2012 Theme: Perfect Peace

As faithful readers may remember, I don't do New Year's Resolutions; instead, I choose a theme for each year.  The theme for this year was selected some time around Thanksgiving 2011. I knew that in 2012 I would be focusing on Peace. I couldn't have predicted the storms that would come.

I don't mean this kind of peace.

To me, this symbol of peace often represents the intent or desire to have an absence of trouble or conflict. In my mind it is coupled with the saying, "can't we all just get along."

Since that does not seem to be my reality I am looking for a different kind of peace - a greater peace. Peace that is found not the absence of trouble or conflict - bun in the midst of such things. This kind of peace is WAY beyond myself, it is the kind of peace I believe only comes from God.

My guiding scripture is Isaiah 26:3,4:


You [God] keep him [or her] in perfect peace 
whose mind is stayed on you,

because he trusts in you. 

Trust in the Lord forever,

for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.

I don't know if I will achieve perfect peace by year's end, but I am going to give it a go. The worst that can happen is I will be better off tomorrow than I am today. So, I will do my best to maintain focus and trust God - He is my firm foundation and solid rock in the midst of life's storms.

just Sheri, a peace-seeker

Quotable quotes: relativity

"Relativity applies to physics, not ethics"

~ Albert Einstein

Marital Communication 402: still traveling

The Hubs brought an interesting fact to my attention recently. I still travel quite a bit, more than the Average Jane for sure. I thought about it and realized I have taken some kind of trip every month since October.

For faithful readers, you know that I took a trip to China with my adopted dad to see one of my best friends in October. We toured Shanghai. I danced with the locals in a park. We ate from street vendors on "food street" and more.

Then I met up with my brother and his wife in South Carolina in November to spend time with our birth father. That same month I spent some time in the Chesapeake Bay with the William's family.

In December, I visited Austin, TX for work.

In January, I traveled to Colorado to participate in the memorial service for my birth father.

February brought a flight to Houston, some precious time with the Wonderful Whitlock family, and a cruise with family. In that trip we visited Mexico, the Cayman Islands and Jamaica.

In March, I plan to attend a work conference in Baltimore and have a tentative road trip planned to North Carolina.

This was graciously pointed out to me, because the day I returned from my cruise vacation I began planning my next international trip. If all goes as planned, I will be in India in the fall!

I think the conversation actually went more like this:

S: ...now that I am tied down.

K: Tied down? Hmph...you travel all the time!

Then I realized - he's right! Even being a mortgage-payer can't keep me in one place for long...our new "home" is now the launching pad to other destinations.

just Sheri, a nomad at heart

You can call me "mortgage-payer"

We took the plunge! Last week we sat in a Title and Escrow company office and signed papers to become mortgage-payers. It is a monumental day in every American's life. This month we will be relocating to a fancy townhouse that we will be calling "home." 

It has a nice kitchen with granite counter tops, a gas stove and a small pantry.

A breakfast nook and family room off the kitchen.

A larger space for a formal dining and sitting area.

And a fully finished basement. 

In addition to all of this, there are four bedrooms and three full baths. That means there is plenty of space for visitors! Yes, please, come visit.

While we were sitting outside waiting for the Realtor to arrive to do our final walk through, Kenyon said, "we are going to have a lot more stuff to move when we leave this place."

I said, "You never know, we might be here a while."

Kenyon didn't believe me. I can only assume he thought I was joking based on the laughter that followed.

just Sheri, not as mobile as I used to be

lost in the Caymans...

The end of February I joined a few of my family members on a cruise vacation. One of our ports was the Cayman Islands. This destination is part of the British Commonwealth. Why does that matter? Because they speak English.

One would think getting around in an English speaking country  would be easy, right? One would think...

As soon as we got off the ship we spoke with a taxi company at the pier. Our goal was to spend the day at a beach. Simple enough. The taxi representative told us, for a reduced price a tour bus driver would drop us at the beach site at the beginning of the tour. On the bus we go, but the driver doesn't stop until quite a bit later. The bus unloads in a place called Hell. At this point we speak with the driver and learn our desired location is five miles behind us. We could continue the tour as his unintended captives or make our way be city bus in a strange city to an unfamiliar destination. 

We chose the bus.

Thankfully, the city bus driver took us directly to the beach where we enjoyed lunch and sunshine.

I share this story because these are the things I miss about the overseas life. My heart longs for something you may not expect - I miss mystery meals because the waiter didn't understand my order and brought me what they thought I wanted. I miss getting lost in unfamiliar territory. Mis-communication is such a common occurrence in other lands. When traveling abroad these were a constant source of amusement for me. While others were often frustrated, I was enjoying the adventure (usually with a hearty laugh). In America, there is no mystery when placing my order at a restaurant, the waiter is likely to bring exactly what I requested. In America, I drive myself and have GPS in my car and on my phone. This means I rarely get off the beaten path and I have no chance of ending up in a place other than my desired location. Sure there were moments when living an uncertain reality was exhausting; but, it kept life interesting! 

While living overseas - every chore, every errand, every day was an adventure; often these unexpected experiences created the best memories...sort of like hitching a city bus ride out of Hell in the Cayman Islands.

just Sheri, enjoying the memories/adventure along the journey of life