Little Japanese Maple - but a great lesson......
The summer has been unbelievably hot....Not only in Europe but we hear about the fires all over the world with this incredible heat wave. We've had hot weather, in the hight 90's but not as hot as other places. We have been staying longer at the office doing our work since our apartment does not have air conditioning. Thank goodness, it usually cools off at night time and with fans, we can get a good nights sleep. It also helps that we are on the 9th floor of the building so it is a bit cooler up here. The trees are starting to show wear and fatigue as I walk thru parks, because of lack of water. It's still beautiful but I am afraid we will lack the beautiful colors this fall. This is a picture behind our apartment building where we walk to go to Rossmon, a Walgreens type of store where we can get tooth paste, hair dye, makeup and other toiletries. It's handy to have so close. I was walking just the other day and I noticed this purple tree that looked like a Japanese maple tree that Michelle always liked. I thought it was pretty stretching up between the green trees and I thought of how I could relate this to people. Sometimes we feel small with all the great ones towering above us, with so many talents and successes in their lives. But yet, we stretch to find light and perhaps our pride in our own progression even tho it may be small and not as "grand" as others, we stretch to grow and learn and find happiness in our own ways. Ways that bring happiness to our lives because we are learning and not stagnant doing nothing with our lives. I've felt as though I have stretched beyond my normal comfort zone just being here in Germany. Like this little tree, I've reached for the light I could see above all these talented people and found my place here. I don't like to be away from home, from my loved ones and those things that bring joy into my life. Having left all that behind and with the apprehension I felt with being gone for 18 months, I find myself almost to the end, with four and 1/2 months left here and realize that I've learned from new friends and gained more than I had ever imagined I would. Homesickness came and went quickly and I found I was stronger than I thought. I found my job challenging but fulfilling working for the finance department learning about spread sheets and Microsoft Word and auditing. One of my other jobs is to re-format and make grammatical/punctuation/and end note corrections to articles presented for the Church publication of the Liahona which I receive each month and prepare for translation into 23 languages before it heads to SLC for the final approval for publication in the magazine. I have enjoyed this so much and am grateful that I have been trusted with this job.
Our friends here are so very talented and gifted in their careers and families. I have learned so very much from them all. For their selflessness in giving service. I have never seen anything like it. We all have jobs here but EVERYONE goes the EXTRA mile to serve others. One example is a young black girl from Nigeria that has been coming to church, she is not a member of our church but loves to come and enjoy our services. She has two little children and was pregnant with her third when someone mentioned in our Relief Society meeting that she was about to deliver and needed a lot of supplies to get her to a good start with this new little baby coming into their family! You should have seen all the things that the sisters brought for this woman. It was inspiring! Everyone looses themselves in service to others. Something I have learned here and how rewarding it is to your spirit and your soul.
So, I look at myself as this little tree that has learned, and I'm still learning to be giving, grateful, generous, positive and loving toward others as I reach and stretch myself to attain this great stature that I see in others that is so inspiring around me. So grateful for this opportunity to serve here, to grow and to learn from so many wonderful Christlike people. I would be remiss if I didn't give credit to my Heavenly Father for these blessings. We were promised that the Lord would watch over our loved ones while we served. My mother is almost 90 years old and strong in mind and body. Our children have been blessed in their own lives too. I must mention Kerianne, where we have seen the biggest change. When we first arrived here in Germany, we were a bit concerned that at some point we may need to return because Kerianne needed us. She was struggling with just existing and basic living skills. With many prayers and her determination to change her life, she has grown the most. She lost her beloved dog Oliver to Cancer. Our children got together and all were willing to chip in to buy here a new dog, Jaycee whom she has grown to love and has been a great companion for her. She has come to realize that there were changes she needed to make in her life and slowly, she has worked on changing and bettering herself. This has come as a complete miracle to us. She calls us, almost every day, to talk, to get advice, and to tell us of her challenges and accomplishments. She is a joy. We are so grateful for her progress and know this wouldn't be possible with out the Lord answering our prayers. If just for this one blessing, this mission has been worth it!
Yes, it's been slow at times but as we approach the end, I realize how fast 4 months can go and I will forever look back on this time of service with such fondness and love with great memories and friends to hold dear, as I continue to use the great things I've learned here to stretch myself and become the person I was meant to be.
I put this picture in here because one of the things I have learned since moving here is to cut my own hair! Ha! I didn't like the last three hair cuts I received so I started about 8 months ago to cut my own hair, yes, that means the back also....it's difficult but I think I do ok!
Our next door neighbors, Randall and Paula Call on a bike ride with us to see all the pretty homes in Frankfurt and have lunch at Five Guys.
Stopped at a garden park downtown and walked a while.
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