Happy New Year! Sawasdee Pbi Mai!

Blogging seems to be the last thing to be able to work its way back into my routine. Not because I don't like sharing with the few who choose to read...but because it is a very easy activity to procrastinate...So here it is the 17th of January...and I am just getting around to sharing a 2007 new year greeting...Oh bother!

This week at school has been a time to share our appreciation for the teachers who teach our children at school. Yesterday was a 1/2 day after the 5th grade students presented all the teachers with special Thai bouquets and knelt before them in an all school assembly. I still remember this same assembly taking place last year when we first began at school. I found it to be a very respectful act as the students literally walk on their knees with their heads bowed and bouquet in prayerful hands...then they bow more as they reach their intended teacher and present the bouquet. The teachers are seated on chairs and graciously receive the bouquets and then proceed to casually chat with the students in front of and near them for a few minutes. What a precious sight!

Matthew turned 11 on January 5th and received a double wet kiss from Faith and me. Today, our Moms in Touch group provided a luncheon for all the teachers. We served a variety of soups...I took Pumpkin Soup...the Australian teachers seemed to particularly enjoy it especially with a dash of cream...In my heart, I was particularly thinking of Thelma Hutchinson from Monty who told me what her special ingredient was that makes the soup soooooo good. Thanks, Thelma! Pumpkin Soup has become one of the few foods that everyone in our family will eat. I was amazed at how nice all the breads and rolls were that many other Mothers brought. I think I need to visit some of them and learn their secrets too! I think all of the teachers really appreciated the food. Many teachers here are on an especially tight budget which makes purchasing Western food often just out of reach. Also, many teachers are single and wouldn't necessarily go to the trouble of cooking this type of food for just themselves. International schools have their own unique struggles as they the teachers tend to be very transient, usually only on 1-2 year contracts. Many leave after their contracts are up. Because of their transient positions, building relationships takes even longer than normal...whatever normal means? So coming together in camaraderie seemed to be very good for them.

Well, I didn’t intend for this to be a book...I just wanted to get back in the swing of writing again. The kids are doing well over all. Faith had initial tryouts for the school musical today. She and Tim are starting to attend Youth Group and are gone there right now. Matthew is a reading machine. He and Paul have their International School soccer competition on Saturday. Paul is working through the difficulties of being room monitor at school this week. Scott and I will be going for our driver's licenses again (which will include a motorbike component) when he returns from visiting a nearby country in a couple of weeks. Matthew is preparing himself for his two best friends' (who are twins) departure at the end of school. These friends will be returning to the UK for next year and then after that they will be moving to Singapore. One of Tim's friends will be returning to Sweden in June for a year and then returning here. This happens every year...and can really throw kids into habitual long term problems with developing relationships. Somehow it is important to teach our kids the lessons from mining gold or other precious minerals...treat each relationship as a gold mine and give all you have to get all you can from the relationship...because when it is gone it is gone...and we can live without regrets. I was just chatting with a new friend about this today as we waited on our kids at soccer practice.

Until another day….Love to all our beloved!