the gold chair

WAIT.

Why is this one little word so hard for me to swallow?

WAIT.

It is difficult to wait. It is difficult to not know what lies ahead in the next year, month, week, day, hour. God calls us to wait, especially when it involves His best for our lives.

I find myself waiting and it feels unfair, to be honest.

My mom loves to tell this story of when I was a little girl. Cheri (mom) and 4 year-old Sarah were in the grocery store together and happened to walk past the candy aisle...oh no. I guess little curly-haired Sarah Louise stopped and took a good look at all the precious bags of sugar and chose one she wanted, without permission. A yummy lookin' bag of M&M's. Cheri put her foot down, knowing her little girl didn't need a bag of candy and said....."NO". Well, that didn't sit right with sweet Sarah who wanted that candy and didn't want to WAIT. She wanted it NOW. Sarah didn't back down and ended up throwing the bag of M&M's on the floor and as the little pieces of goodness splattered all over the aisle, Cheri took Sarah out of the store as she began to throw a temper tantrum. They went home immediately and Sarah was placed in the dreaded gold "time-out" chair (which is currently a piece of furniture in the Yonich household).

WAITING. I didn't even want to do it as a little one. Who does? When we want something to happen, how much better would it feel if we could just have that hunger satisfied in the moment. Skip the waiting period.

There is wisdom and growth in learning how to wait. To wait for God. To wait for His best. It's not a matter of God being unfair to make us wait, it's a matter of Him loving us so much that waiting would be the best thing for us to do, however uncomfortable and aggravating it may seem.

I think God is telling me to go sit in the gold chair.

a little goes a long way

I am thankful for...

* the smell of the sea at night when I stand out on my balcony
* being able to (sometimes) understand at least 70% of an italian sentence
* seeing a friend that I met last year who works at a nearby shoe store
* being part of an italian family so if I am out of food, I can go shopping at their house
* it's not horribly humid outside...yet
* making american chocolate-chip cookies for Antonello's family, yummy!
* figured out how to watch the season finale of Grey's Anatomy on my laptop
* ear plugs (it has been so stinkin' loud at night lately)
* a mother who can change my black day into sunshine

Isn't it amazing what a little thankfulness can do to our spirit? I already feel a little lighter...

a thought

wouldn't it be wonderful if we could snap our fingers and be the person we dream to be?

a new day

I woke up this morning and needed to strike out on my own. I have done little walks here and there but today I felt like spending some much needed time by myself, exploring my new city, getting lost, finding my way again, and becoming more familiar/comfortable with my life here. It was a new day and I loved every minute of it. My adventures led me, first, to Piazza Gesu', where I found two Americans and walked with them to the waterfront where we explored Castello dell'Ovo and after parting ways, I found my favorite 3-story bookstore where I ordered something to eat and of course, caffe'. I walked back to my little studio along the sea, feeling the warm air all around me and tried to take everything in. The smell of the sea, the noise of the cars and scooters passing me by, the sound of the boats, and the beautiful language I am so desperately trying to learn.

I have a little tutoring job tomorrow night. A 15-year old girl in high school needs help with pronouncing some english words. I think I can do that. :)

Ciao amici!

gelato

This picture was taken the day after Easter, while Antonello and I were at his uncle's house in Bari, on the east coast of Italy. His aunt took us to this little cafe where we ordered some gelato and while I was going through my pictures tonight, I found this little treasure and now I'm craving some ice cream. I think I have some in my freezer. Gotta go! :)

a little history

It was "culture week" at the National Archeological Museum in Napoli this week so Antonello and I took advantage of the FREE entry tickets and spent 3 beautiful hours in a world of massive statues, intricate & beautiful mosaics and frescoes that people who once lived in Pompeii, thousands of years ago, displayed in their homes.

IT WAS UNBELIEVABLE to walk around and see the original artifacts, statues, and paintings that existed from 2nd century B.C. to about the 1st century A.D.. All of the research I have been doing on Pompeii only made it that much more exciting to see it in person today and to experience history first-hand.

My computer isn't allowing me to actually see the pictures so I will try and explain what they are in numerical order:
1. an ancient tomb with the different mythical "Gods" carved into the side
2. a huge mosaic representing the battle between Alexander the Great and Darius, the Persian King
3. a HUGE head of Emperor Caesar
4. a common ground mosaic telling people to "Beware of Dog"
5. a breath-taking statue of Flora from the Farnese collection

a bit foggy

It's 1:44 in the afternoon and I'm sitting at my little orange table looking out to my balcony where the rain won't stop pouring down on the little Italian street below, and I feel lost. It has almost been a year since I have worked last and it's, once again, making me feel purposeless. Not that I'm not looking or anything, but you have to agree, it's becomes a little harder with a different language than your own.

I have no idea what the next step is. I haven't heard back from Bruno, the guy I was praying/wishing/hoping to work with as a guide in Pompeii and all other avenues seem foggy. This language still eludes me and as hard as I try, I still feel and KNOW that I truly can't communicate my heart/ideas/desires fully. Why am I here? What is my purpose? Was I supposed to come back? Am I not listening closely enough for God's little voice in all of this?

As it is still pouring down rain outside, I am now going to turn my attention to my heavy Italian book sitting in front of me and read about my new mountain to tackle: Si impersonale

1. When the si construction is used with an infinitive, the conjugated verb is in the third-person singular or plural, depending on the object of the infinitive.
2. The phrase ci si must be used when a reflexive verb is used impersonally.
3. Compound tenses of impersonal si constructions are formed using 'essere'. If the verb is normally conjugated with 'essere', the past participle is always plural, even if the verb is singular.
4. If the verb is normally conjugated with 'avere' and the sentence has a direct object, the past participle agrees with the direct object in gender and number.

Good luck to me?