Proof it’s Getting Better

You ever burn a loaf of bread? Or cookies? Or pie? Or anything that you put in the oven? I have, many times.

Finally, finally, I made a loaf of bread—pumpkin bread—and didn’t burn it. As I congratulated myself on this amazing accomplishment, I dumped the bread out of the pan. It came out in several strange pieces. The crust completely separated from the middle section, parting like a slitted skirt. The middle stuff fell out in chunks. One part of the crust stayed stubbornly in the bottom of the pan. I scraped it all out as best I could and surveyed the mess.

For once, my bread didn't burn, but this pumpkin bread fell apart as soon as I removed it from the pan.

Well, at least it wasn’t burnt! See? That’s just proof that everything is getting better!

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I had a bad week not too long ago, where my patience had run dry, my tolerance for cold had come undone, and my ability to communicate in any language disappeared into thin air. Then I got a call from my friend, whose father-in-law works at the post office. They had something for me. I didn’t know if it was a letter or a package, or who it might be from, as there was nothing that I knew of for sure that was coming for me. I went, and received a great big box, sent by a couple that my mom knows well, Bob and Ruth. They had read my blog entry about missing America and decided to send me some name-brand stuff that might make me feel more connected to home.

Ritz, Honey Maid, Aunt Jemima, Chex, Life, Reese's....Check out all these name brand, packaged items!

How amazing is that? An unexpected, greatly appreciated care package from two people who barely know me! That’s proof right there, that it’s getting better.

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The first part of March, we got loads of snow dumped on us. Ironic, since Armenians consider the first of March the beginning of spring. There was no spring in my step, I’ll tell you that! I’m used to a long winter, having lived in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan my first 18 years of life. But winter here is nothing like winter there, especially when you have to factor in the stress and confusion of living in a different culture. I just wanted winter to END! Then the sun came out, and Laura and Harry and I went to the after-school kids’ program for our usual English lesson, to find the kids outside, having a ball in the snow! They built snowmen, had a snowball fight, and played tug-of-war!

A fun game of tug-of-war in the snow made life fun again.

After all of that, we built a fire and jumped over it for good luck, and to make our wishes come true. I don’t want to tell you my wish, but I can assure you that things are definitely going to get better!

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Life has been especially trying for me lately. Maybe it has been for you, too. But I’ve realized that when I look around and take stock of what’s really happening, there are signs everywhere—it’s getting better! What proof do you have? I bet, once you open yourself up to it, you’ll see signs that it’s getting better for you, too.