Sleep and reawakenings

Burnout has been for me a reoccurring feature of the month of May. There is something about the end of a school year that tempts me to push too hard and then taunts me with the shimmering mirage of summer. In the rush to “get it all done”, the end seems ever just out of reach – until, finally, it isn’t. I crawl across that finish line and collapse into the necessary nothingness that fills the space between academic years. The sweet nectar of summer is sleep, and this year I drank deeply. While at home in Nairobi, after school had ended, I slept. Through all of my many travels, I slept. It is to me a deep mystery how sleep restores the body and mind. That feeling of drifting into emptiness and then reemerging in a world that is fresh and new is a wonder and a gift. I am thankful for that gift on both physical and emotional levels. The time of rest heals my body, the time with family and friends heals my heart. We were made to love and be loved – this is the beautiful, fresh morning to which I reawakened this summer, and I am thankful.

(The pictures below are not in chronological order.)

Family photo shoot.

The siblings.

The whole crew! Soon there will be twelve.

Aaron at “Wits and Wagers”. I was playing with my new camera and took this one on the monochrome setting.

Morganne at Travis and Emily’s baby shower.

Sonya at Trav & Em’s baby shower. While I never got a shot of the whole family (+ Matt and little Olive), it was so much fun helping them move to their own place in Savannah.

Travis and Emily are making way for their own little duckling. Clare Weeks arrived on Aug 17th!

In Milan, Shuwen and I got a good workout walking to all the different museums and sights. The view from the top of the Duomo di Milano was a highlight.

Shuwen, beneath the buttresses of Milan’s Duomo.

In Madrid, Alexia took me out for true Spanish tapas.

In NYC, it was a joy to spend a morning and lunch with Aimee and her family.

Peter treated me to a show (Wicked) and a lovely view of a sunset. (No, the matching tops were not planned – but it was pretty funny when we met up for lunch before the show and discovered we both had caught a green and purple vibe in the morning.)

Sunset over Manhattan.

At the very end of the summer, I had the privilege of touring with the Nairobi Chamber Chorus – a group I have sung with for over four years. We started in NYC and gradually made our way to northern Michigan, singing a concert every night. Videos and a reflection of this tour experience will be coming in the next post.