This, That, & Gratitude...

Well, it's been two weeks since my last entry. My desire is to post weekly. And, when I don't, I feel that when the second week has rolled by. Not that I think people are thinking, "That Gwen! I can't believe she hasn't posted something yet." But, then again, maybe I do feel the pressure that readers are disappointed when they click on gwenjackson.blogspot and there's nothing new. It's hard for me to believe I began this blog three years ago in September. . . and stayed at it! I get about 500 visits a month, so I guess people are checking!

October 1 is tomorrow! Missing the Michigan fall - apple picking, hot cider, the leaves changing color - but looking forward to our first fall in Budapest.

September has been a month for settling back into our flat and life in Europe. Dennis has been to Russia, Czech Republic, and currently in Macedonia. I joined him for the Czech side of the journey, visiting our teams in Brno and Prague. Great time connecting with team members and being the first to visit the flat of one of our newly appointed young couples in Prague. We stayed with our Czech national pastor, Marek and his wife, Jana, who were wonderfully gracious hosts.

Jamie with Iris and Evee

Our daughter, Jamie, has inspired me to make a gratitude list. If you go over to her blog at Baby Get Green, you'll find her latest post with a list of things she is grateful for during their season at Princeton Seminary. I love her life mission statement to "live a simple and peaceful life," which is not so easy in a world that stays so busy, and with two little ones! She's doing a great job!

Here's my gratitude list at the moment:

• Dennis comes home tomorrow! I'm grateful for the days ahead that we get to be together before he's off again.
• Our sweet language teacher, Lidia (more to come on that)
• The Blank Page Writing Workshop - I am learning so much in this 6-week workshop and feeling more freer in my writing!
• My health - gearing up for a 10K in mid-October
• Julie is coming to visit in 2 weeks!!! A surprise that I discovered earlier than planned :)
• Mike, Joni, and Miles will be here in 3 weeks! Can't wait! 
• The strangers who smiled at me today when I communicated with my new Hungarian words - they were very gracious

Thanks for the reminder Jamie. Gratitude nurtures contentment. I need that from time to time.

The End of Summer Run

Last Saturday night I joined over 3,000 people in a farewell to summer run in the city of Budapest. I loved this 6.5K run because it began at 9:00 at night! That's my time of day!

The night was filled with lots of energy and excitement. I ran with my new friends, Sandor and Olga, and Dennis found a perch on the Chain Bridge where he captured some pictures. What a beautiful run - the floodlit castle in the background, the Danube, the bridges glowing in their night lights as always.

Before the race with Olga and Sandor

And the race begins across the Chain Bridge

Castle in the background as we make our way across the Chain Bridge

Coming down to the finish line. If you look closely I'm to the right in the pink top.

The Blank Page (again)

How often do I sit before a completely naked piece of paper, staring at the bare page as if I have no words to dress it with? Every writer understands the blank page.

That's why I love Christin Taylor's Blank Page Writing Workshop, so much so, that I'm taking it again. After joining her launch workshop last spring, I decided to go another round this fall. The writing prompts, the feedback from others in the group, and the consistency of six straight weeks of writing can only give energy to my desire to write, not to mention, boost my confidence.

You'll find Christin's blog over at the Blank Page as well. Recently she wrote of her family's move to Bellingham, WA, where she reflected on her life as she unpacked her books, carefully organizing them on her bookshelf. Her thoughts made me think of my own move overseas eight months ago when I was in the middle of packing, considering what to do with my personal journals. Christin so graciously posted my thoughts on her blog as Part 2 of "Proof of a Past." That's what I like about Christin. Her passion for writing and her high belief in people create a wonderful blend as creator and facilitator of the Blank Page.

I just finished my first assignment for the Blank Page due next Tuesday, giving more concrete detail to Dennis' and my frantic trip to the train station last week (mentioned in my last post). Life isn't a blank page. It comes alive, dressed in color and full of expression, on the written page.