Nomad Online

There was nothing much to do today. Other than a few dishes in our kitchen sink, I was completely free.

Ignoring the housework, I headed to the train station to explore London.

Thankful for clear skies and sunshine.

Another beautiful sunny day. Cold though.

The days are getting longer now and flowers have started to bloom on our next door neighbour’s tree. Spent the morning napping on the couch. Then pottered about doing some housework.

I was a little nervous about attending our son’s first parent teacher interview tonight, but was reassured by how well it went. It’s good to see he’s settling in well at school.

Thankful I was able to get a glimpse of his life at school and say hello to some of the kids he hangs out with. He, like a typical teenager, was mortified. Which was an added bonus. Ha!

We headed out to see Kensington Palace this bright sunny day.

When we had our fill of Kings and Queens, my husband left for home and I headed to the cinema. Tired of the political intrigue of long dead monarchs, I was looking for something good, decent, kind.

I heard of A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood and was looking forward to seeing it. It’s a story of Mr Fred Rogers and the journalist hired to interview him, Lloyd Vogel.

It was a beautiful story, as well as a difficult one, about forgiveness. It touched on human frailty and hope. Acceptance and pain. Anger, love and sorrow. I liked it very much.

The image was taken on our first visit to London’s Chinatown as a family. It was bustling with people. Shops were full and restaurants were busy.

If people were concerned about the impact of the coronavirus, it wasn’t shown at all. Londoners just went about their weekend enjoying their day.

We ducked into a small dim sum place and had yum cha for lunch. It was delicious.

After we came home, I found out it was the Chinese Lantern Festival today. It is a festival of fun and freedom that dates back more than 2000 years to the Western Han Dynasty.

On the 15 day of the new Lunar New Year, everyone goes out to celebrate. Back when women weren’t allowed out of the house, this was one night of the year they could roam the streets freely.

I had no idea we were participating in it by simply wandering around, enjoying each other’s company in Chinatown.

Crazy winds and rain meant a somewhat more relaxed look for church this morning.

We started looking at the book of Zachariah. Written thousands of years ago, it still had relevant things to say to Christians like me.

Chapter 1 held a promise and a warning. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Turn away from God, continue to sin and reject what is good, then eventually you will have to deal with those consequences.

I am not going to lie. It was uncomfortable to hear. But I think it was necessary.

Our vicar said we, who dutifully turned up to church every week and said all the right things, were not immune to sin. “Respectable sins” he called it. The quiet ones we commit every day showing how far we were from living the way God would like us to; of loving others in the way that we were told to do.

Made me realise that this Christian path I’m on is one of constant repentance of my own faults and picking myself up and trying again in the knowledge I am loved and forgiven. Not one of complacency.

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. What an amazing thought the God who created the universe and all that is in it will choose to draw near to me when I approach Him. It was an encouragement to keep serving Him and others.

Today I am thankful for Vitamin C and Zinc.

It’s Monday. I should be at Bible Study and our son should be at school. But he has slept through the morning on our couch – weary and sick from what we can only assume is the common cold.

I know we can’t do much about a cold, but I hoped the tablets would give his immune system a boost. We’ll be going to see a doctor later this afternoon.

It was also nice to wake up to the news Parasite made history by being the first non-English speaking film to win the Best Picture Oscar at the Academy Awards.

We went to the doctors yesterday afternoon. We found out our son has scarlet fever. He has been prescribed medicine and bed rest for the remainder of the week.

Poor kid.

Thankful we are living in an age where the illness is easily treatable.

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Project 2020 is a weekly roundup of images. It aims to capture moments of joy, pleasure, and thankfulness that are found on any given day. It’s an attempt at remembering the good things and being grateful for them. Thank you for stopping by and I wish you a wonderful day.