When we planned our furlough we set the dates to come back in the middle of February which is the start of the hottest time of our year. I questioned our sanity several times as we prepared to leave the nice, cool weather of the U.S., and certainly since we've been back to endure the 110 degree days! This hot season is shaping up to fulfill its promise to amaze us with how hot and oppressive Togo can be in the months of March, April and May.
But this morning is different. While sitting at the breakfast table with the girls, we noted that there was a dusty haze hanging in the air, and that the morning sun wasn't pouring through the windows with its usual boast of how just how bright and hot it would shine today. It was one of those mornings when harmattan comes back for a brief visit, clouding out the intensity of the sun for a few days before the rainy season chases it off for the year in May or June. Ahh, reprieve from the merciless heat!
As I proceeded through my day I noticed that I was feeling nostalgic. It occurred to me that the thick haze of dust and semi-cool air has become as evocative of the holiday feeling as Christmas carols, cold weather, and a fire in the fire place! I feel like we should be decorating the Christmas tree and getting out the Advent calendar. I can already smell the sweet scent of Christmas cookies promising an indulgent treat!
It's funny how become conditioned to respond to certain things. If you'd told me that dust and 83 degree weather would give me the warm fuzzies many years ago, I'd have thought you were crazy. Sometimes I feel a bit crazy with the ways that we've changed and adjusted to life here, but I love how God can bring life's little pleasures, like that holiday feeling, even in unconventional ways!
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