Monsoon?

A strange spell of weather has brought us a forecasted 10 days of rain in Wuhan. Oh yes Lord, Amen, and let it be so.

It has rained everyday since Saturday, I think, and it has been glorious. This has been a steady rain too--like winter rain--falling all day long, with few pauses or deviations in form. Conveniently, there always seems to be a break right around dinner time...who could ask for anything more.

Yesterday I didn't have class due to the Dragon Boat Festival--so I opened all the windows and laid about in pajamas drinking tea and reading and washing all my winter clothes so I could finally pack them away (I KNOW--it should have been done looong before yesterday). This was a bit of a mistake--because of all the moisture in the air, my clothes are hanging damp on the line and I'm afraid they'll mildew--but such is life. 

There are little lizards that climb the (outside) walls of my apartment building. So far I haven't been too bothered/scared by them--in the hostels we found in Southeast Asia, they were all over the walls and ceilings of our rooms...so we got used to it. And, like my big sister has said--the lizards eat the bugs--particularly the spiders. BUT--if I find one has intruded too deeply into my house--there might be problems...

I can't describe how luxurious it feels to drink my tea and sit in my big wooden chair and stare out at the rain falling down on my China neighborhood. Sometimes I have to remind myself to savor it all--but not these days. These days, China oozes rich experience and LIFE with each day--even the quiet ones. 

As I prepare to come home for a few months, I've been wondering if China has changed me at all. Maybe not changed--but the ways in which China is now indelibly sewn into the patchwork of my life. Just like all the other friends and loves who have come and gone, with their favorite songs or pieces of art or long drives left patched on awkwardly to my own inner soundtracks and galleries and meandering routes home. Newer friends and loves come across the track on the mixed tape or the framed print in the back of the closet or the left turn that takes you up the mountain and towards the river instead of the interstate and they think that it’s an original piece of me—while I am left seeing L--- and S--- and G-- and D-- and T-- and all the vibrant souls who shared their treasure until they became a part of my story too.

So I am curious about what parts of my life will leave me transported suddenly back to China--reliving a moment or remembering a lesson or smiling at the love that I've known here.

I don't think I'll see it until I come home. I've been trying to quantify all the things I've learned since I've been here--or the steps of growth that I've been led to--or the lessons that have been placed in me through my presence here...but I just can't seem to see much. I am here. I am at peace with my Lord and I trust Him more than ever. I am quieter inside myself (mostly). But beyond that--I don't really know...

I think it will be neat to come home and see all the China patches that are now part of my story. I don't notice them here--but maybe in the light of American sun, they'll be more obvious...