SEASONS

One of the things that I’ve found fascinating since living in Thailand is just how different the seasons are here.

When we arrived in January, it was winter, which meant blue skies and 30 degrees for the entire month!  I can’t believe I’ll actually be loving “winter” weather now!

Moving through February and March, the weather not only started to get hotter but the burning off season began and the air quality was woeful.  The children were coughing, we were coughing and opportunities to play outside were minimal.

Just as we thought the burning off season would never end, it did and then the temperatures soared.  We had 2-3 months of 38-42 degrees every day, without rain and with no relief.  If we thought it was tough getting to play outside earlier we were in for a rude shock with this weather.  You simply did not want to go outside because it was SO hot.  

Well, you may remember me writing about Songkran and how much fun that was (Thai New Year water festival).  It was around this time that I heard a strange sound and the air began feeling a little bit different... could it be?  Yes! The first droplets of rain!  There was so much to celebrate.  I remember those first few showers of rain and how they felt hot but I didn’t care.  It didn’t bring much of a cooling effect but we knew it was the sign of more to come.

After being in the Australian winter (... nothing like Thai winter I can assure you) in June this year, we welcomed the return to some warmth and since we’ve been back I am really enjoying being right in the middle of the Thai wet season.  Besides the mosquitoes, there’s not much else I don’t like about this season.  It’s humid yes, but there’s variety.  One minute it is really hot and then suddenly it rains like it’s never going to stop.  We have had some massive thunderstorms too.  Incredible! But after the rain, out comes the sun again and there’s that feeling of ‘steam’ that lingers for a while- ahhh I love it!

But just as people speak about the seasons in the weather, there are also seasons in life- everyone’s lives- which we all find ourselves going through.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 To every thing there is a season, 

and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

Ecclesiastes 3:2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time

to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

I remember when Tobi was a new-born and people told me to cherish every minute because he would grow up so quickly.  Well, in that season of my life, as much as I tried, I found that it really was hard to do that.  I longed for him to crawl, walk, talk... I found it hard to cherish and wait.  

It was much easier to do though when Eli and Spencer were born because I had some perspective.  But with a first born it can be so hard not knowing what to expect.

When we first arrived in Thailand all of us found many aspects of moving extremely difficult.  There were so many logistically things to work out and we had no idea how our children would cope day to day, minute to minute.

When we returned to Thailand in July though, I felt like we were finally in a new season.  We had some perspective and we knew what to expect.

The first month back was a time of relocation: house, school, ZOE as well as learning new things all the time.  We experienced short term teams with very few missionaries here, but we did it!

Just this week I feel like that season of relocation that began when we arrived back is also finished.  This house very much feels like our home now.  Our boxes are unpacked, the children have settled in to their routines at kinder and school and I think the tensions I have felt are slowly lifting too.  

There have been times when I have pined for my beautiful family, my close girlfriends and the life we gave up to move here but as I sit here now I feel really blessed.  I am beginning to make some new friends, ZOE is starting it’s own little mother’s group and, of course, my sister is only days away from coming to stay with us.

Thank you for following us on our journey- through all the seasons.

Andie :)