Saturday Sum Up...

 There are new Pigs in the neighborhood, actually next door where I can watch them from the safe distance of my 5th floor window.- No one seems to know where you get wild pigs but I do believe that the boar is part of the new prison security system.
    The CCC Youth Group from Beijing came up for the weekend and we once again had a wonderful time together.  I love spending catch up time with these guys, meeting the new ones they bring along and in general just having moments to spend with one another in laughter, tears and worship!

And then of course there was the Lantern Festival to Celebrate- the official end of the Chinese New Year festivities.                                 I love the Lanterns!  

 Lighting them off is more than half the fun- keeping them from catching fire before lift off and then hoping that the air currents carry them high into the air before the fuel source runs out...But the part I love most is watching them lifting off from all around and quietly float up toward the full moon like twinkling stars.

Salt Life

 

February 1, 2012

Dear Ones,

   OK, so recently I have been contemplating many of the differences between my home in South Carolina and home here in China.  Make no mistake the differences are vast.  As the weather continues to hover in the freezing zone I cannot help but smile to myself and think of “Salt Life…”

      That may sound funny however you must remember that back home I live on an Island in South Carolina where Christmas 

day temperatures were in the high 70’s and we put candles in our fireplace so that we could prevent ourselves from feeling the need to turn on the air conditioner.  I spent afternoon lunches on the porch at Plum’s with friends enjoying the incredible December weather and the view of the Inter Coastal Waterway.  I spent mornings at the waterfront park with Mom, Dad, and Janessa while we played on the playground- no coats needed!  I sipped coffee at one of my favorite spots overlooking the water in beautiful downtown Beaufort, Common Ground, and contemplated why I might have chosen a frozen coffee drink instead because the weather was perfect for it.  And of course I loved sunrise breakfast with Dad out on the boat.  I live where there is water everywhere, you cross bridges wherever you go, and the beach, well doesn’t everyone have sand in their back yard, maybe not waves but always sand?  Something that always makes me smile is the Salt Life logos that I see EVERYWHERE.  They are incredibly creative and each time I see a new one I cannot help but wonder if the person really is a “Salt Lifer” or if they just thought it was a really cute design.  The Salt Life Company states, “At Salt Life, we are passionate about the Ocean, just like you. We are fishermen, captains, dive masters, free divers, surfers, and spear fishermen with salt in our veins. We know what it's all about and it's what we love to do.” 

   This past week I have thought many times about that statement…”Passionate about what we do… Salt in our veins… what we love to do,” as I have been running IV lines filled with salt solution on several of my little ones.  Normal Saline is one of the fastest ways to carefully rehydrate a fragile baby who is failing right before my eyes.  Often I can literally watch them come back to life.  There is salt in our veins, it is the way God created us, we must have it for survival.  As a nurse I watch for problems caused by an imbalance of salt in the body, you would not believe what havoc tipping the sodium scales either too much or too little will do to a person’s ability to properly function and the problems are multiplied exponentially when the person before you is usually less than five pounds. 

  You know God thought a “Salt Life” was pretty important as well.  He even made Salt Covenants with the Israelites,   “All the offerings of the holy gifts, which the sons of Israel offer to the LORD, I have given to you… It is an everlasting covenant of salt before the LORD to you and your descendants with you.”  (Numbers 18:18-20)  He told us to season our speech with it, “Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.”(Colossians 4:5-7) He even said we were to be salt, “You are the salt of the earth,” (Matthew 5:12).

  So now each time I consider salt whether I am starting an IV, eating another very “savory” salty Chinese food, or thinking of home and the salt marshes and ocean waves I am also praying that I will not lose my “Salt Life” that my speech will be seasoned with salt, and that I would be salt and light to the lives of those around me.  I want to be passionate about what I do about the salt of God’s grace that courses through my veins.  I want to “Live the Salt Life.”  What a challenge for each of us and what a reminder next time you are waiting in traffic and see one of those “Salt Life” logos- pray that we will each one be living the Salt Life for the Son.

With Love for each of you,

Mariah

Happy February-

Happy February 2, 2012- Groundhog Day

Hawaii Five Ohh-

So I have decided that the best way to deal with the icy cold grey days is with a great set of "Hawaii Five OHHHH" print scrubs (thanks Vanessa), and snuggling a little baby- it's like having your own personal warmer only so much cuter!

Happy (Lunar) New Year January 23, 2012

 A time to celebrate...Brightly and Loudly!

We had so much fun, lighting, laughing, and running...Yes, we were staying safe what would you expect from doctors and nurses.  None of us wanted to have to use our professional skills-  We stayed up late and also enjoyed the incredible fireworks display going on with a 360* view from the roof top!

 Some time out in the cold at the New Year's Day Fair and Celebration at one of the local parks.

New Year's Eve- January 22, 2012

 It is once again time to prepare for and celebrate the Lunar Chinese New Year and here at the Big House we are in full swing.  The decorations have been hung, thousands of jiaozi have been rolled and are ready for eating. and now we wait for dark- which will mean time for fireworks here...though everyone else around us has already started.  I had to smile today as I looked out the window at our red lanterns and looked at the red decorations that framed each of the doors because I could not help but think of Passover.  Here in China the red around the door posts is meant to bring good luck and keep evil spirits away...There was another night long ago when it did just that, the blood on the door posts of the house of Israel kept The Angel of Death from entering and taking their first born as He passed through the land of Egypt.  What a reminder to each of us who have been bought with The Blood, who have the message painted on the door post of our lives that we are purchased at a great price.  Remember it next time you see the door posts of China...  

"What is your perfect snow day?"

 Recently a friend posed the question, "What is your perfect snow day?"  It got me thinking...I really enjoy the snow, maybe because I have only lived with it here in China where our city gets a lite dusting and everything looks beautiful until it turns into mushy muddy icy slush but that is NOT a snow day and I must admit that I still love snow days but for us here they are a little different- we are already at work, soooo.....

  I wake up to the flakes falling and pull on scrubs, they really are like cozy pajamas and since we wear them all the time it just makes sense to wear them today, a huge part of me longs to stay snuggled under those warm covers- but babies are calling!  I grab an ENORMOUS cup of coffee but today it will be special because there is snow and it feels like Christmas so I will add a packet of hot chocolate and sip away.  I will pray that the babies will be doing better this morning because I am just dying to sit and watch the snow fall- watch the world turn from drab grey and brown to powder sugar white.    This day is looking to be the perfect snow day because the power is staying on, the heat is working well, and the little ones seem pretty stable.  Then I will hear it, the shrill peels of laughter and squeals of voices from upstairs "Auntie Mariah will you come play in the snow with us?"  And who could resist little snow angels?!?  Not me...  The thing I love most about this snow play is that at the end when I am hearing, "My hands are cold, I can't feel my nose, I think it's running."  I hear Laura's voice calling to us- "Hot Chocolate time."  When we reach the 6th floor the most wonderful smell of fresh baked cookies greets us.  It is time to snuggle in read stories watch movies and once again check little ones.  All the time humming some good snow music..."Winter snow is falling down, children laughing all around, lights are turning on like a fairy tale come true."  We did still have the Christmas tree up and the twinkling lights made me feel like a little child waiting once again for Christmas. 

   As we enjoyed the warmth inside I just had to shake my head at one of the things I find most fascinating, funny, frigid, on our snow days here and that is the fact that no matter where we go we will see little children bundled up like giant marshmallows barely able to move their arms or legs with their little chapped cheeks bare- I will never understand this.  I just had to add a photo so you could get the picture.  This little guy was just carried inside for a visit to the green house before returning to the snow covered streets.  I thought a picture was worth a thousand snow day words and this one may make you smile... 







PS- Someday I want to do a snow day in a cabin up in the mountains where I can sit by a huge fireplace with its roaring blaze and sip my chocolate, snuggle in a quilt, watch movies, work a puzzle, and just savor the delight of it all...  But for now I will enjoy simply having snow.  "Auntie Mariah can you take us out again?"