What Is And What Should Never Be

We made it! We're feeling so much more comfortable in our own skin here after completing the first full year. Last year was an amazing adventure but also a year of transitions--everything was new, everything was a first, everything felt a bit clunky, a bit foreign. Even though we always planned on staying for the 3+ year PhD after completing the 1-year MTh, we kind of felt like there was an exit route after year one. One month into year two and it feels like we're really doing this, really living here. Today we feel settled, we feel at home. (Pictured here: not our home.) On our official one year here anniversary, we celebrated at the Edinburgh Military Tattoo. I feel like this event is hard to describe and based on people's descriptions I wasn't actually sure we'd like it. But it seemed like something you have to do once and it felt celebratory, so I thought it was a good excuse to go. We did kind of make fun of it to start, but it turned ...

In May I posted about "Scottish Summer" as if I knew what I was talking about. Actually, I still stand by the idea that there are two seasons here--a long, dark winter and a summer filled with late, perfect evenings. But I've since learned two more summer terms: This is the haar . (You know it's serious fog when it blurs out giant metal bridges.) And even though I witnessed several crystal-clear, Goldilocks-temperature days in Queensferry this May, I brought my brother and sister-in-law out on the water in the weather pictured above. There have been days when I've needed jeans, socks, and a jacket, and days when I'm positively roasting in shorts and a t-shirt. Those days probably came right after another or were the same day. Today it's been roasting. We're in the middle of a seriously long heat wave . Temperatures are only in the 70s but it feels hella hot. Are we somehow closer to the sun? Is it the lack of air conditioning? Is it because al...

Nearly a month ago now I was able to join my uncle, aunt, and cousins on another European weekend. They live in Germany, and when family (this time my mom) come to visit they often travel somewhere near(ish)by. This time it was Haarlem and Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Haarlem is a small town just outside of Amsterdam and like all Dutch towns (I'm guessing) it is lined with canals, bicycles, and distinct architecture. It is all so charming. We stayed here and really enjoyed the quietness of it. The first night there we strolled around, toured a windmill, and I chickened out of riding a carnival ride that flips you upside down because apparently age 30 is when I become afraid of carnival rides. We picked up some cheese and things for dinner and ate at home. I never relax on holiday so this was a nice change of pace. If you know the story of Corrie ten Boom, this is the town her family is from. Their watch shop/home, which served as a hiding place sheltering Jewish m...

There are two seasons here--summer and winter. I get that now. The season we are currently experiencing is referred to as summer. That dark moody spell that began around 30 October and lasted 'til Easter--they call that winter. As a person whose favourite seasons have always been fall and spring (me along with everyone, right?), I kept looking for signs of these seasons, confused to find no clear markers for either. Fortunately, the best part of those seasons--mild weather--is a year-round feature in Scotland. (The average low for the year is 33 F and the average high is 66 F.) The big difference in the seasons it not so much temperature or weather as it is daylight. Light is the absolute key. In December the sun didn't rise 'til nearly 9:00 and was a memory by 4:00. Today, the sun woke me up at 5:00 and won't let me think about sleep 'til half nine. (And it keeps getting lighter through June!) In winter I wore a sweater every day and socks all the time. In...

I woke up one morning and I was 30 years old, walking down a cold and quiet High Street, in search of bacon rolls (and meds for my virally infected husband).  I have a memory of being a kid on the school playground and learning that your "golden" birthday is the one where you are turning the same age as the day you were born. Since I was born on the 30th of March, my 30th birthday is my golden one. Having calculated this, I realized--30 is the age I want to be. And I've been saying this for at more than two decades now. I've been anticipating this day for a long time. Anyone who knows me knows that me + that kind of expectation is a recipe for a disaster. About this time last year, I realized that my 30th would fall on Good Friday--not the most appropriate day for celebrating and not the most convenient day for celebrating when you and your partner both work in the church. I considered letting today pass without fanfare and had thought of planning an Alice in Wond...

It’s been a long time since I’ve posted. To all my degenerates out there: You’re the best. I’m exhausted. I’ve spent the past six weeks preaching, sometimes on both Sunday morning and evening. I’ve spent the past 6 days writing an essay worth 1/3 of my grade that determines whether or not I continue my research in the Ph.D. program in the fall. I’ve managed to avoid the many offers for coffee from parishioners in the past weeks, mostly citing my busy schedule as the culprit. The Mission society wants my participation, I have a presentation to give at the end of the week, another sermon due for Holy Week, and I my mind feels as empty as my soul. Today, I had coffee with a friend tasked with establishing a church plant among college students in Edinburgh. After an hour of contemplating the dimensions of secular society and its invasion of the church, we began to talk about things that are meaningful to people. Ironically, I found myself babbling about rhythm in ...

They kept saying it was going to snow and I didn't believe them. They've said it before and it hasn't really. But this time it did snow. And snowed and snowed. Basically the country (transportation, schools, shops) shut down for like 3 days. It was the weirdest snow. You'd see a blue sky one minute and then a flurry of flakes and high winds for a while. On and off like that for days. (They say more is coming tonight/tomorrow? We'll see. May just be very cold rain.) The break was much needed--I actually ended up getting so much done that I couldn't have done otherwise as I was supposed to be at a conference for three days. Plus there's not much I like more than sipping a warm drink and watching the snow fall. Except for maybe walking around out in it.