I turned on the news the other day. Five or ten minutes in I realized that I was watching a newscaster who was wearing a hot pink suit coat. This was not startling to me, but rather the fact that a) I didn't realize it right away...it seemed normal and b) I think he looked great! I LOVE how pink is just a color here in Japan, and everyone wears it!!!

Spring brings new life, right? Here in Japan Spring brings a lot of newness. April is the beginning of the new school year, which brings new teachers both to the schools here as well as to our team. Three new teachers will be coming to Funehiki from America. I have gotten to "know" them a bit through facebook, and they are soo excited! Their excitement is soo refreshing to us, and I am really looking forward to the newness that they will bring our team. It has been a long year, and I know Peter and I are tired, and I can see it in some of our coworkers as well. We are ready for some rest and refreshment.

Peter. He is doing great as an assistant English teacher. Asher and I just went to give him his indoor shoes that he forgot, and there was Peter outside directing traffic for the 9th grade graduation. He just looked so natural and, (is this a weird word for a man? ) radiant. I really love him a lot and have enjoyed getting to see different sides of him as we are living in Japan. One side that I am soo excited about is his new found respect and delight in the author Flannery O'Connor. She has been a long time favorite of mine, and it has been so enriching to discuss her work with Peter.

Asher. Asher is about to start school! He is three now and will begin the kindergarten next week with me, and then in April by himself. I have been crying a lot about this. Not so much that he is going to school and isn't ready, but that this ends the chapter in my life of "Rebekah, the Stay at Home Mom". I will also start teaching English in the kindergarten. I always thought that "I will do a better job at staying home tomorrow, or the next day, or next year..." So, I am sad that I didn't enjoy staying at home more and that I didn't do as good of a job at it as I would have liked. Seems like when the kids were all babies I was just trying desperately to survive. I remember being really amazed and so fulfilled if all the kids were clean, clothed, the house was in order and dinner was on the table. And, let it be known, those days were not the norm.

Gospel Choir. I have been involved with the gospel choir here for a year now. Amy has been leading the choir, and she is one of the teachers who will return to the United States in April. Amy is one of those people whose talent is just amazing. Seriously. She can sing anything, and it sounds captivating. She can dance, she can act, she can make movies...and she is passionate about people truly being themselves with no excuse. I love Amy and have loved watching her lead our choir well this year. But, she is leaving, and that means that it is time for Janelle (another teammate who has been in the choir this year), Chris (a new member) and I to step up and take leadership. We are really excited. More on that later!

Katherine and Mariana continue to flourish here, and I am so thankful for such a caring environment for them to experience.

Here is to newness!!!

I am actually in the middle of cleaning our bathroom. It is an interesting job, b/c there is this big drain that runs in an L shape that has little grids over it that I didn't realize early enough that they also must be cleaned, so I STILL am fighting the mold battle, but there are these little crevices that are the enemy's secret weapon! I am in the middle of a new, seemingly successful tactic....

BUT

I had to blog. I cannot stop thinking about my mom! See, Mariana just turned four on the 18th and now, today, she is day three or four into....CHICKENPOX. Peter and I have been celebrating it with her, as this really is a sort of rite of passage. We have been trying to make this as positive as an experience as we can for Mariana, and, just now, while cleaning the bathroom, I know why.

It is my mom.

I had the chickenpox in elementary school. I cannot remember what grade. But i do have two very distinct memories of it. One was that my entire class sent home letters to me, and I felt soo popular. Two was that my mom did my schoolwork with me. I was laying in the bed that she made for me on the couch, and she taught me Phonics. I can almost still see the page if I really think about it. I love that memory.

In case you think I love this memory because my mom was the type who wasn't very involved or was too busy with three children, a husband, a house and a full time job, please hear me now. That was not the case! My mom was VERY involved and loved us very much, which is why I don't know why that memory of chicken pox stands out so strong. And, for one of the first times in my life, I don't think I will over analyze it.

I just know that I felt so close to my mom and somehow she had the power to influence my opinion and memory of having the chickenpox. For Mariana I want to make this pivotal event as special as my mom did for me - even if it is just doing Phonics together.

So, thank you Mom. I love you.