Happy Father's Day

Let me tell you three things about my Dad that I hope I will be able to emulate as well as him one day:

Unconditional love: I know not everyone gets to experience unconditional love in their lifetimes. I know that whatever I did, my dad would love me. I could kill somebody and he would still love me. That’s very powerful. I wish that everyone could have that kind of support in their lives.

Humility: My dad might be surprised  but I think of him as a humble person. He has been a wonderful influence in a lot of people’s lives and he has given generously to so many but he does it behind the scenes and without expectation in anything in return. Nor do I believe that he sees himself as special in that regard, but I do.

Soft-hearted: I love that my dad is a softie. I love that he cried with us kids when our dog died. I love that he is empathetic and kind. I believe that is why he so often is called in our church to work with widows and other people who are in rough situations. He is not quick to condemn and he is someone I could always confide in if I knew someone needed help.

Thank you Dad for your example. I hope I can be an example of these traits to others as you have done for me.

Thanksgiving

It's Thanksgiving in America anyway. Here we are having carbonated apple juice to celebrate, and tomorrow we'll have a dinner with all the teachers.

We're in charge of the potatoes. Jacob's going to make them, and he's very confident that they will be very tasty. He likes to mix milk and butter and taste until they're just right. Sounds good to me. I'm just going to show up.

So last night I had a turning point in my language learning. I dreamed in German. First time. And I know I dreamed in German, because I'm told I spoke out loud. I said, "Vielleicht" which is German for maybe. But the funny part is I didn't say it in a regular voice. Jacob says I said it exactly in the voice from Tales from the Crypt. Jacob thought I was awake and I was telling him something, and he said, "What did you say?" And I snapped awake and said nonchalantly, "Yes, I was talking to the Eltern (parents)."
An important step in becoming fluent...

More observations on the German culture:

A demand for order is everywhere, which as Jacob remarked, may be because there is a serious lack of order. The word "Ordnung" is one I hear every day.

A need for privacy. The Germans seem to keep to themselves and dearly value keeping personal information to themselves.

A different definition of helpfulness: Their "help with whatever you need" means referring you to a website. Punkt.