African Sundowners... the beauty of endings...

The photo above is the sun setting over the waters of the Okavango Delta in Botswana.  We were sitting in a boat, out in the water, watching the sun set, listening to the birds sing their last song, and hearing the hippos as they softly grunted to each other. Every place we traveled to in Africa had the same routine around Sundown.  They referred to it as "sundowners."  Where ever we were at sunset, we would stop what we were doing and watch the sun sink below the horizon while drinking a sundowner beverage of our choice and nibbling on a few small portions of food.  In some ways, this routine was nothing new.  Most people I know  have enjoyed observing sunsets for years.  

But what they did in Africa was more than just pausing to catch a glimpse of the setting sun, it had a certain ring of ceremony to it.  A certain amount of gratefulness for the day, a time of quiet conversations and reflection.  There was an almost reverent feeling of acknowledgement for the day passing.  

By taking the time to practice the pause, they added meaning to what is a daily occurrence.  An average event.  It made even the sunsets that weren't as spectacular to look at special.  And for me, it was a reminder to stop and be thankful for the amazing things we had been able to see and do on that day.  There wasn't one sunset in Africa where I didn't have the thought of "Holy wow!!!!  I'm in Africa!!! Watching the sunset!!!  This is amazing!!!"

I was thinking about this year, how it is rapidly coming to a close, and reflecting on all that has happened.  In a way, I was having a sundowner moment.  And in that moment of pause, I let the feelings of gratitude and awe sweep over me.  It hasn't been a perfect year,  but I'm so grateful for the amazing moments I have experienced.  God continues to be good and faithful, gracious and loving towards me and my family.  I have gained new knowledge of myself and the world around me.  I have been blessed to spend time with friends and family.  My life isn't perfect, but my life is good.  And as the sun sets on this year, I want to take the time to practice the pause, to practice gratitude, and to acknowledge the passing of another year.

I would love to tell you that when I came back from Africa I continued this daily practice of pausing around sunset to celebrate the end of the day.  But, of course I don't do this on a daily basis because life gets busy, and I get caught up in it, and I'm often a forgetful and ungrateful human being.  But, I do think I practice the pause more often than I used to.  The reverence for the event of the sundowner somehow stuck with me.  And if, in my rushing I happen to catch a glimpse of a sunset, I am reminded to stop and pause.  Even if it is a short pause, I can at least stop long enough to say a quick, quiet, prayer of gratitude.  I'm trying to make it  if not a daily occurrence, at least a more than once a week occurrence.  

I hope that as the year ends, you take time for your sundowner.  Take the time to pause, reflect, and be grateful.  I pray that these last days of 2016 are peaceful and full of love for you!

I'll leave you with a few more sunset photos.  Enjoy!

Okavango Delta, Botswana

Zambezi River, Zambia

Kalahari Desert, South Africa

Outer Banks, North Carolina

Outer Banks, North Carolina

Tuscany, Italy

Tuscany, Italy

Parisian Assumptions

My guess is all of you know what this is and where this is.  Yup, it's the Eiffel Tower in Paris.  And this past summer, I managed to get my heights hating husband up into said tower, with only a few groans.

Originally, we had planned to visit Paris with a couple and their daughter who are friends of ours.  The wife had lived in Paris for a few years when younger and wanted to go back with her husband and daughter to show them the city.  Since she speaks fluent French (and I don't, like at allllll) we thought it would be fun to go together.  Unfortunately, this couple had to cancel out, and so it was just the three of us left to explore.

Listen, I grew up dreaming of Paris.  Watching movies about it, reading books that took place there, etc....  And, having traveled a little bit in the South of France, I felt that we could bumble through Paris on our own just fine.  I was excited to go and explore this amazing city.

But, I have to admit, I also had some trepidation about going to Paris.  I had heard the stories of how famously snobbish Parisians are, especially towards travelers from the U.S.  Friends of mine who had traveled there and who had lived there even warned me that they could be a bit snobbish and standoffish.  Even some of the French I had met in Provence (southern France) had mentioned that they didn't like the "stuck-up attitude" of those Parisians.  That they thought they were better than everyone else.  So, with those thoughts and warnings in my mind, I  began to prepare myself and family for the well known "Parisian" attitudes we would encounter while there.

Let me say, Paris is everything I dreamed of and more!  It is a city filled with outstanding art, music, architecture, gastronomical delights, romance, and so much more.  Every rounded corner contained amazing delights for the eyes and ears.  The shops are amazing, even the window displays are out of this world fantastic.  I often felt like I had been transported to this stunning new world.  I probably walked around with my mouth hanging wide open 90% of the time.

And although the sites and sounds out-performed the hype, the most amazing thing about Paris?  Parisians.  Make no mistake, they are a very well-dressed, well-bred , well-educated group.  And how could they not be, surrounded as they are by all this amazing history, art, music, and food.  But they are also an amazing melting pot of different ethnicities, religions, viewpoints, and economic levels.  I found them to be polite, kind, and courteous.  They are fiercely proud of their city, and they should be-- it's amazing.  I found that they were outright encouraging and willing to teach when asked about their culture, history, art, music, food, etc...  They were warm, welcoming and fantastically funny.  I loved the very dry sense of humor that we encountered on more than one occasion.  I not only fell in love with Paris the city, but with the Parisian people.  And I can't wait to go back!

And I am so glad that I didn't let "assumptions" keep me from making this trip.  I am extremely glad that I didn't let my assumptions keep me from interacting with the lovely Parisian people I ran into.  I probably would have still enjoyed the city, but I would have missed out on it's heartbeat, on what makes Paris so special-- which is it's people.  And that would have been a sad thing to miss.

These days, everywhere I turn we are making assumptions about a group of people.  There are assumptions about people who voted one way or another in the recent presidential election.  There are assumptions about the laziness or perceived ungrateful privilege of young people.  There are assumptions about ethnicity, about those in government, about those who have money and those who do  not. The list goes on and on.  And the problem with these assumptions is that they allow us and even encourage us to keep a distance from other people.  They allow us to somehow "de-humanize" someone else because we assume something about them based on what group we place them in.

The definition of assumption is:  a thing that is accepted as true or certain without proof.

Let's focus on the "without proof" portion.  How do you prove that something is true or untrue?  The only way to do that is by getting closely and intimately involved. And that would involve laying down your assumptions and doing the hard work of finding out what the truth is.  So, next time, before you assume that someone will act or behave a certain way, why don't you take the time to get to know them?  Ask questions, find out if what you assumed would happen, does in fact happen.  Quit defining people as groups and instead define them as individuals.  You might be pleasantly surprised.

So, thank you Paris, for being one of the most pleasant surprises of my life.  What a joy it was to visit your amazing city and people!  I'll leave you with a few more photos of Paris and with a traditional French toast:  A votre sante! (to your health)

Thirst... Running for Water...a Tale of the Wildebeest

The animals pictured above are Wildebeests.  More specifically, they are Blue Wildebeests.    They form large herds, and in many places in Africa they participate in a mass migration twice a year.  They can reach speeds up to 50 miles an hour and run together in a herd, with the young running in the middle for protection.  They are a wild looking animal.

While at Tswalu in South Africa, this herd would run past our hut everyday on their way to the watering hole located at the lodge.  You could always hear them before you could see them, because when they were running for the water, they would begin to grunt loudly.  The grunt they make sounds sort of like they are say "gahnuuuuu", which is where they probably got their other name from, which is Gnu.  And I noticed that when they were close to a water source, they always, always, began to run in ernest.  They never walked into the watering hole.  They were always at a run, kicking up a dust cloud in their wake, all the while fussing and calling to each other, urging the herd on, faster and faster.

I noticed that none of the other herds or groups of animals did that.  All the rest would come in quietly, almost sneaking their way in, cautious, careful, and ever watchful when they were coming in for a drink.  Not the Wildebeest.  They announced their arrival.

What was funny, was that even though they had run right past me on their way to the water, they had absolutely no clue I was there, until the dust they had stirred up made me sneeze.  You can see from the photo's above the moment they became aware that I was there observing them.  I sneezed and every eyeball turned to focus on me.  They had been so focused on their thirst, on their rush to get water, that they had run right past me without even noticing I was there.  It's a good thing that the only thing I was hunting them with was my camera, or their lack of caution could have proved deadly for one or more of them.  In fact, this is often when predators attack, while the herd is distracted.

And here I am going to make the jump from Africa to the current day, time, and year.  It is the first of December, and many of us, like the Wildebeest running for water, are  rushing frantically towards the holidays.  We are loudly calling out, kicking up our own form of a dust cloud, as we  run towards Christmas day.  Let me be clear, I enjoy this run towards Christmas.  The energy in the air is contagious and fun.  The activities and events and festivities are wonderful.  

In this season, enjoy the running, the rushing, the events, and the crazy schedules.  But don't rush past and forget that the true reason for all these celebrations is that you are deeply, amazingly, wildly loved by God.  You were loved so much, that even before you were even born, He put into place a plan on how to show you His great love for you.  Don't allow yourself to be so distracted that you miss this point entirely.

I'll leave you with a few more Wildebeest photo's.  They are truly a crazy looking animal.  What was interesting, for all their vocalizing and noise when they were running towards the water, once they  drank their fill, they would quietly and calmly walk away to find a place to rest.

Awestruck

I have always had a love for old, big cathedrals.  Seriously, I am like a bee to honey when I see one.  If you ask my husband or son, they would probably say that when I am visiting a place I leave no cathedral unvisited.  That isn't quite true however because some places have so many it would take several trips to see them all.  Which I just might have to do.  In particular, I am in love with the old cathedrals in Europe-- mostly because here in the U.S. we have few cathedrals that actually compare in size.

I love that over in Europe you have to keep your shoulders and knees covered out of a sense of respect.  I love the smell of age,  incense, and burning candle wax that permeates these buildings.  I love the dimness of the nooks and crannies. I'm in love with the feeling of being small when I stand in the middle of one of these grand churches and crane my head up, up, up to look towards the extremely high ceilings.  I love the fact that they employ "shushers."  Most of the cathedrals are working places of worship, and as such they ask you to be quiet out of respect to those who may be praying.  Tourists, being tourists, often forget in their excitement to be quiet-- thus some of the larger, more visited cathedrals have people who remind you to be quiet by shushing you.  Some do it over a P.A. system, which is interesting. I love the carvings, the sculpture, the stained glass windows, and the paintings often contained within these structures.  I get practically giddy when I am in a cathedral where I am allowed to climb well worn staircases made of stone.  The fact that you can see the worn spots where people have walked up and down for centuries is amazing to me.  I particularly love cathedrals that contain some of the old wooden benches, where people have sat and worshiped and prayed for years. I love the way the sunbeams shine through the windows to illuminate parts of the flooring, or the alter, or a piece of artwork.  I love the patterns left on the floor by sunbeams passing through a stained glass window.  I'm in awe of the domes and buttresses.  All of it time consumingly handcrafted.  I love the fact that these buildings have seen some of the worst that people and life can throw at them, and yet, they are still here.  They have withstood changes in political power, famine, war, natural disaster, times of plenty and times of scarcity... and they still stand.

If I were to describe the feeling I get every time I walk into one of these buildings, the word would be Awestruck.  These buildings are amazing works of architecture, especially considering that they were built in a place and time where they had no modern machinery to use in the building process.  

The photo above is from the inside of the Milan Cathedral in Italy.  It is the fifth largest cathedral in the world.  This church took six centuries to complete.  Six centuries!  It is built in the Italian Gothic style and has a capacity of 40,000.  She is 520 feet long, 302 feet wide and 354 feet tall.  She also has 135 spires on the rooftop. Interestingly enough, the church facade was  completed upon an order from  a famous Frenchman, Napoleon Bonaparte.  This cathedral has survived political turmoil and even the  bombing of Milan during World War II.

Some people love this cathedral, for it's grandeur.  For it's over the top design.  Some people hate it for the same reasons.  I however, had the same reaction I have to every cathedral I step into.  I was awestruck!

So, I have a question for you today.  What leaves you awestruck?  What inspires a sense of wonder?  In this very cynical day and age, an age where we have more information available to us than we possibly have time to read or absorb, does anything leave you in awe?

Being awestruck is something I think we should all seek out once and a while.  For me, being awestruck is a combination of being filled with wonder, gratitude,and a sense of humility.  Those moments of awe remind me of how small I really am, in the big scheme of things.  It reminds me to be grateful for  my life.  These moments bring a sense of reverence to my life that I don't have in the little everyday moments.  And the awestruck moments I experience in these amazing cathedrals do what they were intended to do; that is to  remind me of how big my God is.  How everlasting, ever loving, ever present, never changing He is.  And when I slow down enough to feel all of that, I am awestruck.

This scripture from Psalms captures some of what I feel, standing there:

"When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you care for him? "  Psalm 8:3-4

As we start the Holiday Season, take some time to be awestruck.  Leave some time for wonder.  Look for those little moments that make you feel small, grateful, and full of wonder.  That's what this season is meant to inspire, a sense of awe that God would give up what He held most dear in order to show a weary world how much He loved them.  Be awestruck today that you are deeply loved!

I'll leave you with a few more photos of some of my favorite cathedrals.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Duomo Milano

Notre Dame, Paris

Notre Dame, Paris

 Notre Dame, Paris

St. Eustache, Paris

St. Sevren, Paris

Duomo Montalcino, Italy

Duomo, Siena, Italy

Duomo Siena, Italy

Duomo in Lucca, Italy

San Lorenzo, Florence, Italy

St. Peter's, Vatican

Barcelona Cathedral

What Do You See?

Take a look at the picture above.  When you look at this photo, what do you see (besides the obvious that's it's a lioness)?  Do you see anger?  Do you see danger?

I'll admit, that this photo makes this lioness look fierce, which she is.  Depending on how you look at it, and what you know about lions, it may or may not look like she is unhappy, mad even.  However, she isn't unhappy or upset at all.... she's yawning.  Which, if you spend any time around lions you understand that hey do this a lot... probably because they also sleep... a lot.

So, now that you understand  that she is yawning, does it change your perception of the photo?  Does it change how you feel about the lion?

There's a lot of stuff going on in our world today.  And, I would argue, that if you don't take a moment to stop and gain some understanding, you may walk away with a certain perception of what is happening.  And it would be really easy to see what you want to, or to assume something without really doing any research to see if your assumption is true. We all do this.

I found myself doing it the other night when watching the reports of the protests that are taking place.  I immediately went into assumption and judgement mode.  I will admit that I looked at the news video of one protest that was mostly High School students, and my immediate thought was... you are just looking for a way to get out of school.  I watched another report where some protesters then began to riot-- tearing up property, burning stuff, etc.... and I began to think things like you are just using this as an excuse to be destructive.  Words like immature, crybaby, spoiled, sore losers, over- reactionary, etc. floated through my skull.  And while some of those words and judgements may be right about some of these people, it occurred to me that I might not be looking at the full picture-- I might need some backstory.

Have you ever had a time in your life where you felt helpless?  Or taken advantage of?  Or powerless?  I have.  And that isn't a good feeling.  When you feel that way, what is your first instinct? I would say for many of us it would be to lash out, in any way we can.  To try and find a way to regain some sense of control.  That I can understand.  I by no means condone acts of violence or destruction.  Nor do I condone the name calling and ugliness of words that some people are flinging about. That's wrong no matter how you feel.  But, I can admit that while I may not fully approve of these protests, these people have the right to peacefully do so.  I can acknowledge that it's their own way of feeling like they have some type of control.  With understanding comes a form of compassion.  I begin to see them not as mindless, faceless, nameless beings, but as real people.

And I think that transformation.... seeing people as real... is what we all need to do in order to move forward.  I may never agree with you politically, but I can meet in you in the areas where we have some shared experience.  We can all relate to feelings of helplessness.  We can all relate to feelings of love.  We can all relate to the common shared experience of being a human being in a world that is sometimes hard and sometimes easy.  It's super hard being a human being.  If that's all we can agree on, I can work with that.  I must work with that.  If I am willing to at least listen to your backstory it might change my perception of your photo.  I might just look at your photo through eyes of understanding and compassion.

So, as hard as it is for me, I'm going to try and do that more.  My great hope for our country and for our world, is that we all try to do more of that.  That's it.  Nothing super fancy about today's blog.  But I will leave you with some more photos of these lionesses at night.

Just a little more backstory... we were in our Range Rover, at night and surrounded on all sides by a pride of 13 lions, mostly female with a few subadult males.  It was absolutely one the best things I have ever done.  It was also one of the most intimidating, because you can only spotlight one or two lions at a time, which means that at any given moment there are roughly 11 lions that you can't see.  You can't see where they are or what they are doing.  At one point, A big lioness walked over to my side of the vehicle and laid down right below my door.  My topless, windowless door.  I was aware that she had laid there, but soon forgot about her as we were spotlighting another lioness on the opposite side of the vehicle.  A few moments into this activity, as I was concentrating on taking photos of the other lioness, the lion laying beside me sneezed.  And I about dropped my camera, the sound was so close and startling.  No point to that story... just a fond memory.  Have a great week!