REMEMBERING . . .

I was telling a friend yesterday about the condition our place was in when  Mom and Papi came to visit (they came two days after we moved in!)

My friend gasped.

She didn't have to worry, I reassured her.
Mom and Papi are pretty laid back . . . half hippie . . .
but really, I told her,
they stepped graciously into our chaotic home
because they love Jesus,
and he makes them beautiful.

See that picture up there?  that's us on our first night at our new place . . . the gas wasn't hooked up yet, the kitchen cabinets were only halfway built, the water from the kitchen sink bubbled up out of the shower drain, and the front door had no lock installed on it (or handle, for that matter).

We ordered pizza and invited Jon (our doorman!) and his daughter to weave their way through our boxes and suitcases, sit on our couch, and eat mediocre pizza off of paper plates with us.

not a bad first night, I think.  

That was a month ago.
dang.

Hello!  We moved into our new place  . . .

we should be unpacking;  instead, we are:

1. lounging around with Mom and Papi (they are here for two weeks - two weeks!),

2. exploring our new neighborhood (we found the outdoor vegetable market, the closest tortilla store,  a teeny tiny bread shop with the most amazing rosemary focaccia ever, and a good place to buy cream and cheese),

3. watching the olympics (of course) 

All year long we've been promising the kids a trip up to our rooftop (they are never allowed, because of all the sudden drop-offs leading to certain death, and because they are a little crazy and because I am a little careless);

On the night before we moved out of our place,  right before the sun set, we remembered our promise and called the kids to - quick! - climb up with us!  We held hands and peeked over the edges, identified all the tall buildings that we could see, and then, in one big family hug, thanked God for the year that he had given us in our home - for the friends he had given us, for the memories that we had made, for the ways he had grown and changed us as we began our journey in Mexico

(phew.  we made it up and then back down and no one dropped off any edges)

We got a call yesterday telling us that our new apartment should be ready for move-in on Wednesday (tomorrow!) morning.   We are scrambling to re-pack all of the things that leaked out of the boxes that had been packed up two weeks ago when we initially thought we would move.

In between boxes, I'm prepping our goodbye gifts for the neighbors.  We'll invite them over tonight for a final coffee and we'll thank them for being great neighbors - for not running over our kids even when they played in the driveway, and for all the smiles and waves throughout the year.  We'll give them a little gift with two of our very favorite things - - the gospel of John and brownies, and we'll pass out our new address and insist that they all come to visit.

right, then.  I'm off to slice the cooled brownies! 

I had a dream last night about my friend Sonia from Spain.

I used to have a coffee with Sonia and Ana almost every morning after we would drop our kids off at school.

We would talk about everything - every week Sonia and Ana would hear about my highs and lows, about my menu plan, about my longings to see our church authentically follow Jesus - - everything.

So I dreamt about Sonia last night

I dreamt that she made a surprise visit to see me in Mexico City. 

and I cried.

I was so happy to see her.  I bawled my eyes out.

this dream has been lingering with me all day long.  I think about it and my heart aches.  

Part of moving away from Spain meant leaving behind people that I loved.

people that God - the creator of relationships - had woven into the tapestry of my life.

and moving away meant maybe not seeing Sonia again.

ever. 

and this

is one of our hopes for eternity, don't you think?

that our relationships aren't broken?

that there is no threat of final goodbyes?

and that

is why I will keep begging God to pour out mercy and grace in Sonia's life;

I will plead with him to enrapture her heart with his love,

and 

I will write Sonia a letter this week

 

One of the things that I adore about our city is all the forms of public transportation that are available to us.  There is an amazing, complex web of metros, taxis, bikes and busses (the big ones and the little ones!) that can take you pretty much anywhere your city-traveling heart wants to go.

Sometimes I think about my kids growing up learning to navigate through this web . . and it excites me;  I watched Malachai yesterday as we rode on the bumpy, crowded street bus together - he saw an older woman without a seat and automatically scooted closer to Josu;  with his politest, most proper Spanish he called out to her - - inviting her to sit down.

this was a clear Mexico-city-public-transportation gesture of kindness.
He wouldn't have done this a year ago.
I don't think he would have even noticed the woman
much less thought to open up a seat for her.

but I've been noticing him do this more often lately.
(I don't have to push him off his seat and offer up his seat for him anymore)
it's just become a part of his everyday life

that makes me smile.