It's June?!?

Wow..it's June already?  How in the world did that happen?! This last month has flown by, and either I have been too busy to blog (with lots to write about), or I had time to write, with not a lot of material "blog-worthy".  Well, now I will be doing a little catch up because time has gotten away from me and it is June.  June, of course, is my favorite month....all of my firsts are in June....my birthday, anniversary, and the day I became a mom.  But being a former teacher, June has always been a favorite month.  Now I have discovered another reason to love June...it's time to go home:)

It's funny being here and having lots of friends from different parts of the world... hearing how they do different things.  Our Aussie friends have told us that their school year runs from Jan/ Feb to December. And while this may make some things simpler, I would miss the extra feeling of completion we get to experience in June.  It's kind of like the extra "fresh start" we get to have in September. Even though great emphasis of new starts are placed upon the beginning of the year in January, as a mom of school aged kiddos, September is where my beginning usually starts.  Well, that is the same feeling I have about June.  And usually when something finishes, there should be a time of reflection...what did I learn? how did I change? what could I do differently?  Often times, my time of reflection comes in the middle of the summer when our family goes on vacation.  Partly because we go to the beach and that is where I do my best thinking...but also because we go from no school to scheduled activities in no time flat.  Well, I have been determined to create margins in my week these past few weeks to reflect about this past year. Time where I just think about the year, pray, meditate, and ask God to reveal what He wants me to learn about this year.  You see, I'm afraid that if I wait like I normally do, my time at the beach, my time in Hong Kong will feel like a dream.  And while I have no doubt that God will work then too, I want to be intentional now...while I'm here and things are tangible and my memories are right in front of me.

Some of my lessons are very practical...always wear bug spray or long pants, no matter how stinking hot it is, or you will be eaten alive. Or, take everything about public transportation with a grain of salt and let go of control (I've definitely grown in this area). Or, when in public, don't wait until you absolutely have to go to the bathroom because you will be waiting in line.  And don't forget your tissue and hand sanitizer. I have made a longer list that I will share later:)

But other lessons are much more personal and ongoing...contentment and making assumptions, putting God and His plan in a box, and guiding/parenting five children who are all very different and need me in various and different ways.  As Sarah has gone from an infant to a roly-poly baby who is into everything, Grace is turning 12 and on the verge of adolescence and becoming a teenager. And then there are the three in between...Emma, almost 10, has done the most changing in her attitude about Hong Kong.  From dislike and then acceptance in the fall, to enjoyment, appreciation and living in the moment this spring.  Josh has grown the most academically...emerging reader to avid reader, with much more confidence. And then there is Abby. I feel like we have asked the most of this little 4 year old...she wakes at 6am, is out the door by 7:15 with her daddy, takes a 20 min train to catch a bus that takes her to school.  But she has been a trooper and she and her daddy have a new found bond with these mornings.

Yes, there is a lot to think and ponder about.  I cannot believe our first year is about done and in a little over two weeks we will be making our journey home.  I was surprised that part of me is a little sad.  When I allowed myself to think deeper as to why, I realized that it is a bit of a foreshadowing of us leaving for good, and how hard that will be.  But like Emma, I am learning to live in the moment.  Staying in the present can be a challenge when there always seems to be a trial on the horizon.  But like Lamentations says, His compassions are new every morning...for that day.  He will give us compassions for tomorrow, tomorrow:)