KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS! ~ A photo adventure with the littlest sister

*These excerpts are from the literary masterpiece Oh, the Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss. 

"Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose...

You'll look up and down streets. Look 'em over with care.
About some you will say, 'I don't choose to go there.'
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,
you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street.

And you may not find any
you'll want to go down.
In that case, of course,
you'll head straight out of town.

It's opener there

in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen
and frequently do
to people as brainy
and footsy as you.

And when things start to happen,
don't worry. Don't stew.
Just go right along.
You'll start happening too.

OH! 

THE PLACES YOU'LL GO!

You'll be on your way up!

You'll be seeing great sights!

You'll join the high fliers

who soar to high heights...

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.

Some windows are lighted. But mostly they're darked.
A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin
Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in?
How much can you lose? How much can you win?

And IF you go in, should you turn left or right...

or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite?

Simple it's not, I'm afraid you will find,

for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

You can get so confused
that you'll start in to race
down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace
and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space,
headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.





The Waiting Place....

...for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go....
or waiting around for a YES or NO...
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.

NO!

That's not for you!

Somehow you'll escape
all that waiting and staying.
You'll find the bright places
where Boom Bands are playing.

 With banner flip-flapping,

once more you'll ride high!

Ready for anything under the sky.

Ready because you're that kind of a guy!

Oh, the places, you'll go! There is fun to be done!

On and on you will hike.
And I know you'll hike far
and face up to your problems
whatever they are.

You'll get mixed up, of course,
as you already know.
You'll get mixed up
with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life's
a Great Balancing Act...

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(99 and 3/4 percent guaranteed!)

KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!"

Have Questions? I (may) have answers!

Can I be honest?

This is when you state the obvious, “Yes, but of course.”

There have been so many thoughts, emotions, feelings, and what else? STUFF. In my heart and mind these last few weeks. How do I work through it all, how do I express what’s inside for the outside to know?

It seems like so much has been a haze. A haze of misunderstanding of not “getting” what God seems to be trying to tell me, but then, like those tiny cherry bombs (you know the ones you buy in China town and then throw on the ground and they make a semi-loud noise), there seems to be tiny “explosions” in my heart, mind, and soul of revelation. But it’s still so much to process.

And that’s where part of me is at – the processing stage.

I want to write, I want to inform, I want to tell and share. Sometimes, I just don’t know where to start- or where to end.

“How was Brazil?” People ask me.

How much time do you have? How much do you want to know? Can you ask me a specific question? That helps me stay focused and saves us both time if all you wanted to know was “how was your first full-year abroad?” and I begin to tell you how my heart handled Brazil or vice versa.

So please, ask away. I actually quite enjoy answering questions. It also helps me process this whole thing myself. (Comment below or send me an email or message on Facebook). 

And if you live within driving range, let’s get together for coffee and I will tell you how good Brazilian coffee is. Seriously though, message me, email me, call me, text me; however we communicate, let’s get together.

Thanks for doing life with me.

Passionately Jesus’,

Brittaney :)

Thanksgiving in Brazil

If you’re wondering whether or not I got to celebrate an American holiday, here in Brasil, the answer is yes. I was invited over to an American/Brazilian family’s house for the evening to celebrate with them and a bunch of other Brazilians.

The best pumpkin pie I have ever had. No kidding.

FOOD!

The food was pretty much what you’d see at a typical Thanksgiving dinner: Turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie, green bean casserole, all made from scratch and appetizers such as deviled eggs. The only non-typical food was that of a Brazilian favorite- coxinhas (basically a shredded chicken mixture, rolled in dough, which is then fried- delicious, then again, what fried thing isn’t delicious?) We didn’t have the typical cranberry sauce or anything made from sweet potatoes as those things cannot be found here. Even with all the great food however, I still found myself thinking of rice and beans (only briefly, though).

My favorite part of the day however was when Ramona (another American missionary- who has been here for 30 years, more or less, and is married to a Brazilian) told us that if we wanted to, we could write out what we were thankful for on a paper leaf and hang it on the tree she had made from a branch (my mom does this!) I love stuff like this. Traditions like this where we stop and take time to reflect, together, on the goodness of God.

 

This Thanksgiving, what am I thankful for?

Praying before our meal.

1. FAMILY here and there. I’m thankful for the “family”- being defined as families and people that have adopted me and welcomed me, and of whom God has given me here in Brasil and I’m thankful for my family in the states who will always be there for me with whom I can talk to about the spectacular and mundane.

2. PORTUGUESE. Honestly, sometimes I don’t want to speak or try to understand and though, at first, I thought of it an “injustice” that we would be celebrating Thanksgiving, an American holiday, in Portuguese (I was being a bit dramatic), it was a lovely thing. Though it’s not always easy, it is a part of my life now, each day I’m learning, and not just the language itself.

Youngest and the oldest.

Love these faces!

"Britt, we haven't played football for the last 5 years." was the response I got after asking if they had continued our family "tradition" of playing (American) football every Thanksgiving.

3. This SEASON OF my LIFE- Specifically in being single. (I wrote about this same thing almost exactly a year ago...)

While at the Thanksgiving dinner, missing familiarity and family, I looked around and found myself wishing I was like the young married couple sitting across from me- wishing I had someone to hold onto and an “automatic” person with whom I could turn to or talk with.

I looked to the left of me to the family with two young kids and found myself wishing that I was even like them- with children to look after and care for. God challenged me to not look around me and wish I had something I didn't but to see the beauty and the things I could be thankful for in being single.

Once I opened my eyes, my perspective changed. I saw that I could easily insert myself into any of the conversations going on, or I could choose to be a “fly on the wall” and quietly observe all that was going on around me. I could dismiss myself easily to go Skype my family and I could be lost in my own thoughts and talk with God about them. This is a beautiful season.

~*~

It was a great Thanksgiving spent in Brazil, I would love to hear how yours was spent and what you are thankful for during this season!

Now it is time to start thinking of Christmas... ;) What are your plans?