1 night left on American Soil
It's crunch time folks! And I still have a few things to do before I can leave the good ole U.S. of A.1. Purchase (British) European converter for phone. And return the Continental one I bought from Radio Shack.
2. Sew sleep-sheet up. I'm trying to enlist the help of my grandmother.
3. Find lost credit card (very, VERY important).
4. Purchase:
Large, hard glasses case.
Nalgene H2O bottle.
xD card (as the one I bought over Amazon will very likely not get here in time)
Playing Cards
Longish soccer shorts that will not appall Mom and Dad
Hometown postcards (to use as thank you notes for people I like).
5. Pack and clean. Pack and clean..... Check. Recheck. Check. Recheck.
You know the drill. This is going to be an adventure.
posted by Brannon @ 11:56 PM
4 Comments:
You go, girl. It's gonna be a great trip. You can do it. I'm jealous!
Your didactic Pop can never resist a list:
• remember to balance your friendly trusting nature with a healthy skepticism of the motives of others.
• if you feel uncomfortable go the other way
• roll with the punches when disappointments come
• live every minute, be alert, learn a lot, make friends
• show your new friends that all Americans are not as ugly as their (and our) least favorite American, you know W-ho.
• remember you are loved, no matter what!
• whatever the tickets say, you can come home whenever you need to.
• if you see any cheap Robb White books in second hand shops in Britain, you know what to do. (He seems to have been popular there and in Germany)
• call us often (don't hesitate to call when you are scared or lonely even if it means waking me up)
• update your blog as often as possible, it'll be a valuable record of your trip
• take pics!
• send postcards to your family and friends
• invite your new friends to visit us here
• remember God is Love, not luv, despite what over-heated males may think.
On Sunday I was looking again at one of my favorite hymns. (While I should have been listening to the service) Its words are good to re-read as you set out to see the world:
O young and fearless Prophet of ancient Galilee,
Thy life is still a summons to serve humanity;
To make our thoughts and actions less prone to please the crowd,
To stand with humble courage for truth with hearts uncowed.
We marvel at the purpose that held Thee to Thy course
While ever on the hilltop before Thee loomed the cross;
Thy steadfast face set forward where love and duty shone,
While we betray so quickly and leave Thee there alone.
O help us stand unswerving against war’s bloody way,
Where hate and lust and falsehood hold back Christ’s holy sway;
Forbid false love of country that blinds us to His call,
Who lifts above the nations the unity of all.
Stir up in us a protest against our greed for wealth,
While others starve and hunger and plead for work and health;
Where homes with little children cry out for lack of bread,
Who live their years sore burdened beneath a gloomy dread.
Create in us the splendor that dawns when hearts are kind,
That knows not race nor station as boundaries of the mind;
That learns to value beauty, in heart, or brain, or soul,
And longs to bind God’s children into one perfect whole.
O young and fearless Prophet, we need Thy presence here,
Amid our pride and glory to see Thy face appear;
Once more to hear Thy challenge above our noisy day,
Again to lead us forward along God’s holy way.
Well, 1-4-3, little girl. I'll probably add more later.
1-4-3!!! Again!
Pop
I think there's pretty much no hope for you, Brannon.
-Hall
I'll miss you BFF!!! You rock the kazba!
Dear Brannyroo,
Well, you're off, beautiful!
We walked into the house about 2 minutes after you called from DEEtroit City. I'm so sorry we missed you! (BTW - What were you eating while you talked?) I'm glad you got to carry all 25 lbs of your belongings onto the plane. That simplifies things.
You'll be taking off for the Mother Country in 15 minutes!
You got to Michigan before we made it back to Rome. We stopped to eat at a Chinese buffet and shopped at Target etc on Camp Creek Parkway. I walked outside at 6:10 to see if I could see a plane ascending but there was an intervening hill.
Just after sunset (if there's a break in the clouds over England) the next few nights, look up at Jupiter and Venus hugging the moon and think of your Mom and Dad hugging you-- from a distance.
Or how about this: Can you see a ghostly glow across the dark part of the moon? That's Earthshine. Think of the Earthshine as the love of your family shining across the space between us onto our daughter moon -- turned away from us for a while -- bringing a little light even when things seem dark or scary or lonely.
I wish the skies were clearer in England right now! My little myth would work so much better! Lucky for me, you've always had a great imagination.
I miss you already, but I am also very excited for you. What an opportunity. Make the most of it! (carefully, of course.) Shine!
Love and Peace,
Pop
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