Wish List

First of all, let me just say that I have been told by three people that I am to make this list and post it here. It's basically just a list of things that I can't get here. : )

Oatmeal (instant flavored packs)
Cake Mix
Instant Pudding (fat free)
Diet Hot-Chocolate
Diet Hot-Cider
Taco Seasoning
Seasoning Packets of Any Kind
Corn Bread Mix
BBQ Seasoning
Crisco
Vanilla
I Can't Believe It's Not Butter shaking powder
Dried Cilantro
Anything(!) from Hobby Lobby
Anything with a chocolate and Peanut Butter combination
Peanut Butter
Peppermints
Zip Locks
Onion Soup Seasoning
Brownie Mixes
White Marshmallows
Velveeta

I think that's enough for now. : )

Quoting George

Discontent, I repeat, is the life in us that has not enough of itself, is not enough to itself, so calls for more. He has the victory who, in the midst of pain and weakness, cries out, not for death, not for the repose of forgetfulness, but for strength to fight; for more power, more consciousness of being, more God in him; who, when sorest wounded, says with Sir Andrew Barton in the old ballad:--
Fight on my men, says Sir Andrew Barton,
I am hurt, but I am not slain;
I'll lay me down and bleed awhile,
And then I'll rise and fight again;
--and that with no silly notion of playing the hero--what have creatures like us to do with heroism who are not yet barely honest!--but because so to fight is the truth, and the only way.
"Life", Geoge Macdonald

The Hymn Book

Though my luggage didn't feel like it, I really was careful in limiting how many books I brought to Italy. My poor bookshelf looks very sparse. And when I run my fingers over the books I keep thinking, "Why did I bring that one?" and "Why didn't I bring..." and "How in the world did I happen to bring two copies of that?" One of the things I didn't bring was a hymn book. Last weekend I visited co-workers in Ancona and drooled over their full bookshelves. But my eyes got caught on the gray hymnal, and exact version of the one I've had since college. And with timidity I asked, "Um, could I borrow your hymn book until Christmas?" Heidi asked me, "What do you want with it?" Well, I want to sit at my piano and play through it. Instead of the gray hymn book, she pulled out the thick binder - the version of the hymnbook with cords and notes and big print - spiral bound to sit easily on the piano.
I couldn't wait to get it home.
And so I've started. The next day I stayed home from church to have my own private worship service - a sweet time of specific prayers over a heavy burden. And I started with number one and played through the first 300 hymns.
And I was reminded of a few things.
I saw, with tear filled eyes, the precious words of petition and confession and longing of how faithful our God is, how powerful He is, how With Us He is...
And as I really thought about these words the burden I carried was passed into His hands.
I really love to sing and dance with abandon to the worship songs that have been written in the last five years.
But every-once-in-a-while, it's good to go back to sing the songs of the 500 years.

"For why? The Lord our God is good; His mercy is forever sure. His truth at all times firmly stood, and shall from age to age endure." written in 1565

A Pep-Talk for a Sinner

The other day, one of my teachers gave us a little pep-talk. He said that we are in school to learn - and part of that learning process is being willing to make mistakes. That's the point of grace, isn't it? That we live in expectancy of delighting God - not with our own perfection (which we really have none of) but in redemption.
Enrico then went on to say that we shouldn't be making the same mistakes over and over - but should be getting better. And that's part of the process, too. It's the sanctification that grace gives.
So, here we go...

Mail

This week I got my first care package from America. And I remembered seeing a list of things you can't send to Italy. Here it is:

Albums of any kind (of photographs, postcards, postage stamps, etc.).
Arms and weapons.
Articles of platinum or gold; jewelry; and other valuable articles unless sent as insured Priority Mail International parcels.
Artificial flowers and fruits and accessories for them.
Bells and other musical instruments and parts thereof.
Cartridge caps; cartridges.
Clocks and supplies for clocks.
Compound medicaments and medicines.
Coral mounted in any way.
Ether and chloroform.
Exposed photographic and cinematographic films.
Footwear of any kind.
Haberdashery and sewn articles of any kind, including trimmings and lace; handkerchiefs; scarves; shawls, needlework including stockings and gloves; bonnets, caps, and hats of any kind.
Hair and articles made of hair.
Human remains.
Leather goods.
Lighters and their parts, including lighter flints.
Live bees, leeches, and silkworms.
Live plants and animals.
Nutmeg, vanilla; sea salt, rock salt; saffron.
Parasites and predators of harmful insects.
Perfumery goods of all kinds (except soap).
Playing cards of any kind.
Postage stamps in sealed or unsealed First-Class Mail International shipments.
Radioactive materials.
Ribbons for typewriters.
Roasted or ground coffee and its substitutes; roasted chicory.
Saccharine and all products containing saccharine.
Salted, smoked or otherwise prepared meats; fats; and lard.
Tobacco.
Toys not made wholly of wood.
Treated skins and furs.
Weapons of any kind and spare parts for them

A Day in the Life

woke up
took a long bath
cleaned the kitchen
mopped the floors
snuggled up with an Italian grandma
sang Holy, Holy, Holy in both Italian and English
danced to Ghanaian drums
ate with 200 strangers
walked 6 miles in Autumn's hillside beauty
ate fajitas
spent a couple of hours at Barns and Noble... well, via Skype
...
What a perfect day.

If I Hear That Song One More Time...

Have you ever heard a song that really caught your attention - and you loved it... well, that is until you heard it for the 384th time?

The Italians have a name for those kinds of songs - ones that get played over and over and over and over: "un tormentone estivo" ... do you see the word torment in there?! Perfect.