And so it is for about two weeks ;-)
Today we slept and slept and slept! I was shocked to wake up and find out it was Noon! Even E didn't get up til then. You have to know we were jetlagged, drained and just downright tired from traveling and the activities of the past 48 hours.
We did what has become natural for us of piling on our bed with coffee, NutriGrain bars and the like and catching up on emails, watching some TV and just generally lounging. Sidebar: I WANT ONE OF THESE BOIL IN A MINUTE POTS TO TAKE HOME! I've already asked Gary if he could install a European outlet in our house so I can have one. They are so cool. You fill it with water, turn in on and go about your business and in a couple minutes, voila, boiling water! It turns off by itself when it is ready...and in seconds you have Ramen noodles, instant oatmeal or a great cup of tea.
Around 3 or so we decided to get showers and venture out for a while...and we found ourselves at Galleria Riga again. We love this mall...good places to eat! Although the shopping is a bit pricey, we found a few good deals. New shoes for J only 8 lats and a new Auto boomba for E only 1,90 lats. The girls got a couple puzzles for us to work on and I picked up a few travel books on Riga and Latvia to try and get some day trips planned. After wrapping up with dinner at Hessburger we went down to Rimi and picked up a few essentials and then headed back to the apartment.
It was a nice day just to walk and honestly I wouldn't have minded venturing to another park or something just to be outside. I love the architecture here. As we walked back, I really noticed the narrow streets, cobblestone paving, old and new buildings mixed together. The detail in the architecture is really lovely. There are little shops and coffee cafes all over...and these gorgeous spires of old buildings that jut into the sky and really make beautiful pictures against the clouds and sunset. But crazy enough many of us were still tired. So we worked puzzles, the guys surfed the web, the girls did some frype messaging and E played with his boomba. It makes us sad to see how much he has forgotten the little Latvian he knew.
When he was interviewed by orphan court yesterday he really knew nothing they were saying. Gary had to go in with him and the translator (wonderful wonderful woman we've gotten to know) quizzed E on a few key points to get a feel for how he sees us. But no more Ata, no more boomba...we've actually been working with him on saying boomba again. He's picking it up.
I have to say I've been in a bit of a funk today and am praying it is just fatigue. It just seems strained and I'd appreciate the prayers. We've got the weekend ahead of us and nothing planned to fill it yet...and somehow I feel that every idea I'm coming up with just doesn't seem to fly. So maybe tomorrow will be better.
Later this evening, we decided to play a round of UNO...that was fun! Finallly something all of us together...and E was having a hard time falling asleep, so he got to come back out and play too. Well with me anyway.
I guess that is it for tonight...as I struggle with many "little" things, our Circle Time tonight was from Matthew and Jesus telling us that to deny our lives and follow Him is to live. And the well known truth that what profit is it if we gain the whole world yet lose our souls. Thankful to Tobymac for making that well known song of scripture to make it relevant for our youth. We're following and trying to remain true to that...and praying ALL our children understand what that means. This world has NOTHING to offer us...HE has everything to offer us. And the crazy thing is that it is here for the taking...FREE, with no strings attached.
We have not decided what we are doing tomorrow but please be in prayer for us. One of J's friends has asked to see him and while we want to comply to help with the transition, it's hard. We want so much for our family to bond together...and sometimes it feels like these are distractions from that. Please pray for wisdom for us on how we should proceed and work with him to accomplish both.
I'm not a very good writer tonight so I'll stop...until tomorrow!
Do you know the old song, "One day at a time, sweet Jesus"? That's all you can do...take one day at a time. Soon, this will all be a memory and you'll be home, bonding, and getting into your normal routine. For now, try to take time to smell the roses and enjoy J for who he is right now. He has a lot to say goodbye to and this will take time. I can't even imagine being in his shoes or yours! Praying for you all. God will give you the answers you need. Just be still and listen for that still, small voice :) Love y'all!
ReplyDeleteTrish