A Uniform Review

Not that you really wanted to know (but just in case you did), here are my children modeling the summer uniforms of Northridge Primary School.

Ben is sporting the latest in brown polyester shorts, white dress shirt, brown knee socks with white and orange stripes, and brown dress shoes (which need to be polished).

Lucy is wearing the brown and white checked girls tunic, white ankle socks and brown Mary Janes (which also need to be polished). All girls have to tie their hair back unless it's short, and can only use brown or white hair ties.

Emma is wearing the GMD (Gross Motor Development, aka athletics) outfit - orange and white jersey with the school crest, brown shorts, white socks and tekkies (which seemed to have disappeared).

Of all the primary schools in Pretoria, we got stuck with the one who chose brown and orange for their school colours. Still, I have to admit, after three years the uniforms are starting to grow on me.

A Pensive Pause

For everyone who's ever felt alone and far from home, or marveled at the sights of the world, or been 'ruined' by travel forever, or can't decide if deep down we're really all the same or so very different:

"I was full of that indescribable waking vision of the strangeness of life, and especially of the strangeness of locality; of how we find places and lose them; and see faces for a moment in a far-off land, and it is equally mysterious if we remember and mysterious if we forget." - G.K. Chesterton, What I Saw in America

A Sharp Contrast

This is the fence outside my children's school. I love the contrast between the sharp points of the fence and the reality of crime vs. the beauty and greenery behind the fence. So much of life in South Africa - maybe all of it - is lived between harsh realities and the beauty of the earth.

Tuesday Quote

"The boy who is going to make a great man must not make up his mind merely to overcome a thousand obstacles, but to win in spite of a thousand repulses and defeats." - Theodore Roosevelt

"The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in Him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with His hand." - Psalm 37:23-24

"Never, never, never give up." - Winston Churchill

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfector of faith." - Hebrews 12:1-2

A Good Dose of 'Forced Flexibility'

Today we had a team meeting scheduled but because it's a public holiday we decided to have a braai instead (like good South Africans). We fit our meeting in around the braai, over cups of coffee, and while washing the dishes.

But before the meeting even started - before our colleagues even arrived - some children were dropped off at our house at 09h30 with the explanation, "We'll be back at 17h00 to fetch them."

What was so odd about this is that these are Muslim children who aren't allowed at our house because of religious reasons (I think we're actually considered 'unclean' by Muslim standards). The funny thing is, my first thought was, "What kind of meat did I buy for the braai? I hope it's not pork!" Fortunately I had bought chicken, we had enough for two extra people, and our colleagues were very gracious and didn't mind that there were five children running all over the house.

In the end, it worked out fine. I think I'm finally learning to go with the flow and be flexible, and if I'm honest, I have to concede that being flexible goes a long way toward building relationships. And if I'm *really* being honest with myself, isn't loving your neighbour the whole point?

A Gain or a Loss?

Dan asked me an interesting question this morning. He said, "If you were suddenly back in your hometown for good and no longer in South Africa, would you feel like you were gaining something or losing something?"

My answer was immediate, "Except for gaining my family and friends, I would feel a complete sense of loss." And I suddenly realised - as much as I complain about South Africa and as often as I battle with the cultural differences - I would be heartbroken if we had to leave.

I would miss the fresh juices, the summer thunderstorms, the subtropical foliage, rugby, cricket, biltong and braais. But most of all I would miss the people, for they are truly the country's greatest asset. The smiles, the resilience, greeting people in three, four, five different languages in one day... there is no other place on earth like South Africa.

Yes, I miss Starbucks and Target and ice cream that's made with cream. But that's just stuff. When it comes to significant things, my life and ministry are here in South Africa. And that makes the cultural frustrations worth pushing through.

Tuesdays With Auntie Hope

"You know, being alone is something I never wished for in life."

This was Auntie Hope's greeting as I walked up the path to her flat this morning. She then recounted the story of her lonely life - not knowing her father because he died when she was a baby, growing up with a working mom who sent her off to boarding school, marrying and then becoming a widow less than ten years later, and now living in a flat at a retirement centre where the silence is sometimes deafening.

"And every time, I just end up back at square one: Lonely."

Auntie Hope's perspective is skewed because of the Alzheimer's but nevertheless - we can ALL relate to feeling lonely and how isolating and painful it can be. There was no encouragement to offer her, no words of wisdom. The only thing to do was to sit and share the loneliness with her. We drank tea together, we laughed about her cat, we talked about the weather and raising children, and we shared our heartaches.

When it was time to go I gave her a hug and the words just slipped from my mouth, "I love you, Auntie Hope." She paused for a split second. "I love you, too. And I enjoy our visits."