the moment in the middle

Hold your breath.

Here it is.

Christmas Eve.

My favorite day of the Christmas Season.

The perfect moment between all the preparations and all of the celebrations.

All is done yet all is yet to come . . .

"It was a moment of perfection he would probably not find again this year, and he sat without moving, almost without breathing. There was the upside of a garden, when one was digging and planting, heaving and hauling, and then the downside, when it was all weeding and grooming and watering and sweating. One had to be fleet to catch the moment in the middle, the mountaintop, when perfection was as brief as the visit of a butterfly to an outstretched palm.   {from the book Out to Cannan: the fourth book in the Mitford series by: Jan Karon}

reboot

almost everything will work again

if you unplug it for a few minutes

including you

{quote from salon by ann lamott}

six o'clock

Coastal Living Magazine June 2014 

{a few quotes from their editor, Antonia}

The best time of day at the beach is 6 p.m. 

There’s a whole other level of awesomeness.

The temperature has dropped, the air is cooler, most everyone has gone home, and the beach is empty. There is a quiet lapping of the water, as though even the ocean has finally exhausted itself and just wants to hang out.

You stretch. You breathe a sigh of contentment. You draw slow circles in the sand with your hand then sweep it clear and start again.

You're too relaxed to think about packing up to leave. You stay a little longer. The shadows are getting a little longer too.

You sit back to enjoy the last rays from your chair.  This is when I appreciate the beach the most – the day is done; it’s hard to leave.  Six o’clock is when I realize how much I love the beach.   

 photo taken from my beach chair at 6 o'clock on a random winter day

Sochi 2014

This week we headed to the Southwest Florida Figure Skating Club to see two Olympic skating pairs wrap-up training at the Ellenton Ice and Sports Complex.

Now we have a horse in the race – well actually a skater on the ice

Won’t that make watching the Olympic skating competition all the more fun?

Endurance, dedication, devotion and practice every day . . .

Felicia Zhang and Nate Bartholomay {USA}

Felicia Zhang and her partner Nathan Bartholomay have finished their training at the Ellenton Ice and Sports Complex and look forward to their trip overseas. The figure skaters’ flight leaves Saturday from Tampa International Airport. The couple was practicing in preparation for their Olympic in front of a packed house. Fridays are "simulations", meaning full costume with music.

Zhang will be accompanied by her dad, and Bartholomay will be joined by his mother, sister and two friends.

Zhang says the moment she looks forward to most…is not their own event. “The Opening Ceremonies; I mean, I have watched them every year. I am so excited to walk and be a part of it and be on TV wearing American gear.”

Stacey Kemp and David King {United Kingdom}

Stacey Kemp and David King now train in Ellenton Florida with their primary coach being former Worlds Bronze Medalist in Pairs, Lyndon Johnston. After last season ankle injuries and torn ligaments, club members Stacey Kemp and David King are competing for Olympic Gold in Sochi. They have won 10 consecutive British Pair titles, Novice and Junior then 8 senior. They were the first British Pair team in 16 years to qualify and compete at a Winter Olympic Games for Pairs back in 2010. Next big goal: the Sochi Olympics in 2014.

The Ellenton rink has trained 10 Olympic Pair Skaters from 3 countries
Good luck Felicia, Nate, Stacey, and David  – we’ll be watching

 

Also taking the ice that day were Cirinia Gillett and Maximiliano Fernandez

 {Novice Pairs Nationals Silver medalists winners}

{Article quotes from: mysuncoast.com / lambcoskating.co.uk / heraldtribune.com}

that polaroid look

A picture is worth a thousand words.

I just love the way she looks at him.

Amanda & Daniel Talstra, MCC Cambodia
Our MCC assignment involves spending the majority of our time working at the Royal University of Agriculture in Phnom Penh. In addition, Daniel works with the Returnee Integration Support Center. This organization assists Cambodians who were admitted into the United States as refugees and then later deported back to Cambodia. Amanda works with Women Peacemakers, an organization that provides training in rural provinces about women's rights, domestic violence, and conflict mediation.

We see God working in the people we meet who are working for the poor and marginalized in their own country. Cambodia is trying to recover from the horrors of the Khmer Rouge, while at the same time speeding into the globalized world. It is also a country that is leaving behind millions of poor farmers in rural provinces and disrespecting the human rights of many. The Cambodians we meet who are choosing to sacrifice of themselves and to stand up for the rights of their brothers and sisters remind us that God is at work in this country in a million small, but powerful ways.
Prayer requests:

•that Cambodian leaders will be wise and honest in their work.
•that God would provide for all those who are hungry, especially children who have high rates of malnourishment.
•for the Cambodian church to work in unity and serve as a powerful witness to Christ
•for us, that we would be diligent in the work we have been called to do and loving to all those around us.

the moment in the middle

Hold your breath.
Here it is.
Christmas Eve.
My favorite time of the Christmas Season.
The perfect moment between all the preparations and all of the celebrations.

All is done yet all is yet to come . . .

"It was a moment of perfection he would probably not find again this year, and he sat without moving, almost without breathing. There was the upside of a garden, when one was digging and planting, heaving and hauling, and then the downside, when it was all weeding and grooming and watering and sweating. One had to be fleet to catch the moment in the middle, the mountaintop, when perfection was as brief as the visit of a butterfly to an outstretched palm.

From the book : Out to Cannan

by: Jan Karon