The view out my window

It's here. Our first real snow of the season. And the kids had to go to school, which was a downer. Because there's nothing like the first snow day of the school year. But it won't be November 20, 2008. We'll have to wait for that joy.

And I absolutely love the mini snow plows that zip along and clear out our sidewalks. I wasn't sure we would have them here, but sure enough, it just zipped by. I think I'll go out now for my run.

Flashback

When I was a teen I was involved in Bible quizzing for one year. It was quite popular in some of the churches in our denomination and there was a man in our church who was passionate about Bible memorization. Mix in a few teens and there's your team.

We soon discovered how difficult this was. To be good, you have to work hard at memorizing the material and then you have to be able to recall it... on the spot. I wasn't a stellar quizzer. I didn't put the time in the top quizzers did.

Anyway, fast forward to today. I've been reading "To Live is Christ - Embracing the Passion of Paul" by Beth Moore. Today's reading was from Acts 7 where Saul held the coats while Stephen was stoned. And it hit me. Whenever I come across anything from the book of Acts, it's all so familiar. That was the book I studied during my one year of Bible quizzing 29 years ago. What a gift quizzing is to young people. That was so long ago and yet the knowledge is still there.

Learning is not wasted on the young. It's all right there, ready to bubble to the surface.

October update

The anticipation builds as each month ends because we know we'll receive our update.   Then it arrives.... and it's always a bit of a let down.  Because I want more.  More information.  More contact.  More pictures.  Other adoptive parents feel as though they get to know their children.  I feel so out in the dark.  I feel as though I don't know anything.  I know bits and pieces but I don't really know them at all.  

Look at Peterson's knees.  I can imagine that he is all boy.  I can imagine that he plays on the ground and scuffs his knees.  But what does he play?  What sounds does he make?  Does he have a favorite toy?  How does he laugh?  I don't know anything.

Gaëlle sounds like a little diva.  But does she whine?  What makes her laugh?  Does she like her doll?  In one of the first pictures we saw, she had on feet pajamas and she looked so tiny.  Now she looks like a young lady.  She always has sandals that are too big.  Does she demand to wear them?  Or are her feet just so tiny?  I don't have a clue.

It doesn't look like I'll know the answers any time soon.