What Goes Around

Breast Cancer Awareness Seminar! We had one back in April I think it was. Three weeks of training on how to do a self exam and what to look for. One of the ladies that came to seminar found a lump when she did a self exam a couple of months ago. So she made an appointment to see her doctor. The doctor was surprised that she found it herself. She was able to tell the doctor about the BCAS and all that she learned. The doctor was very impressed. It turned out that the lump was a cyst and she is fine. I am so proud of Samina for doing the self exam and for going to the doctor. I am so happy that it wasn't anything too serious. And I am hopeful that other ladies will learn from her experience and do the self exam. Early detection is the best defense for breast cancer.

There are three houses near us that are being constructed. One has been going on for three years probably. It is five stories high (American counting)or four stories for Indian standard. For around a year and a half it was not being worked on because the law didn't allow basements. So they had to seal the basement. Then there must have been other issues for why it wasn't being built. There was at least one man who lived in the partially built house all that time. He was probably the guard. Well now it is having marble laid. That may be the worst step in home construction for the neighbors. It is SO LOUD. The sound of marble being cut is like fingernails on a chalkboard. That house is behind us a stones throw away. Across the street is another house that is being built. Around two months ago we noticed the people move out. Then the construction crew (4-5 men with sledge-hammers) showed up. They started hammering away, tearing it down one brick at a time. I was s...

Steve took the kids (slum kids) skate boarding today. One of the boys broke his arm. So now Steve is at the hospital with him and it looks like he will have to have surgery. Poor kid. And poor Steve.

The same old feelings are gnawing at my heart again. The lump in my throat that I try to push down. Not knowing how to express my hurt. Not even knowing if it is selfish of me to feel the way I do. But here I am again, feeling over looked. I found out today that there is a conference that is being planned and I wasn't invited to it. I think I should have been invited. But this happens about every year or so and I am never initially invited. Usually I am an after thought and someone will forward me the invitation. I am thankful for those who do think of me, but then it just reinforces the fact that I wasn't thought of before. Why does it hurt? You would think I would get used to not being invited to these things since I never have been. But each time it happens it stabs me in the heart again. I feel like throwing in the towel and quitting my job. Who wants to work at a place where they aren't noticed. But then I remind myself that I do this for God, not for othe...

Way back in my early 20's, one of the things I dreaded most was becoming a stay at home mother. What could be worse? Some ladies just loved the thought of being a mom, wife, cook, teacher, all wrapped up in one. I thought I would die if I had to home school my kid. I thought I would die just becoming a mom. I wanted to work outside the home. I wanted to save the world. Now here I am, a stay at home mother who home schools her son. How did that happen? I have cooked more meals in the last month than in the last year combined. Which means I have to do more dishes too. I still am working, but that also is out of our home. I'm not hating it. I know this will be just for a season of my life. Micah will most likely go back to school someday, I will be busy outside of the home, I will stop cooking, and I will save the world. But until that day, may God give me the grace that I need each day. I would also hope to find joy in the midst of the daily grind. I get to spend t...

Friday has come again. This week seemed to go fast. We did home schooling, which went well for not having materials yet. We aren't planners so we haven't gotten around to planning which curriculum to use with Micah. Slowly we are piecing things together. Today I had lunch with a friend. The place we met at is only a couple of miles from our home. It is always an adventure to drive here though. First of all, our car is falling apart. The power steering went out. It makes a horrible sound and takes more muscle to control. Then there is a major intersection that the traffic signals are being replaced at. So for the past week or two there have not been any signals. We Indians don't do four way stops. When the signal is out we just all go. So you have to weave your way through the intersection. It actually works smoother than a signal. So I went to the normal restaurant that we meet at. I walked in and it looked different, so I thought I was at the wrong place. ...

A friend was kind enough to bring me a pack of Thai Iced Tea mix from their recent trip to Thailand. Now I am loving my break time again. Actually, I was even more thrilled to hear that they had two packs. So now I am set for 20 days of Thai Iced Tea. Thanks Laura!

One of the things that Steve and I are suppose to do to help us learn to communicate better is to plan meals. So today we sat down and planned the next week of meals. Then we made of shopping list. And off we went to Khan Market, the upscale shopping area close to our home. It has been several weeks since I have been out in Delhi, before our Thailand trip, so I guess I had forgotten about the pollution. Not the air pollution but the noise pollution. We sat down in a restaurant and I was immediately bombarded with noise. Steve said, "I like this song." But I couldn't hear it over all the noise. People talking, kids whining, dishes clinking. The whole meal was like that. The little kid at the table next to me was so loud and whiny that I could hardly take it anymore. I was glad to leave. But outside was worse. As we walked to the other side of the market to do our shopping we had to go on the road and in the parking area. "HONK! HONK! HONK!" Argh! ...

It has been raining lately. Not a lot, but just a bit each day. I think it rains at night when we are sleeping. But a couple of days ago we had a big rain storm. It rained for maybe an hour. So that caused flooding in the city. All the drains are flooded and the sewers back up. Streets are full of water for a day. And now they are full of dirt. It was mud, but it dried to dirt. Our street seems especially dirty. The other bad thing about rain is the sewers. Like I said, they get blocked or flooded. So you will see piles of sewer mud all over the city. Someone has to come along and dig into the sewer, but they just leave the piles. So it gets stinky. We have a few piles on our street. Spot is attracted to those piles. And the other nasty part of the rainy season is that when the sewer is being unplugged, they often times leave the manhole cover off. Especially if it is flooded. So you could step into what you think is ankle deep water and end up in chest deep sewer scum...