Whensday: Memorial Day

Because we live in Europe and do not have a television, one of the things we generally miss are tv advertisements, including those that come with special days. A holiday always gives a good excuse for special deals of all kinds. And although Belgium has plenty of special days (often connected to religious holidays), the US has plenty of their own. 

This weekend is Memorial Day weekend, although I was not aware of it when I planned our travels. Memorial Day is always the last Monday in May and is a day when those who died for the country are remembered. We will be traveling this weekend and will be flying to our next stage on Monday. Hopefully the fact that we are flying on Monday - when everyone else is celebrating at home - will make flying easier. 

And although we will be traveling, we will be remembering. But we will be remembering other important things. This weekend we will be driving up to get to know a first cousin that Shirley did not know she had. She is the daughter of the brother of Shirley’s father. Years ago Shirley looked into some dan results, looking for the sister she knew she had but had never really met.  She finally found the information but never met the sister, who unfortunately had already passed away. 

But we are looking forward to this cousin visit. This will be a time to remember families, share information and simply get to know each other. I imagine there will be some pictures and talk of current families. We do not have a lot of time, but it will be worth the long drive. 

If possible, we will also drive down to San Diego to visit more family and remember that we are family. Since we only come around every three years it is sometimes difficult to keep in touch or have the correct contact information. We look forward to the opportunity to share some time on the Saturday in San Diego. 

And on Sunday we of course will be remembering the most important death for all of us - as we do every Sunday. We are very thankful for the soldiers who gave their lives so that we can be free. And yet we are never truly free unless we accept the death and resurrection of Jesus who gave his life so that we could truly be free of sin and death. 

Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ has set me free from the law of sin and death. (Rom. 8:1)

(Photo of the area we are traveling to this weekend)

Food and Fellowship

A lot of the time that we are in the US traveling we are moving from group to group, getting to know new people and getting to see old friends. When we are in an area, connected with a church, or when we are with family, eating together is a good way to spend time getting to know one another. That means lots of opportunities to try new things. And it means a lot of eating. 

In Texas we went to a fish fry and got to meet a whole family out at a ranch. We also were treated to meals prepared for us in a home setting. In Indiana we got together for a birthday celebration and met up with family for taco salad. We also shared in coffee and donuts on Sundays while we met new members of congregations in both places. 

In California, where we are currently, we took part in an Asian and Pacific Islander potluck with the congregation. Places were reserved at each table so that Shirley and I could make our way around the room to the various tables and get to know people from the congregation while enjoying delicious foods. Shirley even got to learn some hula-dancing with some of the others present. The day before we had helped prepare a potluck lunch with some of the leaders in the church.

We have also gone out to eat with our hosts and met their friends, getting wonderful opportunities for good conversations. This coming week will include more lunches and meals with old friends and even new family. We hope to drive up to meet a first cousin that Shirley found through her searches for family as well as see family down in San Diego. 

We are thankful for all the people welcoming us to their homes, preparing meals, joining us at restaurants or churches for a communal meal and simply sharing time with us. We look forward to the coming times of fellowship in the areas we have before us. 

Whatsit Wednesday: koffielepel

As we travel through the US (it has now been two weeks) we realize what some of our normal habits are. We always wake up with a cup of coffee. Neither Shirley nor I take anything in our coffee - we drink it black. But we definitely like our coffee. And not everyone we stay with enjoys coffee as much as we. 

Many people in many countries drink tea as their hot beverage of choice. We have seen this in several of the places we have stayed so far. Even if one goes to a restaurant (even a breakfast restaurant) one cannot be assured of a good (dark, full) cup of coffee. One can usually get plenty of whatever is being served (cup sizes in the US are quite large), but not always the taste one would expect. 

And along with the coffee comes a “koffielepel”. This is a small spoon meant for stirring your coffee. It is small because coffee cups in Europe are small. One does not drink a mug of coffee (or tea for that matter). So a “koffielepel” or “theelepel” are perfect. In English we are of course familiar with a teaspoon. Somehow, for the Dutch, coffee became more important. A “koffie lepe” is also smaller than what I would consider a teaspoon. 

In any case, we have had a week of instant coffee (but fantastic company, which is much more important) and will now be moving on to California where we may or may not be in a place where we can drink a usual morning coffee. In the past, people would also collect coffee spoons from the various places they had visited. Special spoons, commemorative spoons, could be put up in a display case, showing off where one had traveled. We have seen estate sales where kids have no idea what they are to do with these collections of small spoons. 

Thankfully, we do not take anything in our coffee, so we technically do not need a “koffielepel”. And we collect pictures and memories as we travel from place to place. Today will be a moving day. We should arrive in California in the early evening. We will be in a new time zone (we had been in Eastern but will be in Pacific by the time we get in) and with a different group of wonderful people. 

If you are reading this in the morning, enjoy your warm beverage, however you enjoy it. With spoon or without. And enjoy your travels, even if it is just across town to visit friends or family.