Just like old times...

I have so much to be thankful for! Seriously, sometimes I just stop and wonder why God has blessed me so much… certainly I have done nothing to deserve it.

First, before leaving Japan…

We went bowling with some friends and it was so much fun! And, I won. J Hillary’s bragging made me smile, too. Then we got to see Masuyuki’s iphone… and the Star Wars application he had on it. You swing it around and it makes a light saber noise. Oh, and you can turn it into a piano or drum set… I was trying to have a serious conversation, and Masuyuki was just beating away on the drums… I couldn’t help but laugh.

Another great thing was having everyone send me off, and them all sharing some very nice things about me. It was really touching to have so many nice things said J

Christmas presents make me smile too – socks and truffles and a CD, and other stuff too. And little notes to let you know someone cares. Ahhh…

 

Coming back to America, there have been tons of unexpected things to make me smile… Many of them having to do with the familiarity of returning to my parents’ farm…

On that first morning, after only 3 hours of sleep, I was wide awake and got to see the sunrise light up the leafless trees in the forest behind the open field. There were a couple of bluebirds that were just so beautiful, and then some squirrels play fighting on the porch out back. I have missed the squirrels, and snow, in Japan.

But tomorrow we get SNOW! We are supposed to get a whole foot, and I am super thrilled… My first snow in 4 years… ah, I love it!

More smiling stuff… I came across some old picture albums and was reminded of many fun times with good friends from high school and college. Sometimes a bit sad too that I’ve lost contact with some of them too, though.

 

Today at the hospital my brother Randy decided that since he’s going to lose his hair anyway, he would go ahead and cut it off. But not all of it… J The result – his very first Mohawk. Amazing. The best part… his boss was visiting and joined in the fun, and got his own hair cut into a Mohawk. And his hair isn’t going to fall out in the next few weeks! What love…

 

Finally, a special verse from a special friend… Psalm 16:8 – I have set the Lord continually before me; because He is at my right hand I will not be shaken.

 

Please let me know what has made you smile this week J

Another two weeks have passed...

Does anyone else find the security words (that aren’t quite real words) that you have to type in to post comments on blogger amusing? Sometimes I look at it and just sort of wonder what word ‘they’ were actually thinking of…

 

Had a really fun night tonight bowling and at yakuniku (the kind of place where you cook your own meet). Really liked the cow tongue, and tried intestines for the first time. Surprisingly, it wasn’t bad. Wouldn’t want it every day though! Bowling was fun too, but we could only get in one game before we got kicked out because the lanes were reserved for some kind of tournament or something. It was fun though. Oh yeah, and I won.

 

Yesterday was great too! Hillary and I went shopping (not too successful) and saw some Christmas lights at the station, did a few random things and then in the evening had a little surprise fondue party. So yummy – big smiles there… and lots of fun talking and playing Dutch Blitz with the Reisters, too.

 

Dutch Blitz and Spoons and other card games and ‘family’ games definitely make my ‘smile list’… Fun times with friends is always good.

People asking for help makes me smile, too (usually!)…

We all passed our Japanese tests… that gets a big smile!

Other smiles include…

A student playing on his iphone touch (or whatever that’s called) during English class. He’s 35.

Thinking about spending the first Christmas in 4 years with my family!

Warm hugs and warm drinks (it’s cold out!)…

Crossing things off the to-do list.

Friends who make to-do lists of things they’ve already done just so they can cross them all off. I wonder, do you put ‘cross of my to-do list’ on your to-do list??

Students interacting and listening well during our Bible studies. And taking books out of the church library.

 

I’ll be heading back to MD in… 10 days! Excited to spend Christmas at with my family, at the same time sad to leave people here at my second home. December 15^th is the day! I arrive at Dulles at 11:59pm! J

Hopefully I’ll see many of you soon after…

Bobby

The Amazing Smile List

This time instead of posting about random smile events (because I failed to keep a list) I’m just going to talk about two things…

First, having elementary school class photos posted on Facebook! Oh my goodness, did this bring back memories and so many smiles and laughs. So crazy! But it’s hilarious that even though it is so embarrassing, or perhaps because it is so embarrassing, everyone is commenting with all these old memories from our elementary days! I’m absolutely loving it… so much fun J

 

Second is today. Had a wonderful day, full of tons and tons of smiles. Spent the entire day with great friends – went with Hillary to Shimonoseki to visit Taka and Aki. What a blast! Cracked up making fun of Taka’s pronunciation of ‘bus’… love their little girl Mika – absolutely adorable! She wouldn’t take her eyes off me at first… and it wasn’t because she liked me! Taka randomly asked ‘What’s the stupidest thing we did in seminary?’ and I answered without a half-second hesitation, ‘Boxing!’ WHAT were we thinking?? Oh, so many good laughs.

 

What is it about reminiscing about old times that makes us feel so good – even when the memories are embarrassing?! How crazy is that? How wonderful to have such memories though. Love it. Absolutely love it.

 

I said two, but here’s a third… Unconditional love and forgiveness. Amazing that God provides them for us, and even gives people here on earth special grace to administer those to others in times of need. Absolutely amazing. I am a blessed man.

Can't keep up with all the smiles...

Somehow the days and even weeks just slip right on by, and it takes me forever to sit down and write… and even though it’s been over 2 weeks since my last smile post, I have (somewhat) been keeping a list, and so I really don’t have an excuse for not posting. In any case, I hope you find some of the following enjoyable… I sure did!

 

In the last 2+ weeks, I smiles and laughed and was just in general happy when…

 

I got to relive the old days of playful banter with Taka… oh, the joys of friendship! What a blessing from God!!

I cleaned my bathroom. I am not really crazy about the cleaning part, but the end result is absolutely worth it. This goes for the rest of the house, too. Definitely makes me happy.

Someone choked when told that I would give them a ride home. Is my driving really that bad??

I got dried persimmons as a gift from an English student… they are good!

I scratched a bunch of stuff off my to-do list at once. (I’m not one of those who writes down things that I’ve already completed, just to scratch them off, though!)

I had a picnic and a nice drive with a good friend.

 

I went on a little trip last week, and had some good laughs with my friends, Colby and Theresa…

Colby falling asleep so quickly in the car. I think it’s a gift.

Seeing Mt. Fuji made me happy… it is so cool!

Finding out a friend from seminary is having another baby!

Theresa offered me an old waffle 6+ times, seriously.

Picture of superman holding up the church… and a little boy wearing a superman shirt and camo pants.

Getting hit in the face by someone’s water when they popped open the top on their sport bottle!

 

It’s the little things in life that bring the biggest joy J

 

Don't think that pestering me will always get you what you want...

“A joyful heart is good medicine” – from the Bible

These words are so true… and recently my heart is simply full of joy.

Life is good!

 

Some of my recent smiles and laughs include…

 

Being stalked. Yes, this makes me smile. Only because it’s not real though. Real stalking is not cool. Don’t do it.

The starry night sky – it’s simply amazing! Especially when you can see fireballs flying around in every direction up there… That and looking at the vastness of the ocean reminds me of God’s power perhaps more than anything else.

Hummingbirds. I didn’t even know they lived here in Japan… but sure enough, I saw two only days apart. One of them was at my place, and I smiled and laughed at him a little when he tried to suck the sweetness out of the very colorful but wooden flower-shaped decorations I have placed around the garden. So cute. Oh yeah, and the dollar store makes me smile.

Working with people who love the Lord and desire to grow in their knowledge of and love for Him.

A certain someone (I will definitely refrain from naming names this time!) who sneezed in her hand and then licked it up, not wanting to wipe it on her pants! I laughed so hard!

Words of encouragement coming so frequently that you can actually start to believe they are true J

Fall. Love it. The weather is simply great. Love it.

And photos, too. I started to remember how much I enjoy taking pictures this week… It’s been too long!

 

I know it’s a short list! It’s not comprehensive – I’m not very good yet about writing things down so I can remember to write about them here. I will (try) to work on it though. Your patience brings me joy J

Have a blessed weekend! Love the Lord with all you have…

Bobby

Greetings!

Hi Melissa! How are you this fine day??

Things to write home about...

Okay, so I’ve sort of failed on the weekly smile list thing… I have sort of been keeping a list, but actually posting it is another story… Here are some things from the last few weeks that have made me laugh and smile… stuff to write home about…

 

Getting bugged to write a smile list. And not doing it. Haha, should being mean really make me smile?!

Being 30 but feeling like I’m 12… or 5. J

Going camping, and enjoying it enough to want to go back!

A Japanese guy pointing at a picture of me and asking “What’s this?”

Buying a five-year planner (diary) so I can write down what I do each day and see what I was doing in years past (assuming I keep it up for more than a year!)

Notes from friends that let you know they care, and are listening.

Watching a guy solve a Rubik’s Cube in less than two minutes, blindfolded!

Making middle-aged Japanese women giggle.

Leisurely dinners.

Typhoons!

The beautiful weather after a typhoon or hurricane passes!

Pictures, and gardening.

Example sentences in my Japanese book:

“I thought I couldn’t live without you; but since we got married, I realize I’m fine on my own.” (Ouch!)

“I’m not asking you to write like a calligrapher, but you at least need to write in a way that can be read!”

 

Who knew studying Japanese could be so much fun!