Silence, Solitude, & Sharing 💙

Welcome to our November Update!

My Birthday flowers from Lex 🥰There were 2 of these!

Last night I went for an invigorating hour-long walk, through various parts of our area in the city. Conveniently, there are two fabulous parks within just a few blocks of our apartment. The first, which is where I usually do my “circuit” is the Woodrow Wilson Park. It’s a beautiful lush park with flowers, billowing trees, a pond, picturesque landscaping, and just enough of a flicker from the round lantern lights scaling the pathways to feel like you’ve been transported onto the set of a live fairy tale.

The second park, is Arena Park, which is much more expansive in nature and is a busy throughway for pedestrians. At the center of the park is a large dome shaped building that holds sporting events during the year, and circling said dome is what many have coined as an unconventional track course. It’s a jogger, or in my case, power walker paradise. If you have ever walked with me, you probably hate it. Hah! I can’t run to save my life, but walking, count me in! There are plenty of off shoots in the park with attractive trees and lights. There are a couple of playgrounds, and even a water park.

You can probably imagine that such beautiful serenity leads one to much contemplation on these excursions. I never walk with earbuds. I truly love to soak in everything around me, and let’s be honest, some of it is just because I am a woman. If I ever were to have buds in, it’s a one ear out situation. Luckily, Poznan is quite safe… knock on wood.

SILENCE

As I weaved in and out, I was in awe at the silence. No car noise, no ambulances, no gun shots (good grief- don’t miss those), no loud talking amongst even the folks who were out. It was not late… perhaps around 5 pm, but it was dark. Very dark. You could even see the stars. The restaurants were smattered with people smiling and drinking, but no noise came from those windows. The shops glittered with festive light displays inside and out, and even in that busy twinkle there was a sweet lullaby of hushed tones.

SOLITUDE

I realized quite quickly, I…we (my family and I), are so removed from the world. It’s absolutely peaceful. I was recently at an international women’s night where I met some new friends, and one girl, whom I bonded with instantly, said to me, “Don’t you love the white noise?” I think I bonded with her so quickly because I thought to myself, “This girl get’s it!” So many people don’t look at life this way, and here I have found a soul sister. I quickly responded back to her, “Oh yes! I just love it!” And I truly do! I don’t watch the news, I am thankful to be tuned out of all the “who-knows-what,” that is happening in the United States right now, and I don’t understand Polish, so most outings are filled with the white noise of the very polite and quiet speaking Polish citizens. I find that I have been able to live more deeply, more peacefully, and with greater present awareness. I am one of the most anxious people out there, and it could certainly be a combination of things, but truly, my anxiety has almost depleted living here. Is it perfect? Of course not, but nothing ever is. However, it has brought a whole new perspective on living, that I greatly enjoy.

We know most people just want to see Otis... Haha

Mommy continues to enjoy cooking!

All Saints Day❤

SHARING

With that being said, the past few weeks we have done a lot of branching out. As I mentioned, I attended my first ladies’ night and had a fabulous time creating ceramic “masterpieces,” and getting to know some new English-speaking women. We went to a country line dance night at an American/Polish (joint-owned) restaurant called, The Surfing Cowboy. That was so fun! We are planning to go back next week for R n’ B night. One of the moms whose children attend Odie’s school is going to lead it. She has been a super hero to me in getting me hooked up with various groups, stores, and babysitters over here. We experienced Polish Independence Day, went to a few new areas of Poznan, celebrated All Saints Day, and have been busy prepping for my parents to arrive in 5 days! Additionally, Otis is continuing to thrive at kindergarten. Seriously, this program here is just wonderful. It’s probably most comparable to the Montessori method used in the U.S., but mostly, it’s just so fabulous because they really care about the students. They do so many great activities, have dress up days, and they aren’t bound by the numerous restrictions in the states, so the creativity flows abundantly…which is a home-run for this mom!

THE *BIG* SHARE

And now… the “big” share. We have some news we would like to pass along, so here goes! This was decided pretty much as soon as Otis and I landed, but now it is officially in the process and we are so thrilled to announce what will be happening next for our little family. We would humbly like to ask for your prayers as Alexis embarks on the journey to become a Chaplain in the United States military. Alexis has always had a heart for service. His first job was at Covenant House Alaska where he worked serving homeless teens in the greater Anchorage area for nearly a decade. His career life led him to becoming a teacher, where he continued to work with underserved youth struggling with behavior management. As you already know, he eventually found himself in the military. During all this, he has always felt a calling from God to join the priesthood. From the start of Basic Training, Alexis wanted to join the Chaplaincy, but I will be honest, I was the one very unsure about this for our future. So, with this still in the back of his mind, he decided to take his passion in the direction of giving back to veterans in the form of clinical care through the military.

As many of you know, we had plans for Alexis to head to school to become a Physician’s Assistant, but as soon as I arrived to Poland, the conversation of whether or not to go to seminary came up again. Myself, very much in support of him going to seminary at this point, was actually the one to bring it up. I asked him if it was still of interest to him, and he gave me an emphatic, “Yes!” If you were to ask him, he would say he has been praying patiently for 5 years for me to change my mind. Haha! Well, I can confidentially say, that at this stage in my life, there is nothing I can see as more rewarding (and scary!) as becoming a Chaplain’s family. For me, as much as my pride fights it, dying to this earthly life, and being not only at peace with that, but joyful in that, is really what I want to achieve, so I pray God opens up my heart to this notion and gives me the genuine faith to keep at this goal. Additionally, I have thought a lot about my own wishes for the workforce (or even as a volunteer/advocate), and I would love nothing more than to try and help families in the military and in the faith. Alexis and I both know that this cannot be accomplished without the Grace of God, and it will be through Him that we can hopefully make a difference in the lives of those around us. We ask for your prayers as we embark on this new chapter, and we pray for patience, gratitude, and obedience, among many other things, so that we may know how to best serve where ever we are needed.

We hope you all are well, and that the Holiday season brings many joys to each of you, and we can’t wait to see you all next summer. God willing, we will be heading to Seminary in the Fall, in either New York or Pennsylvania. I can’t wait to be closer to my brother and his wife. Thank you for staying in touch with us, and for following us along in this wonderful journey.

We miss you all!

With Love From Poland,

The Clods