Highlights of Our Trip

Highlights of our trip were... a pool to swim in,


trials to hike and nature to enjoy,


beautiful people,


time to relax and listen to each other,


new places to see and great people to be with. I feel like I've gotten to know my team mates much better, which helps me appreciate them more. I had time to sit and do nothing but watch the sun and the wind dance with the trees. I laughed more than I have laughed in a very long time. It was refreshing.

A Trip Out Of Dhaka

This past weekend, we took a train trip to the town of Sri Mongol with some of our co-workers. Here we are, waiting at the station, surrounded by beggars and other travelers. The shot below shows a bit more of the crowd around us but really can't do justice to the experience of traveling here.



What a relief to leave the city and see green again. I love to see the vibrant shades of the rice paddies, from the brilliant green of the new shoots to the golden stalks of ripened rice, with many different shades in between. I marvel at the perfect rows and the endurance of the farmers.


Our train stopped a couple of times so during one rather long stop, the kids got down and played a bit of tag, which helped to release some pent-up energy. It had been coming out in other ways, like hitting the seats to see how much dust would fly up into the air. It was rather cloudy on their side of the car for a bit. Then the boys got out their candy that they had accumulated from Grandma and the circus and soon had a sugar high to add to the normal high level of energy that they seem to all have been born with. Needless to say, we were all happy to get to our destination.


Here is one of the many onlookers they had, as they played during the stop.

The Poverty That Surrounds Me

I have often tried to articulate what it feels like to live in a third world country. In my years here, I have met so many beautiful people, been surrounded by such needs, heard so many heart breaking stories, too much to put into words. Well, they say a picture is worth a thousand words... so try watching Slumdog Millionare. I had the opportunity to see it this weekend and was deeply moved. The story mostly takes place in Mumbai (formerly Bombay) but it may as well have been Dhaka. It's about a chaiwallah ( person who serves tea) who spent his life in the slums and whose horrific experiences gave him the answers to the questions on a TV show, where he has the chance to win a million rupees. I don't want to "give away" the story because I really want you all to watch it, especially if you are one of our friends "back home." It gives you a picture of why we are here, as well as why it breaks my heart to be here. One reason we came back is because of the words of an ancient prophet that have become my theme over the last couple of years -

" A beautiful cedar palace does not make a great king! Your father also had plenty to eat and drink. But he was right and just in his dealings. That is why God blessed him. He gave justice and help to the poor and needy, and everything went well for him. Isn't that what it means to know me?" says the Lord. (from Jeremiah 22:15,16)





This sweet little girl, pictured above, sells potholders to help support her family. We met her at the market one day and she followed us around until we were done. Not asking for more sales or trying to get anything out of us, she just wanted to be with us. It's the beautiful souls like her that really break my heart. The other day I encountered two other girls, who just wanted to talk, to shake my hand. "Who owns you?" I wanted to ask them as I sat and offered a prayer of blessing for them.

Believe me, I have my days of wondering what I am doing here, of feeling like my presence isn't making a difference, of missing my family and friends so much that it hurts, of feeling like all I have to offer is a crumb when the world around me is starving and the needs are beyond what I can meet. But, I am talking to myself now, to offer the crumb I have is better than to keep it for myself just because I feel it is too small.

Oh, and if you watch the movie, be sure to watch the credits at the end or you will miss one of the best parts! And I'd love to hear your thoughts after you watch it.

Soccer Tournament

A major topic of conversation in the Miller household has been the soccer tournament. My boys could hardly wait for the big day. A lot of different schools were invited to the French School, who hosted the event, for a big day of "football" as it is called in this part of the world. Jensen and Pruitt both proudly played for Grace International School and Riley was happy to watch for a little while but then he found one of his classmates and had the time of his life running around the huge school yard, behind the tents, on the slides, darting here, there and everywhere. Riley has about the shortest legs of any 5 year old I know, but they are full of speed! It makes me laugh to watch him go.


Here is Pruitt, playing against a team from the Australian School.


Jensen played 110%, if not more. I got so tickled watching him and realized this is the perfect game for him, with all his energy and enthusiasm.

Neither of the boys' teams made it to the finals, but they played well and had a great time. They were quite proud of the medals they received for participating. Needless to say, we had some very tired out boys to put to bed that night.

We had a quiet Valentine's Day - except for in the morning, when the boys discovered the packages of candy Grandma sent them! They had fun returning to those throughout the day. I got some peas and green beans into the freezer. We watched Snow White as a family and just had some "down time".

Birthday Weekend

This is me, on my birthday. I often become introspective around the time of my birthday and this year was no exception. I had a really horrible week, to be completely honest. I found solace in the "mundane" chores, especially hanging out the laundry and sinking my hands into various batches of dough. I don't really want to go into a lot of detail on a public blog but suffice it to say that it feels like the monster has gotten a little weaker, I've gained some new insights, been overwhelmed with encouragement, and received amazing gifts, some from my fellow human beings and some from my Creator. In fact, before I woke up on my birthday, I had a lovely dream in which I woke up on my birthday and it was raining and I was so happy. The layers of dirt were gone from the leaves and everything was fresh and green again. Even though I was disappointed to really wake up and find it had only been a dream, I was blessed with the reminder that God knows the things that really make me happy. Even though things don't always go the way I would like, He knows my heart and understands why I'm sad when I'm sad, why I'm happy when I'm happy. And I continue to hold on to the hope that someday, everything will be made right.

So, back to my birthday, I woke up to the sound of my guys singing "Happy Birthday" and was immediately handed a cup of hot coffee and 3 sweetly wrapped packages, each containing a darling necklace. I spent the morning watching Riley's preschool having sports day, on the lovely grounds of the American Club. I could have kicked myself for not taking the camera... so you can't see what it was like. Just imagine between 20 and 30 cute kids, doing potato relays, throwing balls, etc. What made me happiest was to spend the morning surrounded by pots and pots of flowers. I absolutely love flowers and greenery and the few trees I see from my apartment windows just don't cut it. We hung out afterwards and he played on the playground and I enjoyed connecting with other moms. We grabbed lunch there before taking a rickshaw as close to the "downtown" shops as we could, so I could pick up a few things that I can't find on our side of town. Then we grabbed a CNG, to Riley's delight, and buzzed home. I was so impressed to see a handful of disabled men, selling popcorn and pot holders at various intersections, instead of just begging. And the sweetest young girls who didn't ask for a thing, just looked and smiled and wanted to shake hands. In the evening, we met my in-laws at one of my favorite restaurants for dinner and then had ice cream cake at their place later.

We had a laid back day yesterday. Austin took the boys with him and picked up a couple of shelves.


Here he is, after setting up the biggest shelf in his studio. It makes a huge difference when you have a place to put things! Again I am impressed with the things he does with "stuff". We had some friends over in the evening for pot pies and mint chocolate brownies. The mood was dampened a bit by our neighbors who complained twice about the noise the kids were making. It's to the point where they can't run at all without us fearing a call or knock at the door. Somebody help me out here - do kids here not run and play? If you live in a city of 14 million and share an apartment building with between 50 and 100 (just guessing), wouldn't you expect to put up with a bit of noise? Please forgive us, but we really are trying! The kids handled it pretty well and, in the end, had a lego building contest which was quite impressive. Here is Riley, putting the finishing touches on his.


And now we are enjoying a quiet Saturday. The leftover pot pie is in the oven and we are about to devour it.

Musings

As I rode a rickshaw to the store the other day, I got a closer view of the fog that has been wrapped around the city. I love the way it softens the harsh edges of the concrete buildings and helps to hide the thick layers of dust on the tree leaves that make them appear brown instead of green. It makes everything look a bit more surreal. I have always loved fog - unless I have to drive through it. I wish, however, that the fog in my soul would be as lovely as the fog outside. I haven't written much for a while, partly because I have been busy, partly because I haven't known what to write. I've had some really hard, sad days, yet I have had some really good moments.

I met the sister of my neighbor recently, when she brought a plate of pithas ( cakes made from rice flour, a specialty often made in the cool season) for us. We had coffee together and chatted a while. Then she invited me to come over the next day so she could make soup for me. So the next afternoon the boys and I went over for a while. While the boys played with their boy and played like boys do all around the world, I joined the banter of the sisters and their mother. After missing "family" it brought a smile to my face to listen to them. I was so impressed with the way they care for each other and help each other. They told me stories of when their father was still alive and they had Japanese neighbors. He was so concerned because their new neighbors were so far from family, who would they have to love? So he told them that he would be their father and they should come and eat together. The father's hospitality and kind heart has been passed on to the next generation. As I ate the hot soup that was prepared for me and sipped hot tea sweetened with ghur ( molasses made from date-tree syrup) they made plans to teach me how to cut and cook fish and we swapped stories about different kinds of food we eat. I walked across the hall to my home, feeling less of a stranger, and it felt good.

Another day a friend came over so I could teach her how to make chocolate chip cookies. She was much younger when we lived here before and her mother used to teach me how to make the most amazing Bengali food - not that I ever succeeded, but at least I got to see how she accomplished it! My friend is now a lovely young lady and we had a great time baking cookies and talking about life and politics. We had both stayed up the night before to watch President Obama's inauguration speech and she was so excited about it that she had called her friends and told them to watch it as well. She told me what struck her father was the fact that Obama sat on an ordinary chair, just like everyone else and how, here, the leaders think they need to have a really big fancy chair. They are hoping that leaders here learn something from his example.

I love seeing the things that stand out to people in other cultures. We have heard the hopes of people first hand, here in Bangladesh and on our recent trip to Malaysia, that things will change. From taxi drivers to fellow train passengers, they have shared hopes and concerns. One of the customs officers looked at our passports and said, "You're not from Alabama, you're from Obama!" He was pretty pleased with himself and we all laughed together. I heard the story of an African American woman whose family put money together so she could go to the inauguration speech. She was wearing a T-shirt with the names of her family, going back to the time of slavery. As people around heard her story, they told her that she was not alone, that they were with her. I feel hope when I hear stories like this, hope that the American people will truly love their neighbors. All around me, I see people with so little, giving so much more. Loving those they could easily hate. Welcoming those who are different, oh so different. Welcoming, not just as friends, but as family.


Family. A place of belonging. Safety. We all long for these things. And we all have something to give that can help others to feel these things. I love Reverend Joseph E Lowery's ending to the benediction at the Inauguration .

Help us to work for that day when the black will not be asked to give back, when brown can stick around, when yellow will be mellow, when the red man can get ahead, man, and when the white will embrace what is right.

Amen!

Sometimes, when we reach for our dreams, we find they are too big for us to really get a hold of. So we either walk away, or we grab a piece of that dream, break it off and hold on to it. As the piece of our dream breaks off, it shifts and changes, sometimes becoming something different but even more beautiful in the process. Yet sometimes the edges, the reality, can be sharp and painful and we wonder if it is really worth the effort.

I wasn't planning of blogging this morning. In the middle of an email to a friend, as I was thinking about my life, these thoughts came to me. Part of me is like, "Whew, I made it through the year!" and the other part of me is saying, "But I am so tired." So I'm pulling my bits of dreams out of my pockets and looking at them, asking myself some deep questions and holding the "bits" up to the Light.