It’s hard to believe that we’re already in Week 6 of Term 3. Things that we’re looking forward to–our friends Ben and Grace’s wedding, our trip to Tasmania–are no longer months away but weeks away. We’ve had a longer, wetter winter this year which will hopefully be good to the farmers come harvest time but it’s meant most mornings have been tough getting out of our warm bed.
Steven wanted to go to the footy this past Sunday, so we arranged to head to Bendigo Saturday night for Date Night en route. Side note: Some couples can do Date Night at home; we’ve learned that if we do that, we only spend like 10 minutes in conversation and then get distracted with home things. So, we went to Sangria Tapas Bar and had
Spanish Meatballs ∗ Paella Bites – Chicken & Chorizo Arancini ∗ Sticky Pork Ribs, crispy potatoes ∗ Scallops, pea puree, jamon dust ∗ Calamari ∗ Cherry & Fig Fudge Cake ∗ And Sangria, of course
We then were able to stay at the Tatts and catch up with Ben & Grace by playing Pandemic where we could have saved the world had we only one more turn. They took us to a lovely breakfast at the Ex Lion Tamer before Steven and I caught the train into the city. When we went to the footy earlier this year, I froze. I learned my lesson and wore two layers of pants and long socks, and three layers plus a coat on top. I was not cold this time.
Steven read Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life…and Maybe the World by Admiral William H. McRaven on the train ride from Bendigo to Melbourne. I couldn’t help but occasionally read over his shoulder, and one of the chapters was called “If you want to change the world … find someone to help you paddle.” The chapter shared about how each day, the Navy Seals in training formed rowing teams. It was critical that each person row in sync and if just one person didn’t give effort matching the others, the boat would be tossed. Seeing that I was looking over his shoulder, Steven started naming women in my life. He then paused and said, “They help you paddle.” It was a sweet moment for me to stop and thank God for the women in my life, both here in Australia and back in America, who help me along in this life by helping me paddle.
We then headed to the footy, got great seats under the awning which came in handy when it started raining around half time, and enjoyed an amazing game. Our plan was to drive back with our Principal later that night after his team’s footy match, so we were able to head to Camberwell, east of Melbourne, to Sofia’s. This is where we stopped for Toblerone Cheesecake during the first months we moved to Melbourne and where we celebrated Steven’s birthday last year before moving to Kerang. We laughed as we were seated, heading to the same table we were led to on our first visit. We shared an American pizza (of course) and the Baci Cake which was probably the best cake either of us have ever had.
A song I’ve loved this year has been “Highlands (Song of Ascent)” by Hillsong UNITED (and I’ve just cried pretty much every time I’ve listened to it). It proclaims that “I will praise You on the mountain / And I will praise You when the mountain’s in my way.” I shared with our school staff in a rather weepy devotion before leaving for America in June that I’ve gone through seasons in life that have been “Mountain Seasons” or “Valley Seasons” that have been for a distinct period of time. But since moving to Australia, I’ve felt both of those to be true, sometimes in the same week or even in the same day. It’s been quite exhausting at times to experience such incredible mountains and then plummet into the grief of a valley. Through prayer and continued checking in with each other, what Steven and I have come to is that the undercurrent of purpose has sustained us both together and on our own as we acknowledge that Jesus is “the heaven where [our] heart is / In the highlands and the heartache all the same.” With a start from F. Scott Fitzgerald I end with a mixed metaphor: So we beat on, boats against the current, relying on those around us to help us paddle through the hills and valleys of life.
Fords Gone Walkabout 