Hope

Things are slowly coming together here. We officially have cell phone service in our apartment! What we were told would take 2 weeks, only took 11. The midnight run down our elevator into the alley to get reception will not be missed. And now, I have one less major inconvenience to groan about.

Two days ago it was 102 degrees. So many people were saying that it cools down in October, but I was starting to seriously doubt that. At it's hottest it was a comfortable 95 degrees today, and by the time I jumped into the pool at sundown I was actually cold! It got down to 81 this evening. I've never been so excited for a season change. I am ready to enjoy the 4 months of perfect weather I've been promised.

The last two days have been my lowest to date. I can't tell if it's the realities of culture shock or just awkwardness of figuring out how to be a good housewife that's bugging me. The line of discontentment has been blurry. And I really really hate being discontent.

There have been times when I've gotten overwhelmed in life. Usually it's when I am uncertain about what is going to happen next. This is when I believe God sends specific events just for me for encouragement. I'll call them "I think I'm going to be OK" moments. It is something that happens that doesn't necessarily fix the problem, but it brings about a sense of peace to help navigate through it. I've only had a few moments like this in my life. Things were getting so bad here, he had to send two in one day.

Yesterday while I was waiting for Avery's bus to arrive, I noticed that for the first time I could clearly see the skyscrapers across the corniche. It really looked beautiful. Stunning actually. It was the sort of skyline you would see on a postcard for Miami Beach. The sun was hitting the water at just the right angle to illuminate the buildings in a way that made them appear to be glowing. The palm trees along the walking path in the forefront looked so inviting. I couldn't stop looking at it. I kept thinking, "I stand at this spot everyday, and I've never noticed how beautiful that really is."

Later that evening as Avery and I were swimming, I watched the sun go down over the Gulf. I have never seen such vivid colors of Magenta and Violet. It reminded me of a cheesy sunset I saw on an old 80's T-shirt. Palm trees swaying in the breeze and all. The sunset on the Arabian Sea was so mesmerizing, I watched every moment of it until the last drop of color fell from the sky. Then for the first time since July, I felt cool breeze hitting me off the Sea and I thought, "Maybe this is the turning point. Maybe this could really work."

Of all days to forget my camera.