late morning outside.
naked little boy with curly hair.
little blue pool filled with cold water.
shade for a pregnant mama.
heart salvaged from a crabby morning.
“viva la vida” coming through the speakers.
glass of iced tea.
elisabeth elliot book.
cool breeze from the ocean.
giggles, dimples, and splashes heard together.
promise of an afternoon in a little nook, alone with words of truth and a mug of something good.
———————-
our neighbors are slated to come home in a week-and-a-half, after two months or so in america. the whole family is stoked to have people filling the house next door again — little people who mean the world to a toddler boy, a mama to chat with and walk through life with a younger mama, a man who will do what men do with the man of this house. (the further i enter into the world of women-talk and motherhood, the less i can imagine what it is that dudes talk about when they’re together — stock prices? that doesn’t sound like bryan at all. perhaps i should ask.)
i am feeling less attached to the rituals of american life and its seasons than i was last year at this time. its been a year-and-a-half since we moved to japan, and i can say with certainty that the second year is (thank you, Jesus!!) SO different than the first. i have a strange mix of melancholy and excitement muddling together in my heart when i realize that i’m adjusting more and more. it feels like home. adapting to the rhythms of japan and its people means leaving behind the ones i treasured so much about life in america — the length of summer and its activities, fall meaning “back to school” (its the middle of the school year here), the christmas season being shared among all, etc. but there are so many things here that are part of my life that never were before — trips to the river in the summer, hanabi and japanese bbq’s, oshogatsu (new year, which i missed last year and am stoked to experience this time around), meeting people and making friends.
i wish i could write more. i should write more about japan. i often forget that no one knows what my life looks like over here.
the naked little dude in the blue pool wants to get out. gotta go.
highcountries.wordpress.com 
you actually heard dimples? 😉 (I love you Jamie.) -your husband
Stock prices? LOL!
Jamie, we’re so proud of your life in Japan and so grateful you are serving God there. xxoo Your support team stateside. : )
I started reading your blog because the website came up in a friend’s blog. Something about having Japanese lessons, and well I felt I could relate because I am also overseas and learning a foreign language, Croatian. A close friend mentioned I should start blogging/journaling and to let those in America about my new country: to be their ears and eyes. Glad you are also doing that for your family and friends.
Kindly
Elisa