Sunday, March 27, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
Let's get right down to the real nitty-gritty...
Do you see that huge, towering wall of sand over top of my head? Sandstorm big enough to get on the news! Just to clarify, it is like "The Mummy"...it's a wall of sand coming at us, moving pretty quickly. That water tower in the background is maybe 1/4-1/2 mile away, and the sand hit the hospital about 10 minutes after this picture was taken. According to those who got stuck outside in it, it was light as day and then dark as night within an instant as they were enveloped in sand and dirt. From what we heard, it started about 2 hours north of us and came the whole way down to us; you could see it on radar.
The aftermath: the entire hospital was covered INSIDE with sand. And inch of sand in the radiology hallway, an OR that needed to be re-sterilized, dining facilities closing down because sand got in all the food. An unpleasant natural phenomenon! Glad its over, hoping that doesn't happen again while we're here!
The aftermath: the entire hospital was covered INSIDE with sand. And inch of sand in the radiology hallway, an OR that needed to be re-sterilized, dining facilities closing down because sand got in all the food. An unpleasant natural phenomenon! Glad its over, hoping that doesn't happen again while we're here!
Monday, March 21, 2011
Irony in Irony
This is a post of sheer silliness, so if you're purely glancing for an update or important information, you won't find it here. My apologies, but if you feel obliged to read on, please enjoy.
In my spare time on my day off today, I escaped the warming desert and sand by sitting in my cubicle and watching a "chic-flick" (sort of) while painting my nails. At home, I would be thinking up a delicious meal list for the week or ironing or calling on my husband at work to eat lunch with him. However, with none such things available or practical, I found myself curled up in my cubicled bunk bed watching "Becoming Jane." Thanks to the free movie rentals, I waste no money in these cinematic indulgences.
If you've read any of Jane Austin's novels, they are all of love, the plights of love in marriages where love is met but impossible in the relationship of differing social statuses. Strangely enough, this movie of the authoress's (an old-ish term) life seems to turn out very much like one of her books except by one depressing, ironic detail: despite multiple proposals and a very real and passionate love, she never marries. I will tell you that I like the truth of biographical information (I know films aren't fully truth, yes), even when it is ironic, but not when the ending turns out in a depressing way. You must understand the fragile emotions of a woman who is physically separated from her husband and has found herself hanging on to the life circumstances and consequences of the the heroine of the movie...only to have her left alone, unwed yet accomplished, in a fit of irony. Please know that I am being overly dramatic in order to make my point and yes, you should laugh at my 5 minutes of sad foolishness. I am cared for deeply by a wonderful, God-fearing and so very loving husband, so I need not live through movie romances. They will ALWAYS fall short, as we all know. It is acting, after all.
The irony in Austin's ironic tale: 'Irony is the bringing together of contradictory truths to make out of the contradiction a new truth with a laugh or a smile.' Or as another character put it 'I find irony as insult with a smiling face.' Take it as you may. No more 18th-19th century love stories for me, at least for now.
In my spare time on my day off today, I escaped the warming desert and sand by sitting in my cubicle and watching a "chic-flick" (sort of) while painting my nails. At home, I would be thinking up a delicious meal list for the week or ironing or calling on my husband at work to eat lunch with him. However, with none such things available or practical, I found myself curled up in my cubicled bunk bed watching "Becoming Jane." Thanks to the free movie rentals, I waste no money in these cinematic indulgences.
If you've read any of Jane Austin's novels, they are all of love, the plights of love in marriages where love is met but impossible in the relationship of differing social statuses. Strangely enough, this movie of the authoress's (an old-ish term) life seems to turn out very much like one of her books except by one depressing, ironic detail: despite multiple proposals and a very real and passionate love, she never marries. I will tell you that I like the truth of biographical information (I know films aren't fully truth, yes), even when it is ironic, but not when the ending turns out in a depressing way. You must understand the fragile emotions of a woman who is physically separated from her husband and has found herself hanging on to the life circumstances and consequences of the the heroine of the movie...only to have her left alone, unwed yet accomplished, in a fit of irony. Please know that I am being overly dramatic in order to make my point and yes, you should laugh at my 5 minutes of sad foolishness. I am cared for deeply by a wonderful, God-fearing and so very loving husband, so I need not live through movie romances. They will ALWAYS fall short, as we all know. It is acting, after all.
The irony in Austin's ironic tale: 'Irony is the bringing together of contradictory truths to make out of the contradiction a new truth with a laugh or a smile.' Or as another character put it 'I find irony as insult with a smiling face.' Take it as you may. No more 18th-19th century love stories for me, at least for now.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
No expiration date.
I went to chapel this morning with a friend from our unit, a Southern Baptist friend at that. As it goes with church-visits as well as dates, the first one is always akward. The newcomer anxiety only rises as they say "if you're new with us, stand up!"...but wait, we're all deployed for little stints at a time, so everybody is new all the time! It was akward, but it didn't get to the point of the old women trying to match us up with their grandsons living a state away; and besides, I'm thoroughly taken.
The chaplain (and I use chaplain because it's an ecumenical service with worship choruses) spoke for about 20 minutes on Matthew 16:21-28. In the beginning of the passage, Jesus is revealing the plan of His Death ad Resurrection to the disciples, and Peter tells him "no way" (in more eloquet words. Jesus' response to this is "Get behind me, Satan...For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man." While the "sermon" was filled with personal stories, the truth of God's word came through in this point: God's will be done. The idea is that we have plans, we make plans and try our best to follow through and avoid trouble. But the Lord, he has a plan for us. If he had listened to and agreed with Peter, and not rebuked him, our redeptive history would not exist.
I was also reminded of this in my reading with Jonathan. There is a story of a couple who basically got married in college because they had a perfect picture in mind, and the story goes that their plan was put to the test and their "dream" marriage ruined, only for God to enter in and redeem their marriage. It was only when their plan had failed, that failure being within God's will, that their marriage was upheld and made strong in the Lord.
It's a very pertinent truth for us at this time, one that never expires, gets old, or has less meaning at any time. The truth is that we cannot step outside of God's will, and that the trouble we face and try to avoid is also part of God's plan. The Lord be praised for his work in all of these things. "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." (Jeremiah 29: 11...read more for great encouragement). God is good and he is good all the time. It will never get old.
ps. I realize that I really miss singing aloud in my own home. Another reason to be thankful for chapel!
pps. The book I keep referring to is "What Did You Expect?", a book on marriage by Paul Tripp. All good marriage books point to the gospel, and this one does for sure.
ppps. If there are mispelled words, excuse my poor writing but the spell-check on my computer at work is connected to an Arabic network, so it highlights about 95% of the words when I tell it to check my work. Oops.
The chaplain (and I use chaplain because it's an ecumenical service with worship choruses) spoke for about 20 minutes on Matthew 16:21-28. In the beginning of the passage, Jesus is revealing the plan of His Death ad Resurrection to the disciples, and Peter tells him "no way" (in more eloquet words. Jesus' response to this is "Get behind me, Satan...For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man." While the "sermon" was filled with personal stories, the truth of God's word came through in this point: God's will be done. The idea is that we have plans, we make plans and try our best to follow through and avoid trouble. But the Lord, he has a plan for us. If he had listened to and agreed with Peter, and not rebuked him, our redeptive history would not exist.
I was also reminded of this in my reading with Jonathan. There is a story of a couple who basically got married in college because they had a perfect picture in mind, and the story goes that their plan was put to the test and their "dream" marriage ruined, only for God to enter in and redeem their marriage. It was only when their plan had failed, that failure being within God's will, that their marriage was upheld and made strong in the Lord.
It's a very pertinent truth for us at this time, one that never expires, gets old, or has less meaning at any time. The truth is that we cannot step outside of God's will, and that the trouble we face and try to avoid is also part of God's plan. The Lord be praised for his work in all of these things. "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." (Jeremiah 29: 11...read more for great encouragement). God is good and he is good all the time. It will never get old.
ps. I realize that I really miss singing aloud in my own home. Another reason to be thankful for chapel!
pps. The book I keep referring to is "What Did You Expect?", a book on marriage by Paul Tripp. All good marriage books point to the gospel, and this one does for sure.
ppps. If there are mispelled words, excuse my poor writing but the spell-check on my computer at work is connected to an Arabic network, so it highlights about 95% of the words when I tell it to check my work. Oops.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Beautiful, as always.
Guess who this lovely girl is? Sometimes she still dresses like this. Ok not really. You know what's really funny? The girl in that picture (well, and the woman I'm married to...) can do more pushups, situps, and pull ups then me.
I promise my next post will have more thought in it.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Catching up with a few thousand words...
One editorial note: I converted the times to Kuwait time so, if Jonathan posts, it's 8 hours behind. I accidentally had it set for California...11 hours behind my time now.
where it all started in California...
abode #1: the SEA hut and Jessie!
the hills of CA
daily hike up the mud trails with Jessie
heavy stuff
MRE: meatloaf, enchillada, or chilli mac?
on the range: ponytail allowed due to helmet limiting my head's range of motion; you try.
last meal out with the girls
Jessie and me, soaked to the bone!
Leg one of the trip
We called it a "wigwam"...we didn't know the real name
saying goodbye to Jessie, for now (meet Ingrid, the camel...goes with Humphry, the other camel)
the tent
the cubicle
And now you're caught up.
Friday, March 4, 2011
I never thought I'd have a cubicle.
For those of us who work in fields where cubicle-space doesn't exist (and offices usually don't, except for the higher-up nurses and those who prefer clinic hours), we don't fully understand the concept of being walled in while feeling that there is atmosphere above without wall that connects you to the other people nearby.
This is not my workspace; this is where I live. A 6 x 6 cubicle holds almost everything that I need: skype conversations with my husband, my kindle and other books, and a canteen cup that holds the pens I use to write all my letters home. I think they tried to prepare us for this by taking us from a hotel room away from family (worst part), to a SEA (South East Asia) hut that is frigid with 11 other frigid girls, to a "wigwam" with insulation and AC but 24 other occupants, to a dusty tent with 4 and AC, then the "private" cubicle. The space is my own though, and I am blessed to have even a brick and concrete building with a roof over my head. (Pictures to come, again, once my camera and computer mend their relationship).
An encouraging point from Jonathan and my reading: we desire marital bliss and happiness and, while this isn't a bad request, the goal is too small. He desires sanctification for us, a paradigm much bigger with more meaning and greater encouragement than simply happiness. And that's one of the reasons God has us here and there. I so desire, though, that God would give reasons first before action, not that it would've changed my attitude because, as I know not well enough yet, I am a great sinner.
This is not my workspace; this is where I live. A 6 x 6 cubicle holds almost everything that I need: skype conversations with my husband, my kindle and other books, and a canteen cup that holds the pens I use to write all my letters home. I think they tried to prepare us for this by taking us from a hotel room away from family (worst part), to a SEA (South East Asia) hut that is frigid with 11 other frigid girls, to a "wigwam" with insulation and AC but 24 other occupants, to a dusty tent with 4 and AC, then the "private" cubicle. The space is my own though, and I am blessed to have even a brick and concrete building with a roof over my head. (Pictures to come, again, once my camera and computer mend their relationship).
An encouraging point from Jonathan and my reading: we desire marital bliss and happiness and, while this isn't a bad request, the goal is too small. He desires sanctification for us, a paradigm much bigger with more meaning and greater encouragement than simply happiness. And that's one of the reasons God has us here and there. I so desire, though, that God would give reasons first before action, not that it would've changed my attitude because, as I know not well enough yet, I am a great sinner.
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