moods

Have Fun or Else!

My husband and I lead a Marriage Support Group for a young church. Since the group is called MSG (like the flavor enhancer), the members started choosing food related names for themselves. We had Mr. Peanut Butter and Miss Strawberry Jam; Salt and Pepper; Ms Tomato and Mr. Red Hot Chili Pepper; Mr. and Mrs. Pumpkin; and Mr Durian (a stinky local fruit) and his wife, Pineapple. My husband was The Chef and they called me the Queen of Flavor. With a set-up like that, you know it’s bound to be fun.

Mike played a video of the old Hank Williams’ song, Hey, Good Lookin’ Whatcha Got Cookin’, then led us into a good discussion of the importance of humor in marriage. We had a great time.

So what does this have to do with living and working overseas? Just this. We can become so wrapped up in our work or so tired or so frustrated with how hard it is to live day-to-day, that we forget how delightful life is supposed to be. Maybe this article can be a wake up call to those who have misplaced their funny bone or forgotten how to laugh.

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Anger Danger

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Do cross-cultural workers ever get angry? You know we do. In fact, unresolved anger has driven people away from their work and sent them home with their tails between their legs.

Actually, it is unrealistic to think we would never get angry. But it is realistic to learn what to do with that anger, and how to prevent explosions.

Anger has many causes, some unique to our cross-cultural context. But we may not find the help we need when we live and work overseas. After all, aren’t we supposed to be the strong ones?

I am indebted to a book called, She’s Gonna Blow! by Julie Ann Barnhill for this discussion.

Julie’s book is subtitled, ‘Real help for moms dealing with anger.’ Though she wrote the book with anger towards our children as the focus, much of what she discusses has real life applications for whatever stirs our wrath.

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Blah!

Not My Toothbrush

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I woke this morning in a grumpy mood. My husband had planned a meeting with a local pastor around lunch time. She asked if we could meet at our house and then suggested the menu for lunch. I knew that now it was not just the two to three hours she would be there to talk, but also the preparation time for the meal. My attitude was not very charitable.

After starting the meal, I came to my office to see if there was anything already in print that I could use for Peter’s Wife this month. I am recovering from a two week bout of flu that put me way behind on my preparations. I picked up Sue Eenigenburg’s book, Screams in the Desert. It is a book of stories and devotions about living cross culturally. I leafed through the book and was intrigued by the title, I Gave God My Life, But Not My Toothbrush. After reading the chapter, laughing and groaning, I had to change my attitude about our lunch appointment. Actually, it was the best time we have had with this sister.

Blessings!
Diane

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Menopause- The Transition Years

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The most frequent questions this month asked about menopause. Although many of you are younger, you can begin taking care of yourself to prevent some of the complications of menopause.

The Transition Years

Some of us will go through these transition years with hardly a thought and no physical problems, for others it may be a pretty rocky transition. Unlike our grandmothers’ and mothers’ time, today there is so much more information available and many more aids to get us through with a minimum of problems.

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