More poetry musings pre-trip

9-24-26 This morning, I spent some time reading through my poetry notebook from less than a year ago when we booked our cruise to Japan. So much has fallen into place since then! I'm "scheduling" this to be posted while we are in the middle of the Pacific, since we won't have Internet access on board. Once we arrive in Japan, I'll fill you in on all that happened between LA and Tokyo!

11-10-25

My brain is overrun

    by the possibility

We've been talking about it

    for seven YEARS

        and dreaming about it

            for even longer

Wait until your youngest

    (which became Chance) turns 4

Well, looks like he'll turn 4 on the way over

    because the dreaming

        has turned into researching

        has turned into PLANNING

            with actual DATES

We're thisclose to booking

    a 16-night

        $4500 (total!)

        transpacific

        worldschooling cruise

    experiencing 3 Japanese ports

    and arriving in Tokyo in style

        (and not jet-lagged!)

Eeee!!! Is this really happening?

            Is this my real life?

Consecrate it all, Lord.

11-13-25

I used to view our potential year in Japan

    as a once-in-a-lifetime

            pinnacle-of-childhood opportunity

But I was also overwhelmed

                    (to the point of paralysis)

    about how to make that work for a family of 7

Two months seems a lot more do-able

                    (although still overwhelming)

        and can give us a taste

Maybe we can go back when the little 3 are older

Maybe one of the boys would want to return to study or on mission

Maybe Lucas and I can do a year as empty nesters

Yes, a year as a family would be quite the adventure

    but if it's so overwhelming that it never happens,

        then the dream becomes a regret

A scaled-down two-month adventure

    that actually happens 

        could be a memorable one-and-done

        but could also be a springboard for more

11-13-25

I get a little embarrassed

    thinking about the expense of

        a two-month-long international trip

            for our family of seven!

    but this isn't just a tourist vacation,

        it's an eternal investment

            in the lives we'll interact with

                on the cruise

                local Japanese (both there and here)

                missionaries

            in the connections it creates for Lucas

                both on the ground

                and back home

            in the way it opens our boys' eyes

                being in the minority

                gaining God's heart for the nations

                immersing in the language and culture

            in my roles

                as an intercessor for Japan

                as a connector with any future Japanese I meet

            in our family

                 with lifelong memories

                with a broader worldview

                with an I-can-do-it attitude toward international travel

Consecrate it all, Lord, for Your glory

                                and for Your purposes

12-23-25

I had said I wanted to be home

    in time for Christmas next year

        but maybe I don't...

Maybe physically removing ourselves

    from all the pressure of doing and spending

        is just what we need

I tried to be more planned

                        and do less

                        and buy less this year,

        but I've gotten caught up in all the hoopla again

It seems extreme to go to Japan 

    for a "reset"

        but then hopefully we'd come back

                                    more appreciative

                                and more aware of what truly matters

                                        and how little we really need

                                        in regards to activities

                                            and to stuff

In my "mean mom mode," I declared,

    "We're skipping Christmas next year!"

            (which made Cooper cry)

    but of course we're not skipping Christmas

                                        (the celebration of Jesus' birthday!)

                just all the commercialized, pressure-filled hoopla

I can't take it anymore!

    Japan (or Hawaii) is calling...

[9-24-26 update: We will miss the entire Christmas season in Kentucky. We do get to stop for 2 nights in Hawaii (since the multi-leg trip was the same trip as flying more direct and since Hawaii is one of only 4 states left out of 50 for me!). Lord willing, we'll arrive in Indiana on Christmas Eve, spend Christmas morning with my mom, then drive back to Lexington on Christmas day. A reset indeed...]

4-12-26

4 churches

    in 2 days

        over Easter weekend

Ashland

    for Resurrection Rally

        sharing the Gospel message and songs

            before the egg hunt

Southland

    for a baptism service

        cheering on

             one of my 5th grade girls

FAC

    for Sunday service and serving

        joining our church family

            to celebrate that "He is Risen indeed!"

Izumi

    for bilingual Japanese service and potluck

        sharing the hope of Easter

            with some who have never heard

4 churches

No competition

We need them all

Different types and sizes

    for different people

Happy Easter, indeed.