tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7896151847272037299.comments2012-11-06T06:10:22.989+08:00East and WestW. MacLeodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03748484606516298935noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7896151847272037299.post-73109080307921000342012-11-06T06:10:22.989+08:002012-11-06T06:10:22.989+08:00Warren I struggle with choices. I've been savi...Warren I struggle with choices. I've been saving money for part of my great plan....and someone comes who is about to the evicted. I knew what I had to do. <br /><br />I struggle with spending time enough in prayer and reading and growing my knowledge of God. <br /><br />Thank you for many things - thank you for the comment on my blog, for you memories, for your writing, for loving Nigeria....a bit!Kitchen Butterflyhttp://www.kitchenbutterfly.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7896151847272037299.post-8596831161886981092012-09-02T15:56:32.423+08:002012-09-02T15:56:32.423+08:00i was going to pretend all these people were sayin...i was going to pretend all these people were saying happy birthday to me...but then most of them said Natalie's name! instead, i'll just enjoy the little cameos of my bulletin board (twice!) and the OSIM green squares in your apartment. glad to have them be a part of the birthday video. happy birthday Natalie! september babies are the best!Stephanie Melachrinoshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03002956070245992168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7896151847272037299.post-43019371332670474062012-07-13T10:50:27.061+08:002012-07-13T10:50:27.061+08:001. I like long titles and numbered lists.
2. Some...1. I like long titles and numbered lists.<br /><br />2. Some of these things sound just like the Warren I knew in college. :) Good to know not everything changes!<br /><br />3. Good to catch up with you again via blog! That's awesome that you're in China.Kristinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02376267102289963872noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7896151847272037299.post-27947938924483674482012-06-29T22:27:35.268+08:002012-06-29T22:27:35.268+08:00Really good post. I've noticed these things a...Really good post. I've noticed these things about you too, but I still think you are an amazing singer. :)Amyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12562236012734103416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7896151847272037299.post-9282600790554215002012-06-16T18:05:55.937+08:002012-06-16T18:05:55.937+08:00+15 for meeting people IF you are willing to step ...+15 for meeting people IF you are willing to step outside your comfort zone. i'm not forced. i clam up and get sad and quiet and frustrated because i'm by myself. which is why i refuse to travel by myself. but cool for meeting people and doing things you wouldn't normally do! and according to kate, we get +15 each for not going on vacation and being in yi jing on this saturday night. and +5 for you and zack for having super strong internet.Stephanie Melachrinoshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03002956070245992168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7896151847272037299.post-44174974029660216702012-06-01T06:51:58.155+08:002012-06-01T06:51:58.155+08:00I completely related to this blog post! I never th...I completely related to this blog post! I never thought I would miss the smells of America like I did when I was in Africa. Thank God for Yankee Candles.Anna Boyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08915238791461945404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7896151847272037299.post-86804989120238936382012-05-31T21:35:56.309+08:002012-05-31T21:35:56.309+08:00"that no one here has known me for more than ..."that no one here has known me for more than a year."<br /><br />This is a sucky thing. A really sucky thing. That I've managed to avoid, mostly. Maybe why I found it so sad to read...<br /><br />My good friend since 7th grade was living in Qingdao when I moved here. Though now she's been gone for almost three years. And every Sunday, I sit around at fellowship and glance across the room at a quilt my mom made for faces I remember from the Sundays of my childhood. Then Rose talks about Matty and Peggy and Sarah and while she hasn't known me for more than a year, she knows them.<br /><br />Still, my heart jumps when faces from home take a trip to China. My youth leader has come two or three times now because of his current role at the fellowship. Back last spring, only days after Tim's accident, the main guy who spoke each week of my childhood came for a visit. Of course, his visit had nothing to do with me, but in a time of tears, heartbreak, and questions, I couldn't think of a more comforting person to be there and help me process. Just this past Sunday, another familiar face was in town and spoke, making reference to people and places that are my upbringing. <br /><br />I wish everyone had people here that knew them, that knew their history. That let their worlds meet. It's why visitors to China are so important and why visitors FROM China when you're back in the states (even just during a summer home) are equally important. It's so much better than a tour on Google Earth.Stephanie Melachrinoshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03002956070245992168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7896151847272037299.post-21724168631181531202012-05-31T21:19:12.173+08:002012-05-31T21:19:12.173+08:00The stupidest thing I missed in LT was convenience...The stupidest thing I missed in LT was convenience food. Now that we've been back for a couple years, I miss a lot of things about LT. Such is the life, I guess, when your heart lives in more than one place. Anyway, hope you have a superb summer, and that there are unexpected familiar things that pop up here and there for you.Laurahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03265055150693201516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7896151847272037299.post-41601284511588193192012-05-31T20:46:27.741+08:002012-05-31T20:46:27.741+08:00I wrote this while I was in Singapore.
The world ...I wrote this while I was in Singapore.<br /><br />The world is round<br />And from youth, this we have known<br />But it isn’t until you circle it<br />That the dimensions <br />And implications<br />of this become clear<br /><br />The world is round<br />And thus, is has two sides, or maybe three<br />This, that and the other<br />And two means choosing<br />And I stand between heaven and earth<br />On one side and not the other<br />Choosing<br /><br />There are two sides of the world, so we’ve been told<br />And two sides to every story<br />And I stand on one page and not the other<br />Ready to jump when it turns, to land hard<br />And wake up wondering where I am<br />And why half of me is missing<br /><br />For what can I say to these things?<br />Is it better to depart and be with you<br />Or to remain<br />To live is loss, to die the same<br /><br />So flip a coin and heads or tails<br />I will fall and stain this page with tears<br />Then rise and stand on one side of a reeling two sided world<br />But not the otherAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7896151847272037299.post-33667014400591281582012-05-08T06:32:24.747+08:002012-05-08T06:32:24.747+08:00Of course :)Of course :)W. MacLeodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03748484606516298935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7896151847272037299.post-45126722422794914782012-05-08T01:52:56.959+08:002012-05-08T01:52:56.959+08:00Hahahahahaha!!!! Can I share this?Hahahahahaha!!!! Can I share this?Leann Symonsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7896151847272037299.post-6406623533089761292012-05-02T21:48:16.810+08:002012-05-02T21:48:16.810+08:00Haha :) Completely forgot about that, but I can de...Haha :) Completely forgot about that, but I can definitely see it as a prequel in the making. . .W. MacLeodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03748484606516298935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7896151847272037299.post-59613680265347434482012-05-02T20:16:43.634+08:002012-05-02T20:16:43.634+08:00I think you should write a prequel post about aski...I think you should write a prequel post about asking for the bill in German. ; )Christyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01974991615459996023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7896151847272037299.post-46185444886552125392012-03-06T11:11:23.684+08:002012-03-06T11:11:23.684+08:00Well said Warren!Well said Warren!Leann Symonsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7896151847272037299.post-2781423124508236022012-03-06T11:08:12.738+08:002012-03-06T11:08:12.738+08:00Warren,
I know that whistling is NOT new for...Warren,<br /> I know that whistling is NOT new for you. For as long as I've known you (your entire life) your lips have been puckered and a whistling tune or even just air has come out . . . usually while you are concentrating on something. You must just be realizing this now because you can't sing. So funny! I love you!<br /><br />LeannLeann Symonsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7896151847272037299.post-83718517058445719132012-03-05T20:37:23.843+08:002012-03-05T20:37:23.843+08:00Too much? Impossible.
Thanks for three smiles in ...Too much? Impossible.<br /><br />Thanks for three smiles in a post - that, the shower story again, and realizing that I was whistling hymns all afternoon. Probably on account of my cold, come to think of it.<br /><br />LilyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7896151847272037299.post-67748162537845203692012-02-05T20:02:24.848+08:002012-02-05T20:02:24.848+08:00I do love lists. And I love those two lists specif...I do love lists. And I love those two lists specifically because they apply to me too.Jenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06277677208307806372noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7896151847272037299.post-25839411870604218792012-01-25T12:53:14.526+08:002012-01-25T12:53:14.526+08:00Number 5 is my favorite. It's so beautiful.Number 5 is my favorite. It's so beautiful.Amyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12562236012734103416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7896151847272037299.post-45507232203839369382012-01-10T11:47:06.582+08:002012-01-10T11:47:06.582+08:00I'm catching up on all the blogs of my friends...I'm catching up on all the blogs of my friends overseas so that's why I'm commenting on this one today. I know how you feel as I've been in Argentina twice and now live in a small town away from all I know in the Cities (especially my fiance). Thanks for the encouragement that we will all one day be reunited in the presence of the King. I wonder if Jesus had any of those feelings after leaving Nazareth...Ericahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09039363838898997440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7896151847272037299.post-10301385377182780042012-01-02T12:14:20.311+08:002012-01-02T12:14:20.311+08:006. I love letters! (i owe you one - a THANK YOU l...6. I love letters! (i owe you one - a THANK YOU letter for the beautiful calendar, among other things)<br />9. Enjoy!<br />10. You're not a cheater - you're proactive.<br /><br />a) I love "resolutions" (and goals)<br />b) and ordered lists of any kind.<br /><br />Miss you dear friend!Juliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13613904579934850382noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7896151847272037299.post-86368480641750277992011-12-17T22:57:27.845+08:002011-12-17T22:57:27.845+08:00On the lighter side of this (though perhaps there ...On the lighter side of this (though perhaps there is some Pharisaical serious side to it if you think about it long enough), my dad has a joke about a man who walked down the road and came to a pile of feces in the street. "Oh my, that looks like dog poo. *sniff* Smells like dog poo. Feels like dog poo. Hm, yes, tastes like dog poo. Sure am glad I didn't step in it!"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7896151847272037299.post-64920548303028287772011-12-17T22:50:53.881+08:002011-12-17T22:50:53.881+08:00"But now, instead of having just one home to ..."But now, instead of having just one home to miss, I have two."<br /><br />I totally understand. I spent my first two Christmases here, HERE, and then my third year I went back to my home in the US for the holiday, and although I loved it, I was surprised to find that I missed my adopted family (t)here, and amazed that I was as sad to miss our simple annual caroling in the apartment complex as I had been to miss the grand annual M'ssiah sing-along back in the States. I think that's when I first realized what had happened/what I had done to my life - that by moving overseas and putting down roots, my heart had been split in a way that could never be put back together again this side of heaven.<br /><br />It also reminded me of a picture book about an em/immigrant by Alan Say called "Grandfather's Journey" - the line goes something like "As soon as he was in one place, he began to miss the other."<br />~LilyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7896151847272037299.post-90119062069849127472011-12-16T09:55:13.473+08:002011-12-16T09:55:13.473+08:00Agreed.
"It's the knowledge that you are...Agreed. <br />"It's the knowledge that you are losing something by being where you are." Also, knowing that if you WERE to go back to one of your homes, you would also terribly miss where you currently are.Laurahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03265055150693201516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7896151847272037299.post-7886958928182447722011-10-22T13:21:05.778+08:002011-10-22T13:21:05.778+08:00Great post. Also, if you are going to a place that...Great post. Also, if you are going to a place that might have the squatties, perhaps it would do you good to workout your leg muscles ahead of time, so it's not such a shock to the system. :)<br /><br />I probably have some more actual thoughts on this topic, but it is hours past the time I should've gone to bed, so I will save my thoughts for another time when I can collect them. But I concur with each of your points!Laurahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03265055150693201516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7896151847272037299.post-42429322287493259042011-10-12T21:44:03.125+08:002011-10-12T21:44:03.125+08:00And one foreigner.
Crush-your-spirit stress, kno...And one foreigner. <br /><br />Crush-your-spirit stress, knot-in-the-stomach exhaustion...we who love joy and laughter and hate to miss out, must do better at saying, "No, thank you." <br /><br />Sigh. Will I ever learn?Jenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06277677208307806372noreply@blogger.com