13 Hours of Rain

Another year has come and gone. It is time to take stock, to ascertain the inventory, so to speak. How far have I come in achieving my decade goals? 1.  Learn to play the piano.  I am in Primer B, along with my daughter. :) We purchased a good quality used piano about a year ago. It cost more to move it than buy it!!!! Both mother and daughter are enjoying the learning experience of reading black notes on staff and translating them to music with fingers. Thankfully, my daughter's teacher allows me to sit in on her lessons. Two-for-one deal? 2.  Learn to read and write either Hindi or Urdu . Okay, okay, this is pathetic. I've moved from knowing 13 Hindi letters to 22 Hindi letters. I still have 14 more to go. I am lacking motivation, I must admit. Maybe I will know them all by next year??? 3.  Travel the world with you two kids and your Daddy.  This is still a "one day" goal. Sorry kids, there will be no trip to Disneyland in this family. Or some Mexican all-in...

We haven't received an arrival date for our refugee family. But we've been asked to get our house ready by March 1, 2016*. Oh boy. Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you feel you are clearly over your head in your ability to lead and equip others to lead? There are days I do feel like an imposter and wonder why in the world the Ministerial affirmed me to be the Volunteer Coordinator for supporting our refugee family. Are you sure? Me? Okay then... Yet, have you ever had a "such a time as this" moment? Dear kids, you are familiar with the story of Queen Esther. She was beautiful. She was made Queen for a foreign King. She found out that one of the King's viziers, that is Haman, had hatched a plot to kill the Jews. Esther was a Jew. Esther had to make a choice. Speak up and face the possibility of death by approaching the King without his permission or watch her family be killed (and probably be killed herself anyway). Mordecai, Esther's...