Monday, August 18, 2008

Living in the Moment

My travels are almost over, at least for now. Today I will be leaving the east coast to head back to Washington. These last few days have been amazing. The Lord has provided opportunities for me to reconnect with past team mates and other friends. After a some what busy summer it has been nice to slowly ease back into life in the states. In the last fews days I have been blessed with rest, good and long conversations, good company, trips to new places, sleep with very little disturbance from jetlag, and reminders that the Lord really does delight in providing what I need. Even with the anticipation of more transition ahead, I have really been able to live in the moment and am thankful for each present day.
On one of my long flights back I watched the movie Kung Fu Panda. It is a humorous family friendly animated movie about a Panda whose dream is to become a Kung Fu warrior, but in reality all odds are against him. However, He was chosen to become this great warrior and the only one that could defeat the enemy. Many did not believe that He was the one and at a point of discouragement one of the wise masters shared the following proverb:
"Yesterday is in the past, tomorrow is a myster, but today is a gift and that is why it is called the present." He was encouraging the Panda to live in the moment and make the most out of it. We can't get discouraged by what has already happened or by what we don't even know is going to happen. This part of the movie really sticks in my mind because so often I dwell on the past and worry about the future instead of being thankful for the gift of a new day and new opportunities. As I continue to live a life of transition, I continue to pray that I live in each moment and that I turly see the present as a gift.

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Moving on to London

Our tour of Ireland is now over. We arrived in London yesterday afternoon. Below are a few more pictures from our southern Ireland adventure.




I am walking up 100 stairs to see the amazing view in the picture below.
This is one of the largest Georgian houses in Ireland. We walked through some of the rooms hearing about what life was like during the victorian times.


This is a traditional farm cottage.


Grandma and I standing in front of some remains from a fort built along the water for security.


The Cliffs of Moher.






Saturday, August 2, 2008

Castles, Crystal, and a Pillow

We started our driving adventure today. My assigned job is the official navigator. Pretty much I look for signs, read the map, and make sure my mom stays on the left side of the road. Today we saw a castle full of Victorian history and the Waterford Crystal factory, whose crystal has adorned houses for centuries now.



This is the Kilkenny Castle

This is a replica of the crystal ball that drops in NYC on New Years Eve, which is made with Waterford Crystal.


This is the quaint little B&B where we are laying our heads for the night.



An old monastery tower where the monks would take refuge when danger struck. It has a very tiny window at the top. What a view!