day for trusting in Jehovah and giving me the wonderful opportunity to be a part of it.

There is even a wider expansion of opportunity for young ones and us newbies here as well since this area is already bilingual. With the English and Spanish and also Sign language/Korean/Chinese/Japanese possiblilities…. We all have the opportunity to go to an even wider array of areas. If we continue to trust in Jehovah and work hard in our endeavors he will surely bless us and we will be able to truly say, “Here I am send me!”

So to all of you struggling learning new languages and trying to keep your families on track, “just keep swimming” (sorry Little Nemo quote) and never ever give up. We are so proud of you and know that Jehovah is beaming with pride as well!

MUSIC & DRAMA

For those of you who live here in El Paso and enjoy music here are a few things that you may enjoy:

MUSIC

Fox Fine Arts Recital Hall (UTEP)

Everyweek at 7:30 pm there are musical performances

utep.edu/music

An Afternoon of Classical Guitar

Sunday November 14- El Paso Museum of Art Free Admission

John Siqueiros 2:30-4pm

elpasoclassical.com

DRAMA

El Paso Play House "Much Ado About Nothing"

November 12-December 4

Friday and Saturday 8pm

Sunday 2pm

$10 ($8 seniors, $7 students w/ ID)

elpasoplayhouse.com

Things To Do In Youngstown

Weller Gallery and Melnick Museum

Located in Fellows Riverside Gardens' Davis Education & Visitor Center

123 McKinley Avenue Youngstown, OH 44509

Hours: Tuesday – Sunday 10 am – 5 pm

Farm Life: A Century of Change for Farm Families and Their Neighbors

Farmers feed the world! So, why do some families cling to life on the farm while a score of other families leave? This exhibit funded by NEH on the Road highlights the social and cultural issues brought by decades of change that touch all members of farming communities. Farm Life encourages visitors to make connections to their own families and communities.

October 15 - November 21, Weller Gallery

El Paso Events

Searching For Something To Do?  Check Out One Of Our Local Museums!

El Paso Museum of Art

One Arts Festival Plaza

El Paso, Texas 79901

(915) 532-1707

(915) 532-1010 Fax

www.elpasoartmuseum.org

Tuesday - Saturday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm

Thursdays 9:00 am to 9:00 pm

Sunday 12:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Closed Mondays and major holidays

El Paso Museum of History

Admission: Free

Free Group Tours:

Daily except Monday, year-round

Please call in advance

510 N. Santa Fe Street

El Paso, TX 79901

(915) 351-3588

El Paso Artists

El Paso is home to a variety of talented artists, young and old alike.  Here are a few treats to show just a teeny bit of what is available in our often overlooked neck of the woods (or should I say desert)

Teresa Fernández

Brigitte von Ahn

Jan Wisbrun Dreher



Black and White

Bold yet Subtle... Classy yet Modern... Strong yet Soft...

The Beauty of Black and White

Boho Creations

Some Bohemian Wonders I've come Across

Reflections II

Sometimes things happen... Sometimes some not so nice things happen... but even when you are faced with situations that leave you floundering and wondering what in the world you are possibly going to do next I have found that there are two constants that will always be reliable... #1 Jehovah of course!  (He may leave you wondering how it will work out. But he will never leave you wondering if it will work out.  After all with him all things are possible.  And just when you are ready to freak out something always does... work out)  #2 Family.  (No matter how old you get.  No matter how far away you live.  No matter how hectic the schedules.  Family will always be there to help. Truly a blessing from Jehovah!)

Those of you who know me well know that I am a planner.  (Yes I can hear the whishing sounds of wind as you all fervently nod your heads in agreement.)  However the funny thing about being such a planner is that many times... ok most of the time... my plans usually don't work out the way I expected or originally hoped.  (again loud whishing sounds.)  However often they turn out better than I had hoped or expected.  So again some of my plans have had to change due to circumstances beyond my control leaving me wondering and praying for answers.

Jehovah's beautiful blessing of a family though has with open arms (despite the fact that it I know it is difficult to adjust to) been willing to welcome me into their home.  I am currently writing from the comfort of a quaint and sweet room down the hall from my brothers that some how already feels like home.

 I'm surrounded by the things I love, my turquoise chair, my multi-colored chain of candles that softly glow in the corner, the small pillow my mom made me when I was young, my great-grandmother's quilt, and most of all... my family.

Something so comforting about hearing the sounds of the house breathing at night.  Tony's feet shuffling down the hall.  Stefan and Shayne giggling.  The scent of Mum in the fabrics and the light in her eyes when her creative juices start to flow.  And the scraping noises of Pops working on his latest project.

The dynamics have changed so much.  Being apart for almost a year really helped us cultivate a different outlook and respect for the adults that we all are and also the adult that Shayne will be.  Some things will always remain the same, no matter how old any of us get.  But one thing that never changes is change and we are all becoming accustomed to adjusting quickly and adapting to new things that come our way.  Mum and Pops have been going through such mile stone changes as of late and with the loss of some of their comforting sentimental items from the move I know it has been even harder than we can imagine.

But through it all they remember the real reason any of us have ended up here in the first place.  To grow, to learn, and to be used in whatever way Jehovah sees fit.  Sometimes you could cry with joy and sometimes you can just plain old cry.  But in the end you go to bed at night and your sleep is sweet.  A smile is on your face because you know that even though things hurt, times are tough, and the going is rough.... you have the satisfaction of knowing it will be brief and miniscule when compared to the joy we will feel when we reach that new world and can say, "I made it!"

Reflections I



So as most of you know my 'lil brother' (Yes I know not so little anymore) Stefan has popped the question.  It was incredibly romantic and adorable.  For photos check out my mom's blog http://www.floursandfleurs.wordpress.com/ 



Saturday evening we were able to spend time with the whole congregation as we met everyone at the cafe "Corner Bakery" for a lite dinner.  Have I mentioned how much I adore our congregation?  We have such a variety of personalities and cultures and everyone has truly become family, all of us accepting eachother for the good and bad.  A dear younger sister (I say younger as my view of age consistently changes as I realize that time keeps ticking away even if your mental state doesn't)  has been in our congregation for quite some time and we heard the fabulous news on Saturday that her sisters and mum will be joining our congregation as well!  It's even more exciting since they live East of El Paso they will be supporting our new Satelite group.  What a privelege watching Jehovah's organizatio continue to grow. 

One of our Elders who will remain in the Northeast mentioned however and I must admit that I agree, that it is even harder in the sign language to have to seperate.  Even though we know it is a necessary and exciting change you literally feel as though part of your family has moved away.  My answer to that however is, now we have even more of an excuse to have get-togethers!

Yesterday

Suddenly I am getting flash backs to my 4-7 grade years of guitar classes with my Beatle-Fanatic teacher playing in my head ;)  (the title may have something to do with that)

Yesterday was a day of beauty and worry.  Recently my Mum and I have had the joy of spending Wednesday mornings waking up extra early to head to a Bible study on a young girl on the other side of the mountain. Sadly yesterday she had midterms and so was unable to hold our normal routine.  However, our Wednesday was of course ready to be spent in the ministry.  Since the assembly was last weekend we decided to consolidate all of our studies that had to be postponed over the weekend to Wednesday.  Off we headed with a few dissapointments of more cancellations along our way but also with a few surprises of finding some home that we didn't expect. 

The afternoon ended up a bit crazy when a Medical Emergency in a dear family at our hall came up...but once again I had the joy of watching my as all those in the congregation pulled together to make sure everything went smoothly.  Smoothly yes, unlike Stefan's hair which was proudly styled by the children of that family.  You'll have to ask him for pics.  Quite amusing! 

In the evening I started my first night of interpreting at UTEP for a Business Quantitative Statistics Course. Can I just say one word, "HELP!"  Those of you who know me well know that I DON'T ENJOY MATH.....In anyway shape or form...Unless it is Geometry. And that is only because I can see it in a real life situation that I would use.  Others may use Math regularly from Algebra and Calculus but not I!  So this class is absolutely a challenge but a fun one.  Signs such as, "Standard Deviation" "7!" (7 factorial for those of you who are just as unskilled as I)  "Exponents"  etc........ leave my head spinning.  Slowly some things are coming back to me but when you add a thickly accented somewhat quiet professor's voice on top of it I was ever so thankful to have another interpreter that I am supporting as we are struggling together to make heads or tails out of it (or should I say Numerator and Denominator out of it)  Ok I promise I'll stop with the Math jokes now.

Tomorrow evening I will be heading to pick up a dear friend to spend a girl weekend while I still have my boy-less apartment.  Sure I will have some stories to share :)

Hope you all have a lovely day!

Warm and Fuzzy Vintage Prints

Vintage  Modern   Prints

Denver Special Assembly Day

Good morning to all!

Just got in last night from our long haul to Denver this past weekend for our Special Assembly Day.  What a true-biz shot in the arm of energy and spiritual strength!  Our C.O. Jesse Gorneault shared some wonderful thoughts that really hit home.  One of those points was that the Bible Students who attend our congregation meetings are truly Jehovah's Bible Students and it is the ENTIRE Congregation's responsibility to teach and help that student progress.  Although this idea wasn't new the way he explained it was so much more clear.  For example he explained that when someone asks that Bible Student who is teaching them, they should readily explain, "Sister so and so shows me how to research with the index, Brother so and so teaches me how to study the Watchtower, Sister so and so teaching me how to study the KM, Brother so and so teaching me how to look up information on http://www.jw.org/..... and so on and so on.  Just thought I would share that lovely point as it is a reminder to us all that we are each an integral part of every student as they come into the Truth. 

The assembly hall in Denver is currently in the process of pre-construction which means that our assembly is held in the Marriott Renaissance Hotel near the airport. 

Let me tell you, there is a part of me that will be very sad when the assembly hall is complete.  The entire hotel is full of Witnesses.  We all sleep, wake up, get ready, and literally take the elevator down to the large ballroom which is converted into an assembly.  (looks just like one too! You would never know it was a Hotel till you take the Elevator up to the lobby)  The Hotel is absolutely beautiful too with the world's MOST COMFORTABLE BEDS!  We were considering taking some home on top of our Giant Uncle Rico Van which we had rented.  But we thought it may be a problem getting the van out of the parking garage.  It was tall enough as it was!  What a blessing to have the Brothers working so hard for us to make sure we are comfortable during our conventions!

Our car group was such a joy as well.  We had two sisters and a brother from our congregation all of whom we were looking forward to getting to know more closely as now that our congregation has grown and is split for one meeting a week it makes it harder to get to talk to everyone as often.  All of them have such interesting life stories and by the end I can say we truly felt like family :)

Our special speaker at the assembly was Brother Jeremy Mallory and he gave some tremendous illustrations!  However for those of you who haven't had your Special Day yet I don't want to ruin any illustrations that may also be given at yours.  If you have had it however, email me and we can compare notes :) 

Well I had best get going.  On to work now.  I hope you all are having a gorgeous day and I send my love!

Meg

(Yes I realize this is more like an email than a post....however it is so much more simple than forwarding an email)

John Waterhouse

One of my favorite artists is John Waterhouse his rich colors and ability to capture the essence of classical stories in a 2-D image never cease to amaze me.

Autumn

There is something about the Autumn that makes one crave sweaters, cloudy days, warm apple cider, and poetry.  So to usher in the Fall I have found some sweet melancholy poems that drift slowly down the page as leaves fall from the trees.

Verlaine’s “Chanson d’Automne”

Les sanglots longs

Des violons

De l’automne

Blessent mon cœur

D’une langueur

Monotone.

Tout suffocant

Et blême, quand

Sonne l’heure.

Je me souviens

Des jours anciens,

Et je pleure.

Et je m’en vais

Au vent mauvais

Qui m’emporte

De çà, de là,

Pareil à la

Feuille morte.

 

 

(The long sobs of the violins of Autumn wound my heart with a monotonous languor. 

 

 Stifling everything, and wan, when the hour sounds, I recall the old days and I weep. 

 

And I depart with the ill wind that carries me away, now here, now there, just like a dead leaf)

 

 

Goethe’s “Herbstgefühl” (“Autumn Emotion”)

 

Fetter grüne, du Laub,

Am Rebengeländer

Hier mein Fenster herauf!

Gedrängter quellet,

Zwillingsbeeren, und reifet

Schneller und glänzend voller!

Euch brütet der Mutter Sonne

Scheideblick, euch umsäuselt

Des holden Himmels

Fruchtende Fülle;

Euch kühlet des Mondes

Freundlicher Zauberhauch,

Und euch betauen, ach!

Aus diesen Augen

Der ewig belebenden Liebe

Voll schwellende Tränen.

(A fuller green, you leaves, up here to my window, along the grape trellis! Swell more crowdedly, indistinguishable berries, and ripen more quickly and more fully gleaming! On you broods the mother sun’s parting glance, all around you rustles the lovely sky’s fruitful abundance; you are cooled by the moon’s kindly and magical breath, you are bedewed—ah!—by the tears overflowing from these eyes of eternally

enlivening love.)