Our Otis Redding Goin’ On

As Otis Redding would have said, “Sittin in the mornin’ sun, I’ll be sittin’ when the evenin’ comes, Watching the ships roll in, And then I watch ’em roll away again…

Although this song has been stuck in my head for the past few days, I’ve been having fun changing the words a bit. Otis, please forgive me as I botch up your song and make it our own. So, here’s our second verse…”We left our home in Sac Town, headed for the Caribbean, We have so much to live for, and it looks like it’s comin’ our way… So, we’re just sittin’ on the deck by the bay, watching the ships sail by, Ooo, we’re sittin’ on the deck by the bay, Restin’ time.

Third verse….diving here to rest our bones, and the Lionfish won’t leave Jay alone. Four thousand miles we roamed, just to make this deck our home. Now we’re just sitting on the deck by the bay, watching the ships sail by, Ooo, we’re sittin’ on the deck by the bay, Restin’ time.

We’ve been on the island for two weeks…so difficult to believe. As you can probably guess our routine is, well not much of a routine. There are decisions to be made each day, and sometimes they have to be made the night before. Such as, are we going to dive in the morning? Which dive site are we going to go? Of course, Jay’s comment is, “Which one has the most lionfish to spear?” Are we going on a long walk today or swim laps in the pool? What time do we get up tomorrow morning? See, living on an island is not that easy. So, many decisions, Oh, the pressure!

We do have a few routines just so that we can remember what day of the week it is. One is, of course, church on Sunday. We are loving this sweet church. This past Sunday was our second visit. You can tell they were pretty surprised we came back, but very warm and loving. Richard said in broken English, “Guests come once during their vacation to check the box, we went to church. But hardly anyone ever comes twice. We want to take a picture of you to put on our wall.” We forgot, so, next week will be picture week.

We sat further back this week, so we could sneak out a bit earlier than last week. One of the younger ladies that was a back-up singer at our first visit lead the worship. She was really good as well. The sermon was on service. God wants us serving Him in our church AND (not or) in our communities. His three points were on Vision, Purpose, and Serving. One of the things he said as he was talking about serving through and with our God given gifts was, “The gift God gives you is Special! Share it!!” He didn’t use this verse, but it reminded me of Titus 2:7, “In everything, Make yourself an example of good works with integrity and dignity in your teaching.” Ron and Elaine, I wish it was recorded for you to hear. It was a good one to share.

Side note: Yes, I’m embracing my God given curls. There is no use in a straight iron around here. It’s curls or a braid, those are the choices. Keratin and Argan oil are my new friends.

Talking about language differences…the grocery store! This is where you can learn a language or two. Our local store, Centrum Market in Piscadera, has the most amazing bakery (fortunately and unfortunately for this sweet eater). The groceries are in Dutch. So, for this southern speaking girl, I take my phone with me to translate what I’m getting ready to buy and later eat. By the way, Suikervrij in Dutch means Sugar-free, Klein means small, and Mierikswortel means Horseradish.

Thinking about the lovely people all around Curacao, I’m amazed how many of them can go from one language to another so quickly. During the service if the pastor said something in Papiamentu, she would say it in English. Then if the pastor decided to speak in English, she would come right back in Papiamentu. Other conversations we have at the places we visit, they will begin talking, then many times stop, look at me, and say Dutch or English? When I say English, that’s what they’ll finish their conversation with. Amazing! Jay says I must look Dutch for this to be happening so much. Can you tell, I’m a bit envious as to how so many can speak several languages. I am truly enamored by it.

Our first visit to Centrum was very emotional for me. Seeing the bakery and all the different foods I have been introduced to by Swedish suppers and First Covenant’s Smorgasbord, made me miss my dear sweet friend and mentor, Phyllis Yttrup. Walking through the aisle, I imagined Bill and Phyllis loving this day’s adventure to the grocery store. I imagined Phyllis picking out all the cookies and bakery items that Bill would love to have. And, Bill adding to the cart as well. That man had the biggest Swedish sweet tooth of anyone I knew. I imagined her special laugh and, of course, when she walked in, her saying, “Oh my stars, Kelly! Look at this place!” I know those of you who are following this blog that knew our sweet friend are imaging all this as well. So, with a few tears flowing right now, I’m moving on with maybe a Forest Gump phrase, “And, that’s all I have to say about that.” Except for, let’s have a second cookie in honor of them. They would be so proud.

Yesterday, in the grocery store, I was scolded by one of the ladies stocking the shelves. She saw I had my phone sitting in the seat of the grocery cart. She began speaking pretty quick Papiamentu. Then says, Dutch or English. I answered, English. To which she continued in English telling me, “You need to be more careful with your phone. Don’t let it sit in the cart. If you turn around to look at something, someone could just pick it up and take it. Be careful”. I said, “oh, thank you. And, I’m sorry if I have upset you. I will be more careful.”

I got off the subject of routines for a moment. Back to it…..

Another one of our routines is to visit with some of the people working in the complex each day, such as Constant, a young man from Haiti. Constant does the upper part of the complex’s gardening, which is all around our unit. I love to see his great big smile each day when I greet him with “Bon Dia, Constant! Awe bunita grande!” (Good Morning, it’s so pretty, today) We can hardly understand anything each of us are saying, except for that phrase and maybe one more. However, we manage our conversations through a word here and there along with hand motions and a laugh or two. The other day, Jay and I found him cutting the coconuts off the trees so they wouldn’t fall on our heads or cars. He looked up and saw us coming, motioned us over, then began opening coconuts for us to drink with him.

Then there is Lamont and Michil Deangelo. They are both young men from Curacao. Lamont is our evening shift security guard. We have a bench under a tree next to our parking spot he likes to sit and rest. (I like to think he is there guarding our home a little bit more than the others. Everyday, with that beautiful smile, Bon Tardi, Kelly! And, then there is Michil DeAngelo who loves basketball. I asked him if he was an artist like Michelangelo. He said, “No, I play basketball.” I don’t have a picture of him, yet.

We have the same ladies working the cash registers at the local grocery store. So warm and friendly to us, even the one who scolded me yesterday. I haven’t asked their names yet, and this makes me think next time I will. It also makes me think about the people God intertwines, the tapestry of people, into our lives. Especially the ones we come into contact each day. How do we greet them? Are we excited to see them? Do we appreciate the moments God gives us with them? Oh, how many times have I been so guilty of the opposite. How many times have I gone into a store at home, maybe seen someone from a far, but didn’t take the time to go say hello and see how they are doing? Is that busyness of life? Or is it my laziness? Lessons being learned even sittin’ on the deck by the bay.

Of course, for those who know me, I can’t sit on that deck for very long. So, one of our routines we named, “Clean up Curacao – One Bag at a Time”. Each week we have decided to pick up a couple bags of trash along the side of the road and walkways. It’s our way of giving back to the island.

One more routine to share in this note….Sunsets! Each night I get to say to Jay, “Hurry, get out here to see this gorgeous sunset. (They are not his thing) However, he comes out to watch just for me. It can almost be enough said by just seeing the picture – Each the same sun going down, and yet, God paints the picture a little different, I think just for fun.

Sunsets and the people around you are kind of like…well, God’s gift to those He loves.

Routines are nice. The people you get to interact with throughout your every day routines can be wonderful. It’s pieces of the beautiful tapestry God is weaving in our lives through things like the adventures we take on that are out of our comfort zone, the deeds we do for others just because, the words of a concerned person like the woman working at the grocery store, the smile of a young gentlemen doing his job, and, yes, the resting on the deck overlooking the Piscadera Bay. One day we will get to see the full piece complete. But for now, let’s continue adding the different colors of thread that make up the big and little routines of our day.

Thanks for reading and continuing this dance steps of life abundantly along side us. Next writing, if the Lord’s a willing, will be on actual Curacao living, what have we seen so far? But for now, may you find your rest place, just sit and watch your ships as they sail by.