Aerial observations..

I think being in a foreign environment (one you didn't grow up in or around) has a way of making you more aware of said environment. Maybe I'm just observant by nature. I know that through the majority of my time here I have witnessed a complete contradiction to nature or the "natural order" that I know and love so well at what I consider my home.

One such contradiction, I have managed to observe for the past few mornings and I'm still trying to figure out exactly what is taking place. At home we have pretty standard seasons that the birds are able to go by for migration. Here, seasons are completely different but then again most everything else has been as well. For the past few mornings there have been low flying groups of birds. You're thinking, "What's so odd about that?" There's absolutely nothing odd about birds flying together but it's the way they are flying and the amount as well as their altitude. I can only assume that it's a form of migration seeing as we're sort of coming to the end of rainy/cold season.

As with typical migrations (in the great United States) birds can be seen flying in large groups at decent altitudes from general north to general south with no real organization to them or their numbers. If they are trying to keep their specific group together then you usually can hear similar chirping from all in that group. The only way for me to describe what I see here is to try to create a visual image of human anatomy. The birds fly is what looks to be a pulsating artery of about 10 ft in height and usually about a quarter of a mile long. There is no noise whatsoever and they fly maybe 40-50 feet off of the ground. It's really neat to sit and watch, to ponder on who is giving the directional commands and how are they relaying such commands without any noise.

Yet another truly amazing sight in God's creation.

Clarity

Day by day I marvel at the amazing clarity of this semi-violent place. It's almost as if the colors themselves combine in violent methods. Instead of sunrises and sunsets of gentle hues, the horizons are met daily by radiantly feathered clouds. It literally looks as though God has taken pink, orange and yellow Highlighters to color the sunrise/sunset skies. However mesmerizing these daily miracles are, it doesn't stop with just clear days but clear nights are included as well. Imagine sitting in a park (where there aren't many lights around) and staring at the stars. Seem pretty clear but there are still types of "light pollution" somewhere reasonably close. There is no light pollution here. You can easily look up after dark and clearly see the Milky Way span across the sky like a giant streak of smeared white paint.

I guess the point is this: Even though this place sometimes seems backwards (like the way grass grows in their winter months) it's still evident that God's miracles are happening all around us, all of the time. Anyone paying attention to details can see Him work with every smile on the face of every Local National or every daily blessing we receive of food, water and supplies. Someone blind to this is not blind at all but simply a fool.

Sweet Lorelei.

The sun was out, another beautiful day
Thinking back I wish it'd stayed that way.
One phone call and that changed it all
My beautiful day was turning to gray.

We never met or shared a glance
Mainly because I never had a chance.
But when you came and I heard your name
My soul lept up and started to dance.

Now we're standing here cold
So lost and alone.
Why was God so quick
To take you from here to His home?

Lorelei.. dearest Lorelei.

This is something that wrote down after being a pallbearer for funeral of my friends Justin and Ashley's daughter. She was born premature and despite doing extremely well in the NCIU, I received a call while I was home on R&R that something had happened and just like that she was gone. I hurt for my friends whom I love and for the miraculous life that was lost to all of us.