Back from the East Coast
Hey y'all...
I'm back to Bakersfield, from the East Coast.
It is so good to be back...kind of.
No, seriously. I was talking with my Mom yesterday and she said I had a gift to be able to appreciate life wherever I am. I do feel this is a blessing, and not always with me. I also feel this is a gift GOD has given because I strive (and fail often) to be content in Him and cherish what He cares about -- which is so much more eternal and compassionate and complete than any geographical place could ever be. God is always the same and is everywhere, so why stress about where you are?
That being said, I can tell you that the East Coast was simply, achingly beautiful. Dewey fields in Vermont, clean air that smells like dirt and grass, soft, humid air, blue mountains in late afternoon sun, birds calling morning and evening.
And then there are the people. What follows is a bit of an overview, as much so I will remember as anything else. I hope this is vaguely interesting to someone else, if not, in the words of many high school students I've heard,
"Sorry, my bad..."
I interacted with, among others:
*three teachers I met on the plane on the way over
* a delightful young woman named Melissa who I met on the plane on the way back. At age 20 and having been on a plane only once before to Florida, she was setting out from her home of Milwawkee to Australia to study abroad.
* a thoughtful and smart guy named Graham is a rafting guide in the summer and snowboarder in the winter who wants to return to school to make his mom proud...
Plus, my beautiful family:
*My brother and his wife, Sonya, who are a great team as spouses and parents and have some land in Hardwick that we stumbled around on one afternoon (there aren't trails yet).
*I am still completely in love with their son Spencer. He is smiling and giggling. His nicknames are Peanut and Eggie. Eggie because when he's sad, he goes, "Egg-eee!" He's eight months old and squeezable.
*My Mom and Dad, aunts and uncles, plus all sorts of fascinating cousins who are becoming such amazing adults with stories to share. My cousin Susanna recently got back from Ghana and shared about her visit to a slave prison -- gruesome and very sobering. My cousins Caitlyn and Josh, aget 14 and 17 respectively, really struck a chord with me as a future high school English teacher. It was fun to reconnect with them.
*I also had a great time discussing writing and practicing yoga with Aunt Sarah and her husband Jim (the parents of the aforementioned teens) and reading and discussing a book of short stories my uncle David wrote, about therapists and their patients.
For Fourth of July, we read The Declaration of Independence and said what we were thankful for. We all took turns cooking for each other -- there was much of every good food imaginable.
I also got to hike a lot, including a trip to a chilly yet invigorating waterfall with deep, swimmable pools and a bike ride in a summer downpour with Josh! My MS behaved until the very last day, when I bonked on a hike with Ben and Sonya and Spencer. Ben valiantly crashed through the woods for about two miles back to the house to get the car, and Sonya valiantly made "everything" enchiladas for dinner and I presided over everything while sitting on my rear! Learning the art of doing this still...
There's much more to tell, but that's what comes to mind first. Hope it's not too long -- but share, I must. Makin' use of this crazy new blog stuff.
Maybe I'll soon figure out how to include photos...watch out!
love from Julia
I'm back to Bakersfield, from the East Coast.
It is so good to be back...kind of.
No, seriously. I was talking with my Mom yesterday and she said I had a gift to be able to appreciate life wherever I am. I do feel this is a blessing, and not always with me. I also feel this is a gift GOD has given because I strive (and fail often) to be content in Him and cherish what He cares about -- which is so much more eternal and compassionate and complete than any geographical place could ever be. God is always the same and is everywhere, so why stress about where you are?
That being said, I can tell you that the East Coast was simply, achingly beautiful. Dewey fields in Vermont, clean air that smells like dirt and grass, soft, humid air, blue mountains in late afternoon sun, birds calling morning and evening.
And then there are the people. What follows is a bit of an overview, as much so I will remember as anything else. I hope this is vaguely interesting to someone else, if not, in the words of many high school students I've heard,
"Sorry, my bad..."
I interacted with, among others:
*three teachers I met on the plane on the way over
* a delightful young woman named Melissa who I met on the plane on the way back. At age 20 and having been on a plane only once before to Florida, she was setting out from her home of Milwawkee to Australia to study abroad.
* a thoughtful and smart guy named Graham is a rafting guide in the summer and snowboarder in the winter who wants to return to school to make his mom proud...
Plus, my beautiful family:
*My brother and his wife, Sonya, who are a great team as spouses and parents and have some land in Hardwick that we stumbled around on one afternoon (there aren't trails yet).
*I am still completely in love with their son Spencer. He is smiling and giggling. His nicknames are Peanut and Eggie. Eggie because when he's sad, he goes, "Egg-eee!" He's eight months old and squeezable.
*My Mom and Dad, aunts and uncles, plus all sorts of fascinating cousins who are becoming such amazing adults with stories to share. My cousin Susanna recently got back from Ghana and shared about her visit to a slave prison -- gruesome and very sobering. My cousins Caitlyn and Josh, aget 14 and 17 respectively, really struck a chord with me as a future high school English teacher. It was fun to reconnect with them.
*I also had a great time discussing writing and practicing yoga with Aunt Sarah and her husband Jim (the parents of the aforementioned teens) and reading and discussing a book of short stories my uncle David wrote, about therapists and their patients.
For Fourth of July, we read The Declaration of Independence and said what we were thankful for. We all took turns cooking for each other -- there was much of every good food imaginable.
I also got to hike a lot, including a trip to a chilly yet invigorating waterfall with deep, swimmable pools and a bike ride in a summer downpour with Josh! My MS behaved until the very last day, when I bonked on a hike with Ben and Sonya and Spencer. Ben valiantly crashed through the woods for about two miles back to the house to get the car, and Sonya valiantly made "everything" enchiladas for dinner and I presided over everything while sitting on my rear! Learning the art of doing this still...
There's much more to tell, but that's what comes to mind first. Hope it's not too long -- but share, I must. Makin' use of this crazy new blog stuff.
Maybe I'll soon figure out how to include photos...watch out!
love from Julia
posted by Julia Kennedy at 5:36 PM
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