A Letter To My Friends

Dear Friends,

 

It’s been too long since I’ve updated, I know.  Yet I find myself in the same predicament I did when I was 10 years old and had to write a letter.  “There’s nothing to write about!”  My life is very normal and it seems to be getting a bit more predictable even. 

 

Yes, I’m fat and pregnant.  It feels like I’ve suddenly grown quite huge in the space of about a month.  I went for a long time without showing much at all and then all of the suddenly somewhere between the six and seven month markers I began to look huge.  Not only that, I feel fat and awkward.  Very awkward.  Rolling over in bed is a major operation.  Bending over is highly uncomfortable.  I read that pregnant ladies should squat rather than bend over—but I instantly loose circulation from the knees on down. 

 

I know that I’m supposed to look in the mirror and be “proud of my bump.”  I’m not proud of the bump—yet I’m very satisfied with what’s inside of it.  But no, I’m not overly excited about my own appearance right now.  I do appreciate my nice skin—what’s it called, "The Glow?” 

 

So I’m thankful for my baby and I’m thankful for my skin.  I’ll happily grunt my way up steps and happily catch myself from tripping—my balance isn’t so good—because this is what it takes to make a baby.  Yet, I’ll be even happier when people cease to comment on my cute pregnancy wardrobe and expanding tummy, and begin to comment on my cute baby. 

 

Other than being pregnant I have sneezes, sniffles, and scratchy eyes.  At least I’m not as tired today as I thought I would be. 

 

My man is out on one of his teaching rounds today.  I’m not sure if I’m going to be seeing him in an hour or in 3 and half hours.  It all depends on if he stays on that side of the city between his classes.  He’s not as busy as he was a while ago but he does have class preparation to do, if not for teaching English, then for the class he’s planning to teach at IGo in November.  He’s having fun studying for the latter.

 

Lately I’ve been going with him on his Saturday romps when I can, although I wasn’t up to it last weekend.  His Bible studies with Jaer-Jaer have expanded to include Jaer-Jaer’s friend, L.B.  She goes by L.B. because her Karen name is too difficult for most people to pronounce.  She can speak Karen, Burmese, and English.  Can you imagine that?  Anyway, it’s been a blessing to go along with Dru and spend time with them.  Both Jaer-Jaer and she are really seeking the Lord and are excited about the Bible study. 

 

I wrote my last story for my writing course and then submitted it to my grandfather for his critique.  Of course, he discovered that it needs lots of revisions.  So now my dear story is going to be sent in as is, which kind of bothers me, but Dru says I need to get at and finish the course.  I can fix the story for publication later.  Something within me feels dishonest about such a move, but I shall just confess my predicament to my instructor and continue with my life as directed by my husband.  It WILL be nice to have that all finished up! 

 

Okay, I’m at the bottom of my Word page now.  Can I stop?  (That from the aforementioned 10 year old.) 

 

Mae Wahn made an astute observation the other day.  “Dru chop kanome wong.”  I had been making the same observation myself.  Oh, btw, that means, “Dru likes sweet foods.”  I actually think maybe she said that because of how much I sent down to her the other day.  I baked a whole pound cake and made it into Jello cake and Dru and I ate it little by little, (okay, a lot by a lot) all by ourselves—except for the large piece that went down to Mae Wahn.  It really was a disaster because I over-stirred the cake because I was too impatient to wait for the ingredients to warm to room temperature.  Then, although the concoction I used as a topping was very good, it didn’t exactly set up.  It wasn’t a very pretty cake when it was all done with but it was sweet.  All of that to ask if the wife should bake sweet foods for her husband even if he complains that he’ll get fat, or if she should stop.  My dad would live on beans for three meals a day if we’d have made it for him.  Dru would live on cake and rice dishes for 3 meals a day if I made it for him.  Yes, just as my dad would eat beans for breakfast, Dru would happily eat rice for breakfast.  The wife likes variety—no, that’s not fair either.  She likes potatoes.  I think I’d eat potatoes for three meals a day. 

 

Thai class happens for me when it suits me and my teacher and only then.  On the days I feel tired and not up to it I call it off.  Right now Pii Ang is spending a week of her time praying and fasting because this Friday is her spiritual birthday and she’s laying a week aside for the Lord in honor of that.  We’re beginning to connect as friends on a deeper level than we had before and I’m very happy for that.  I told her the other day that she was a good woman.  She said she must not be good enough though because she wasn’t married yet.  She is definitely good enough to be married!  Where are the good men? 

 

And now I’m going to stop because I want to post this.  I don’t want to not get it posted so I shall post it whether I have anything else to say or not.  (Which I haven’t really.)

 

Love, Lisl

PS  Someday when my internet is more dependable, I'll upload pictures.