10 days and counting

Well, just as we were praying this morning for my trip to Romania, our phone rang and it was our good friend Beni, who was just on his way to have a date with his wife and daughter at Starbucks in Timisoara. This is a new thing since our last trip, (the Starbucks, not the "date") and I'm glad to know I'll be able to get my mocha breve! I need to make a little correction because I did not fully understand my "mission"...I think I was so overwhelmed at playing in the Parliament that I confused a few of the facts in my little brain. Beni works with several members of the Parliament...I mis-wrote saying he was a member...and I have been invited by the Human Dignity Commission in the Parliament for the launching of that commission. I, of course, am not the only one...there will be speakers from the U.S. and other countries as well, and we'll all be adding our voices (violin too?) to "endorse" the idea of human dignity among the Romanian people...people I have come to know and love very much even since my first trip there over 20 years ago, when I discovered the daughters that God had waiting for me to adopt. The Romanians are very warm and loving...as are my 2 daughters, who are now lovely grown women...and always so hopeful. One of the vivid memories I have of visiting the country within a month after the coup is the sad, yet open and hopeful faces of the people I encountered on the streets of Bucharest, and even though there was absolutely nothing in any of the stores along the main avenue, many of the people who were walking home after a long day were carrying fresh flowers. They may not have had much, but they were determined to "brighten the corner" where they were, and that really blessed me. We who live in the "land of the free" just seem to find things about which to complain, instead of appreciating the little things...we all nod and affirm those who say "stop and smell the roses", yet, how many of us are actually doing that? God has blessed me with the curiosity to want to notice His creation...I'm always wondering which bird is singing that particular song...as an avid gardener, I love combining colors and textures in my garden beds...as a gourmet cook, I also love combining different herbs and spices to change a dish. I must confess I have almost never "obeyed" a recipe...I admit it. I'm always looking for a new and exciting way to do just about everything...don't even drive the same route if I can help it! I am so fortunate to have a husband who SAVORS life, and the little things...sunrises, sunsets, the myriad colors of green on the mountains opposite our deck...our morning cup of coffee...the list goes on and on...as I know he is already savoring the experiences I am about to encounter on this journey. I am so excited about my trip because it gives me the opportunity once again to be with people who know what they have and are very grateful for every second of it. May I continue to do the same.