Look Back. Look Forward: April Tending

What a month… for everyone. The sudden changes. Making sure you have enough food in the house and feeling blessed to even have the money to stock up. Figuring out what social distancing means and how to practice it. Learning how to make hand sanitizer for the first time in my life and how to cook without canned goods or produce some days. We are all experiencing new normals and have no idea how long this “normal” will really last.

This month I am especially grateful for: my friend and language helper who invited me to her house for Holi. We ended up having a water fight and laughing our heads off.

Verse of the Month

This came at just the right time and truly comforted my soul.

A childlike spirit. Psalm 131. CSB

“Lord, my heart is not proud;
my eyes are not haughty.
I do not get involved with things
too great or too wondrous for me.
² Instead, I have calmed and quieted my soul
like a weaned child with its mother;
my soul is like a weaned child. ³ Israel, put your hope in the Lord,
both now and forever.“

Adventure of the Month

The adventure of the month, certainly wasn’t one we intended or planned but it just so happened to be more of a medical adventure instead of an outdoor one. It was a marriage bonding experience like the trust fall I remember doing in middle school but this one was way more serious.

I ended up having to take a knife to my husbands back but he is doing much better now (story to come later). I also realized how important community is and how beautiful it is when friends, and complete strangers, come together to help bear one another burdens during times like this.

Favorite Foods or Recipes

I hosted a momo making party this month before all the social distancing even started here. It was lots of fun and of course delicious. Momos are basically artsy noodles (like potstickers) stuffed with veggies or meat. Ours had minced chicken and tons of onions and garlic.

One of our favorite meals is green peppers and onions with this Red Thai Curry Sauce and rice. It’s quick, easy, and amazing!

Books I Read or Listened to

When Less Becomes More by Emily Ley

I’m glad to have read this book but didn’t feel I resonated with a lot of what she talked about. Here’s a quote I liked.

“I’ve learned, above all, that less is truly beautiful. That happiness and contentment can’t be manufactured, bought, subscribed to, or achieved by adding more to our lives. It’s the counter-intuitive action of stripping away the excess that allows us to discover beauty and joy in the good lives we already have.” 

Emily Ley

Taking Charge of your Fertility by Toni Weschler

If you are a woman, you should read this book! It’s not only about fertility or birth control but basically everything basic about women’s health that you have the right to know. It’s super informative, empowering, and much of what goes inside of us as women are things that we’ve never been properly taught.

Creative Outlet

photography. learning more about the camera. taking more photos

Revisiting my March Tending List

monthly

• research hiking/ camping in our area (yes)
• have Bollywood + popcorn night with nationals. changed this to host momo making party with nationals since it happened before lockdown.
• practice driving car at least 4 times. (I was able to practice 2 times before lockdown. celebrating the progress)
• go camping (no. lockdown happened. not allowed to leave our house)
• teach Reemu cross-stitch (No, I ordered more supplies and the day we were going to do it lockdown started. But I did start my own project.)
• decide (prayerfully) who to invest in & do it
• create itinerary for R’s parents coming- (no. things are now postponed)
• initiate dinner club (Yes & we were all pumped for Passover Dinner Club but had to cancel this too)
• finish women’s health book (Yes. So long but so informative and helpful)

weekly

• implement GPA learning (mostly)
• listen to 1 hour of media (news, show…) in the language (mostly)
• continue lent spiritual disciples from The Common Rule (yes)

daily

• study vocab 10 min (I realized this works better with my lang helper so have been reviewing vocab with her)
• ready for bed at 9 (we have been going to bed too late) –totally failed at getting ready for bed a 9 with all the stuff going on in the world and texting friends and fam)
• work out (yes. keeping this rhythm has helped me so much)
• 15 second kiss for purposeful married life (yes- did a lot better)

April Tending List

monthly

• celebrate Passover Seder meal & Easter with my husband
• go hiking and hammocking
• organize documents on my computer
• continue the cross-stitch project I started
• get into language lockdown rhythms

weekly

• blog
• online B study
• linger with the Lord. Be still
• have house church with my husband
• meal plan amidst the limited resources
• check on my national friends
• have heart conversation with a friend or family member

daily

• morning independent lang study
• daily build up my husband
• 30 min (at least) outside unless raining #balconylife
• write in quarantine journal (who did I connect with, what am I thankful for, what I did that day…)