The Frozen Dnieper

With so much going on during our super cold winter months, I forgot that the Dnieper river had frozen over so I went for a walk last weekend to take a look. I am still always so shocked encountering so much snow, cold and ice. It still feels like I'm in another world after so many years.

This past week I had to put my kitty to sleep so I'm more tired than usual and don't have the mental energy to write a proper blog post. I've been posting some photos on my other blog HERE. So glad spring is coming!

Retro Butter

Look what I bought! Retro USSR butter. Made in Zhitomir, Republic of Ukraine.

A World In Constant Change

It's still very very cold in Ukraine! I don't think it's been much warmer than -13C for the last couple of weeks, with occasional dips down to -30C!

I have to say that I have enjoyed the sunshine that seems to start when it's this cold. I actually felt WARMTH from the sun yesterday on my way home and that was exciting. Spring IS coming eventually!

Growing up in So Cal I was not as aware of seasonal changes. There are seasons there but you have to be sensitive to notice them. Sometimes it's as subtle as the smell of cut grass, Girl Scouts peddling cookies and the sound of Vin Scully's voice on the radio. Those things would mean it's springtime.

This morning I was reading a friend's blog and I realize that seasons in our life change for us as do weather seasons. I think God created weather seasons to be a backdrop of the seasons we go through in our lives. When you think about it, we are going through changes of all kinds constantly in our lives. What is hard for people is when they get stuck and refuse to change. Change is uncomfortable for some people. Change usually means growth if we choose to embrace that. As an adult, I can look back and see that as children we all desire and look forward to change and growth. We can't wait to become Seniors in high school. We can't wait to turn sixteen so we can drive. We can't wait to start college. We can't wait to graduate and get a job.

I've noticed that as an adult, we don't have to keep taking tests and we get involved in work or life to the extent that we stop looking forward to new seasons. We slow down and it becomes harder to push ourselves to grow.

I think God puts changes and seasons in our lives to keep us growing. It's important at whatever age we are to keep learning about him and life and the people he puts in our lives. It's important to learn about the world around us and adapt to the changes. God allows change in our lives so we can learn more about him. As we grow we see the world differently and can engage in it with it more realistically and with greater depth.

Don't be afraid of change, embrace it.

Left To Tell - Book Review

Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust by Immaculee Ilibagiza is an amazing book! I bought this book a couple of years ago and it's been sitting on my shelf where I occasionally "eyed" it and thought about reading it. I knew it was about a young woman who lived through the Rwandan genocide and I knew the genocide was horrifically gory and I just wasn't ready to read about the details.

This last week, I finally thought, "Okay, I bought it, I need to read this." Once I started I couldn't put it down. Part of the reason was I just wanted Immaculee to get through her story of living in hell. The other reason was that she was telling a story filled with faith and forgiveness. She began to express forgiveness towards those who were killing her family and friends, while she was still hiding in a bathroom with seven other women for three months.

It is a difficult story to read, but it is important that we don't ignore human tragedies like the Rwandan genocide. Immaculee's faith and forgiveness will challenge you and comfort you, especially if these are areas you struggle with as well. I won't tell you more, just go read the book!