Thursday, May 07, 2009

And I say to myself, "What a Wonderful World!"

Most of the time, living in another country, it's just "home". Once you get past culture shock, even if it's strikingly different from what you've always known, it becomes your daily norm.

But sometimes there are moments you look around and think, "my kids get to ride bikes by the sea, with cargo ships and very, very old history all around them?"

Or, "I get to make dumplings from scratch with local friends?"

Covered women admire my children while we're out for walks?

I shop at a local outdoor market where vegetables are this beautiful & fresh?

And in my Sunday shopping, I walk past shoe displays like this?

Our children have a perspective on the world that is unique among their peers...

... and we are blessed to be able to spend downtime as a family at parks with tulips and water all around.

And I say to myself, "What a wonderful world designed by an incredible God!"

1 comment:

Mom said...

Oh my gracious, this is amazing. We just sang the song "What a Wonderful World" at church - actually the last 2 Sundays, because our pastor was gone one of those Sundays, and we wanted him to be able to hear it. But, it all started because Angie (who just came to see you) had picked it out to be sung at her funeral & so Jeff, as a surprise to her, after she came back was going to have the choir sing it. Well, a copy of the song came to him in a packet that he gets every so often, and he couldn't believe it - so he ordered it, and we have been singing it. I was telling Angie that I always think about you guys when I hear it now, because she was over there when we first started practicing it in choir. There are 2 parts where I get misty eyed - where it talks about seeing the faces of people going by; friends shaking hands, saying "How do you do?" They're really saying, "I love you." & the part where it says "I hear babies cry; I watch them grow. They'll learn much more than I'll ever know. - Boy, that's the truth. I see my grandchildren, and I think they almost already know more than I do. How true that is! Anyway, it's a very meaningful song, and it does make you stop and thank God for the wonderful world that He created & "lets us enjoy for a season". Mom