Monday, April 30, 2012

New Week.....


  • TnT Proverb 10.12....hatred stirs up strife; love covers a multitude of transgressions...what about you? Must you always confront or are you sometimes able to "let it go," and truly forgive without a confrontation? It could be a mark of maturing love. Or you could be a people-pleasing marshmallow who doesn't want to practice Matt 18. ::snort:: 
  • GREAT time in prayer and word today.....
  • Gearing up for a personal prayer retreat. I may not be on Tues-Thursday night. We shall see. If I need a break from awesomeness or not. LOL 
  • MOPS steering team meeting today - love this group of gals. Exciting to watch God rise up leaders for next year. 
  • School is SOOO much easier when you only have table school to do. 
  • Meeting about 2012 High School Baccalaureate service
  • Human Video and Cross Training (Protestant Youth of the Chapel)
  • DYING to go see cherry blossoms....but this is my window for a personal retreat and I dare not waste it driving to Hirosaki. LOL 
  • Jared is threatening to change my FB password so I am truly forced to experience solitude over the next few days. ::snort:: 
  • My family is trying to convince me I won't die if I live in silence and solitude for 48 hours. I fluctuate between excitement and sheer terror. ::snort:: 

Choosing Joy!
©2012 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Sunday


  • "I no longer have perfect attendance at RE for life!" We've ruined Arielle's "life time attendance" streak these past 7 weeks. First Michael was ill, then in the hospital, then recovering...and today is the last day!  There's always next year, baby gal! 
  • TnT Ps 40.10 - He gifts us with righteousness, faithfulness, salvation, loving-kindness and truth so we can share with the great congregation! It's not all about ME. 
  • God has such a sense of humor....I was going with Matt 16 but Luke 9 (today's e-100) has all my retreat topics in one chapter...secrecy, solitude, surrender....and that order may solve the question we've been wrestling with what comes first on a retreat schedule....chicken or the egg....solitude or surrender....we had decided surrender....I think maybe flipping. We shall see.  All I know for sure is I have the first session and the last session....and Surrender is nearly in the bucket. 
  • Excited to hear Michael preach again today. It's been too long. 
Choosing Joy!
©2012 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Saturday, April 28, 2012

I'm staying in Japan forever

Stacia grabbed my hand several times today and told me, "I want to live forever in Japan. I'm staying here forever." I know, sweetie, I know.  


She then decided...."Tokyo would be o.k. because you won't get hit by snowballs down there." 


She isn't sure about all the flying it takes to live in Japan....of course if we weren't in the Air Force we wouldn't be taking all the space A flights home. LOL 


Added note as I'm not sure I ever blogged it. About a year ago (after our visit to the states), Stacia began telling all who will listen, "I'm mostly Japanese with a bit of American."   She was born in San Angelo, TX....arrived in Japan when she was 3....the thing is *I* feel some the same. LOL 


Choosing Joy!
©2012 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Veedol Beach

We decided to re-visit some of our favorite beaches. You can click here to see photos of the picnic area, swim beach and Veedol beach soon after 3-11. Continuing North on 338 we came to Veedol Beach. When we were by here the last time the turn off from the start was roped off. Today we could drive right now to the parking lot and were happy to see there is a new Miss Veedol on the beach. 

Then 
Now


We walked on down to the beach and had our lunch...then stayed to play a couple of hours. 

I was walking down the beach in search of glass and turned to see all sorts of strange things going on. Zander was shirtless, they were wrestling.....I discovered they were playing Sumo Wrestlers on the beach. LOL





We thought this might be a small float - but it was a light bulb. 



I bought this cheery sweatshirt on the Oregon Coast when we were there for Bre and Krista's graduation. It makes me happy to wear it at the Japanese coast. It also makes me feel very happy to have a young one still at home when I am-not-so-young any longer. LOL

We saw a glass shape bobbing up and down in the waves. We headed to retrieve it - hoping for a glass float. Stacia ran on ahead....she was so excited to get it....and as she ran back I saw what it was....

A really BIG light bulb from a ship - now in my living room.

Stacia made "Japanese Sand Writing"


So many treasures


Jared wrote, I "heart" you....Zander changed the heart so that it looks like, "I moon you!" These are the sorts of things which make us laugh. What can I say?  We left the beach WORN out.... so worn out that Arielle thought someone was being hung at the rest area. 


Michael wasn't ready for us to come home so we drove to the nearest Lawson for a treat and slowly made our way home. 

I picked up all the garbage from the fields around our house. All the garbage from the neighborhood blows down to our end of the street.  The kids played with friends. I helped Michael put together a power point for tomorrow.  Then we headed for dinner. Full day! 

Choosing Joy!
©2012 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Dog Run

We left the Harbor and headed towards a little picnic area up 338. The table sits in a gazebo on a hill overlooking the ocean.

We discovered dogs aren't allowed on the lawn...and we didn't want to leave Yuuki in the car.....BUT they DID have a dog park. She loved it, the kids tossed a frisbee around for a bit.....Yuuki was very happy to see this was a fully equipped Dog Run.



Choosing Joy!
©2012 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Misawa Fishing Harbor

Michael is preaching tomorrow. He's been really tired and not had the stamina he is used to having. He needed to spend today finishing for tomorrow. 



Jared had his first Saturday off in months.....so we packed a lunch, grabbed Yuuki and got in the car to search for adventure while Michael studied. 

Our first stop of the day was the Misawa Fishing Harbor. You can click here for an earlier post which showed the damage done to this area.  The kids are standing on a road that was a giant chasm after the earthquake. There were piles of debris and parts of ships all over in this area last year at this time. Directly behind the kids is the entrance to the only swimming spot where Americans are supposed to swim in North of Hachinohe. It was closed last year, but I think they may have it ready to open by July. 

 The restrooms look like they are near ready....and there were construction workers all over.


Remember these bulbs.....


 This is on the pier looking back at the harbor. The building to the left of the tower in the center was full of water after the tsunami. It looked so peaceful today.


There were signs from the past here and there as we beach combed today...........



This monument should be standing up in the braces on the pedestal.




Choosing Joy!
©2012 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Friday, April 27, 2012

Internet Footprint and Intimacy

It's no secret I'm evaluating my "Internet footprint".  Some say Facebook is for "personal" stuff and blogs are "public." I have a sense only those who really WANT to know what I'm up too will take the time to read Choosing Joy... Blogging feels far more intimate and private to me than Facebook has become. I know the blog is public and open to anyone who stumbles across it..... Facebook  feedback is instant; I don't often receive feedback on the blog.  I like feedback  - even when it stings - usually. 


In any event.....blogging fulfills the goal of a family journal, Facebook fritters my time and keeps me focused on those "away - outside of my current life." I'm not phrasing this well.....as I work to live life more in the present....I've been evaluating both Facebook and Choosing Joy to see how they interact with that goal as well as other family goals.  I CAN keep in contact with large numbers of friends via Facebook....I CAN spend hours a day interacting with women on Facebook and it's "ministry" and "friendship" and "social networking" and it's good...but I'm not sure it's the best. It certainly takes time from living PRESENT with my family and the women God has brought to my life in this season...though many local relationships would not have developed without the impetus of Facebook. Ah - it hurts my brain to try to think deep thoughts. ::snort::  


I keep wondering if Facebook is the way I want to interact with  friends. Days of long, newsy, personal intimate emails from friends around the world have been replaced with a barrage of info - now I know what they eat, what they watch, what they saw, what the weather is like...but I miss knowing what they THINK about all those things, what they FEEL about all those things, what Father God is teaching them through these events....I am not sure Facebook has been a good exchange for  private, personal, intimate, one-to-one or one-to-four communication. 


I realize 98% of the world has chosen to live their lives  on Facebook. I can't expect friends to remember to send me a personal email about their impending move, their beautiful spring day, their new pregnancy. They've posted on Facebook and 893 know in the same amount of time it would take to privately email the one. I get that. I live with the same time constraints. Therefore, I suspect I will stay on Facebook...but I'm not assuming it's a great way to interact with friends.  I actually am starting to resent that if I don't have an hour (or more) to cruise friends' status updates I simply won't know the important things going on. I don't have an hour or two a day....it feels, dare I say it, manipulative. 


Maybe it doesn't really matter how I long to relate to friends - because most will relate via FB and not intimately any longer. 


I KNOW Facebook is an awesome advertising and networking tool for ministries. I've seen that. I administer 3 ministry pages. I'm sold. I KNOW Facebook is a great way to generate prayer support and get info out in a time of crisis. I'm not saying "I must abstain from Facebook forever," I'm simply evaluating if this is the way I want to interact personally with friends...or with strangers who friend me. ::grin::  


Facebook has brought a touch of irritation to my life. I DO have a wacky sense of humor, I AM an individual...I assume you read my Facebook because you are a friend, you know me, you love me....but it would appear some feel the need to  adjust my questionable outlook on life...like a funny photo of  the results of swallowing gum or a book link from a theological background different than yours.  I don't like being responsible for everything at a site I share.....and I feel duped when I find I share something that contains offensive info further on....though I do wonder who has the time to read all the sites of all the links shared on Facebook. I don't mind a friend correcting me...but on Facebook it doesn't feel like mentoring....it feels like I need to be very guarded and superficial. (Not traits at which I excel - but ones which I've learned over 25 years of ministry). 


I've been living with new boundaries for a few weeks on Facebook. I've chosen to open a blog post every a.m. and jot "FB status updates" in the post. I post it in the evening to Facebook. This gives me time to remove those things which an extrovert may say and wish she'd not said by evening. ::snort:: It also captures those snippets for Choosing Joy - which we print.  I don't get as much feedback from others this way on Facebook. I've adjusted to that.  This insures Facebook is not frittering away my Internet minutes leading to whole days not captured on Choosing Joy. I'm now considering not even posting personal things on Facebook - just passing on others' updates, links, photos and reading friends updates. ::gasp:: 


I considered not many were reading the blog and so began to check stats to verify this. I contemplate making the blog private...so I can still keep it up, still save our adventures...and as I said, I assumed no one reads the blog anyway.  Now I find Choosing Joy gets 300 - 500 hits a day. So I ask WHY? I'm not fancy. I haven't had time to share "deep thoughts from a shallow Christian". You've not found lots of lists to help you with this or that, fun links etc here in the past months. Why do you come here? Would you miss Choosing Joy if it went private? Who are you? Are you family, friends we've known here or there, Internet friends?????? Am I wrong....is Facebook more intimate than Choosing Joy? Is it really creepier to have so many reading my "intimate, family blog" without every saying "Boo - this is who I am and I agree with you. Your thoughts resonate with me. May I suggest another perspective for you to pray over?"  Is Internet just creepy? Should extroverts stay far away? 


Things I've been evaluating. I'd love your thoughts. My conclusions: 

  • Choosing Joy is a priceless family journal and I will continue -  either public or private.
  • It meets a family goal to keep Choosing Joy current.
  • Facebook APPEARS to meet my extroverted need for connection - but I'm not 100% sold I have this much need for connection. 
  • Facebook has taken time which used to be used maintaining deeper friendships with a few. 
  • I'm not sure why people say, "Facebook is more intimate than blogging"....I must be doing Facebook wrong. What I see is what I post on Facebook "seems" to be seen by more - but maybe it's seen by as many on the blog and they just don't comment as easily as folks on Facebook?
  • Finding solitude in our age of technology will take some deliberate measures...even extroverts need solitude...it's a God thing. 
  • If you have a blog - is it public or by invitation only? 
  • If you abstain from Facebook I'd love to know how you maintain that "daily connection" with your friends? Do they remember to let you know what's going on?
  • What am I missing? 
Choosing Joy!
©2012 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

DiiiiiiNNNNNNerrrr!

Michael came home early - wiped out! He went to bed.

After shopping for rings and clothes for the boys' participation in the True Love Waits ceremony, after taking Jared to work and visiting the Harugaoka Old Aged Home, the kids asked about pizza. I suggested Pizza Hut. They asked (since Daddy isn't with us) if we could go to their favorite pizza spot.  It was a good choice for us.  We didn't really like Japanese (Italian style) pizza when we arrived in Japan - but we all like it now (except Michael).


Zander loves to watch the chef make pizzas

The Americana - Zander and Stacia's favorite

No sauce - chunks of mozzarella, Japanese mushrooms and yummy chicken! 
 We were surprised to walk into the little store at the American Village and find KIRKLAND brands....need to check the small bags of cranberries at the commissary and see how they compare to the big bags here. LOL

Fun to see the American flag on this product

I didn't realize Betty was British


Choosing Joy!
©2012 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Harugaoka Old Aged Home - Birthday Visit

One of the fun things we do is visit a local old aged home to wish residents happy birthday. It's simple. We bring gift bags filled with goodies, we sing happy birthday and we "visit" a bit. 


Stacia commented as we drove away, "They usually pat my head but no one did today!" ::snort:: They DID ask what grade she was in and were surprised to hear she is only 6 - she's a very tall 6 for around here (pretty tall for American standards too). 





It's a humbling pleasure to be part of bringing such expressions of joy to these dear ones! 


Choosing Joy!
©2012 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

FRIDAY!


  • 4.8 and 03:48 - centered in Aomori - due north! Unusual epicenter. 
  • Glasses falling in the toilet is an exciting way to begin a day! 
  • Labs drawn
  • WEARING CAPRIS and doing a snoopy dance...spring is here, spring is here, spring is here. 
  • Can see the mountains today! 

  • We're reading "extra" historical novels now...and contemplating some crafts...good to be done with school before spring fever hit! 
  • Found rings and clothes for True Love Waits for the boys. 
  • Arielle has a ring but needs something semi-formal....
  • PWOC Birthday Visit to Harugaoka Old Aged Home*
  • Michael was wiped out this afternoon and came home and slept - therefore - the kids talked me into dinner at their favorite spot.*
  • Rain this afternoon/evening and chilly. 
  • Gnomio and Juliet and Kung Fu Panda. 
  • Jared is home....time to blog a few photos and go to bed. 
  • Bre and Krista are coming over in May. They'll be here for True Love Waits, the PWOC retreat and a bit of family time.  The boys will be over "sometime". 
Choosing Joy!
©2012 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Thursday, April 26, 2012

I Wonder: Dreams


         Another from BreAnne!  This one sticks with me as we prepare for the next season of our life. 

            As I looked over the wing of the airplane I was aboard, I couldn't help but wonder what the Wright brothers would think if they could see our modern air crafts. Their impossible dream evolved into something much bigger than themselves so much so that it continues to evolve even to this day. People must have thought them crazy to dare to dream such a dream. Not only did they dream it, they pursued it. I wonder how many people who genuinely cared about them pulled them aside to urge them to not try to make that contraption of theirs fly with them in it. I wonder how many people scoffed. I wonder how much their dream must have consumed their thoughts every day. I wonder how many disappointing set-backs they had to face before they realized their dream. I wonder if they even had any clue how big of a dream they were dreaming.

            A dream is such a powerful thing. For a dream we will set goals. For a dream we will do the hard stuff to see those goals accomplished. For a dream we will endure scoffing, ridicule, and even persecution. For a dream we will stay up working all hours of the night. For a dream we will rise with the morning light. For a dream we will deny ourselves pleasures and comforts. For a big dream we will deny other lesser dreams. Dreams are beautiful things. However, if we don't have the conviction to back up those dreams; we will never see those dreams brought into reality. A dream remains forever merely a dream if we are not willing to make the sacrifices required by such a dream. I wonder how many young men, or even women, before the Wrights dreamed of flying machines. I wonder how many tried to make it happen. I wonder how many even invested great amounts of money, time, and energy. What was the difference? Why didn't they see their dreams fulfilled. I am sure many people would say that the reason must be that they didn't have anyone to believe in them or they never got their lucky break. That could be the case. But how often are those the excuses of our generation? Quite often I feel. It seems like we know how to dream, but we also know how to make excuses for when we fail or don't even try to pursue our dreams. We seem to lack the conviction and perseverance required of a big dream. Most of us will not do the hard things to make our dreams succeed and our dreams will die with us. However, there are some of us who will push and push and push and dream and push and dream some more and work hard and push until we see our dreams come into fruition. There are sadly only some of these kinds of people in every generation. Here's another thought, not every one of these people have dreams that are for the good of their fellow men. Some evil men have the conviction and perseverance to make their dreams reality. Part of how they succeed and are able to continue in succeeding is that good men don't dream.

            I wonder what kind of a woman I am. Am I one of the "some" in this generation? Or maybe I am merely one of the "almost some," one who will make an attempt at my dreams but not see it through to the end. Do I have what it takes to be one of the "some?"

            I wonder if my dreams are big enough to be God-sized dreams. God gives God-sized dreams to those of us who have hearts that are fully yielded to His, hearts that have the courage to do the hard things and the humility to give Him the credit. God loves it when we dream God-sized, God-directed, God-empowered dreams. God loves it when we will grab hold of His God-sized hand and hang on tight while we obediently follow Him in pursuing a God-sized dream. Such a dream is not about ourselves, our strengths or weaknesses, our pasts or presents. Such a dream is about God's will and God's ability to make a way. I wonder what kind of dreams I have been dreaming.

            I wonder.


Choosing Joy!
©2012 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Fields and Fields of Plastic!


Yep - it's spring time around our house! 


Choosing Joy!
©2012 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...

Snatching Solitude

I've been thinking, praying, meditating on solitude and secrecy....it started as my 2012 Memorial Stone - but I'm also doing a session on this at the upcoming spring retreat.  I decided to try something out and snatch a solitude moment in the midst of activity. 


We finished school and headed 5ks up the road to Swan Park....Lovely walk, playground, swans, ducks, budding trees....It was a GREAT idea....though "someone" was heard to say, "Stacia, can you please quit talking just for a second so we can hear the birds!"


Stacia is begging we go back camping...we need to make that happen this summer. Cherry Blossom season is coming! It (or fall) has got to be the PERFECT time of the year in Misawa....not cold, not hot....


Yuuki pulled Nolan down the hill - she was really excited by the swans


Can you see the kids at the top? 
 

We have budding trees - lanterns getting reading for Hanamai!

It's going to be gorgeous when they bloom! 






Choosing Joy!
©2012 D.R.G.
~Coram Deo~
Living all of life before the face of God...