Bittersweet moments

Four generations at Abigail's dedication

My Nan has experienced a lot in her life ... surviving wars ... working different jobs, from nursing to airport security ... raising two kids who have gone on to have their own families (to date she has 4 grandchildren, 7 great grandchildren and 2 great great grandchildren) ... and so much more. 

Growing up I always called her 'Nanny Gatwick' as she worked at Gatwick Airport and my other Nan was 'Nanny Seaside' because she lived ... yes, by the sea!!

When a lot more mobile she could be very goofy and active but over the last decade or so has struggled with different ailments ... some a lot more serious than others. 

Over the last few weeks she has been increasingly ill and in hospital. When we arrived back in the UK on Thursday morning one of our first priorities was to visit her and introduce her to Naomi, who til then she had only seen on Skype. Sadly early the following morning she died.

Being overseas you are never guaranteed to be in the right place at the right time when it comes to family illness and death. It's one of the more difficult sacrifices that we make choosing to do what we do.

We were really blessed this week that in God's perfect timing we could be here and see her one last time and also be available to help my mum now. So, you'll forgive me if this post is a little late ... but Friday was all about Nanny Gatwick.

Goody Bag

Travelling with little people always has it's challenges. 

One of those being the other passengers. Before having my girls, I had travelled quite a bit internationally and enjoyed the flying ... a little time to shut off, read, watch movies, snooze, get excited about the adventure the plane was taking me too or reflecting on the happy memories I had just made on my trip. I'd always watch my fellow passengers boarding the flights ... not on the look out for a 'storybook' drop dead gorgeous hunk who would sit next to me and make the flight a lot more interesting ... but to check that I had successfully avoided sitting near anyone travelling with little people who had the potential to disturb my little piece of me-time during the flight!

Now the shoe is on the other foot as I have two gorgeous girls of my own. Boarding planes more recently I can recognise that look in our fellow passengers ... the one that says 'please don't sit near me, please don't sit near me'!! I recognise it because it's the one that countless times in the past has probably been so obvious on my own face!

As missionaries working overseas (or for anyone who travels a lot) getting your whole family from one side of the world to the other can be quite the adventure in itself. One of our classes at All Nations was called 'Families in Mission' and was full of helpful practical tips for moving and adjusting your family, taught by someone who had been brought up in a missionary family herself. For long journey's she recommended having goody bag with a few little presents that could be strategically handed out and unwrapped throughout the journey ... so that your kids can remain happy and excited but also occupied with whatever it is they unwrap! (Think colouring book, stickers, new book to read, card games, finger puppets etc)

Last year when we travelled back to the UK we did a search for top tips for travel gifts and activities on Google. For this years travel (which begins today!), we have been keeping our eyes open for little fun things and activities that only cost a few dollars each but that we know Abigail will enjoy. She loves the whole adventure of travelling, so hopefully these goodies will keep us and all our fellow passengers a little bit saner in the process. 

Naomi has never experienced this type of travel yet ... so we wait to see what happens there!

One Pumpkin at a Time

Wow ... this is the third year I've been in Ohio with my family for 'harvest-time' ... the years have flown by. The first year, we had just arrived so everything was new to us. The second year, we were back home in the UK renewing our visas. So, this year has really been the first time we've immersed ourselves in the whole pumpkin patch, hay ride experience ... it really is part of learning the local culture. (Check out Our Pumpkin Patch Adventure to see what other precious things we went hunting for!)

Driving through town right now, it seems that many people decorate their houses with scarecrows and pumpkins. When we went to the pumpkin patch and picked out ours, we joked with some friends who asked if we knew what we were meant to do with them, as we 'weren't from around here'! They went on to explain you put them out the front of your house for decoration or take out all the centre and make jack-o-lanterns (something we do in the UK but not to the extent we've seen here). 

The desserts at our first Thanksgiving in 2009, were pumpkin-tastic ... pumpkin pie, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin roll and a few other things (yes, really). Given that experience, we expected to be told that all the hollowed out pumpkin stuff can be used in many different recipes. But no, our friends said they just throw it away and buy pumpkin pie mix at the supermarket which made us laugh a lot!

Over the days following our pumpkin patch fun, I found myself coming back to that conversation. I really loved the fun we had going on a hayride and picking out pumpkins with the girls, especially as the weather has started to change and you have to wrap up all warm and snug. But I was also thinking about the hundreds of thousands of pumpkins in the supermarkets, on peoples front porches, decorated as jack-o-lanterns and being totally splatted at pumpkin launches (see Punkin Chunkin)... that are grown and never actually get eaten.

I know first hand people in many different countries of the world who struggle to make ends meet or to find adequate food for their family, whether through lack of money or bad harvests. I'm not out to make anyone feel guilty about their 'pumpkin use' ... as the finger will also be pointing back at me ... but as well as enjoying the whole experience, it also made me feel a little bit sad at the utter waste.

I guess I still haven't quite figured out what to make of it all yet. Maybe I should just hunt down some great recipes and try and change the world, one pumpkin at a time!!