If there is one flaw in time, it is that it goes by too quickly. I am especially reminded of this when a year has ended and a new year begins. When I woke up this morning, and took a few minutes to reflect on the past year, I felt a pang of loss, and started resenting time for turning some of life’s greatest moments into distant memories.
While those distant memories were taking shape in my mind, the sound of squealing air breaks broke my concentration. I looked out the window and watched the town bus as it came to a screeching, but steady halt. As it stopped to drop someone off, I wondered to myself how often the town buses will be included in the stories that we will tell from our life in Indonesia (there are so many already).
Then, it immediately dawned on me – the beautiful thing about time is that it leaves us with stories! Unique stories created in the mind of its story-teller. Stories with significance and meaning. Stories that will be told and retold over time.
I hope this coming year blesses us all with magnificent stories!
7693 Miles from Home 
Hi Kriste,
I hope you are saving all your posts. You are an extremely good writer and all these could be put into a book of experiences from an American abroad. Everything seems normal here once again now that the Holidays are behind us. It’s been a trying period for me. I haven’t spent them alone before. Glad it’s over with.
Cheers,
Don
Sent from my iPad Don Doody 29655 N. 69th St. Scottsdale, AZ 85266 480-585-0937 Cell – 480-213-7541 doodioni@aol.com
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Hi Kriste:
How are you doing? Did you have an enjoyable Christmas and New Year?
It is now 2014 and we wish you, Chris and your daughters the very Best in the New Year.
We do miss our winter visits with you and your family. We both appreciated the discussion we
had the other day and we decided we would rather meet with you in Hawaii rather than Indonesia.
We are so happy to see that Kylee is doing well again and it was a blessing for us to talk to her and see that she is doing well again. Kriste, we want you to know that you and your daughters mean so much to us.
The weather here is beginning to warm up a little and the snow is slowly melting.
I hope that you remember to send me five each of your ruples. Some time ago, I got Barton and Barbra’s five sons addicted to coin collecting. My idea is to give each of the grandsons four ruples on their birthdays. Once you get home, we will repay you for the 20 ruples. Thank you so much.
We love you and miss you all. We wish you all the very best in 2014
Love,
Mom and Dad