swag
October 7, 2014
Some More "Things" for Which I Am Thankful  

This past Fridayt morning, Elsie and I traveled with Dini Shahini to the semi-annual meeting of the Albania Mennonite Mission Foundation. We returned home mid-afternoon on Sunday. I'll share more of that trip this next week. But for the week which ends today, here are a few photos of more "things" for which I thank God.

Here is a small purple flower setting at one of the windows on the stairwell at Lezha Academic Center. Due to Klementina's tutelage, we have lots of neat flowers at the school. But I am not always successful at discovering their names. This one such flower. I have not  yet checked with Klementina; she spent the week up in Lithuania at the LCC International University.

In any case enjoy the beautiful sight--close-up and in perspective.

close-up of a small purple flower

A Close-up of a Pretty Purple Flower at LAC (29-Sep-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

further away from the small purple flowers

The Same Flower But with a Broader View (29-Sep-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

And one morning I stopped right before I entered the school's gates and took some pictures of these Morning Glories. 

backlit morning glory blossom

A Back-lit Morning Glory Bloom (1-Oct-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

mornng glory bloom in the shade

Morning Glory Bloom in a Shaded from the Sun (1-Oct-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

Beautiful flowers are definitely on my thank-you list for God, but even more important are the people I get ot interact with. Here is Kledja, the president of the student body at LAC and a student I had in my physics class last spring. I am also working with computers, which gives me a lot of contentment. 

(Note: The two photos below were taken by Fabiola with my camera.)

Explaing something about the commputer to Kledja

Kledja and I Talk about Computers (29-Sep-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

pontificating by waving a wireless keyboard around

Talking with My Hands and Waving around a Wireless Keyboard (29-Sep-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

Also, I am thankful for new tastes, now challenges, and new relationships. Here on the bottom row is a bag of "kimça" which I had never heard of before and definitely never tasted. They are about the size of olives but are hard and tasted a bit like apples. Many people refer to them as "çimka" (bedbugs, in English). Other cultures may know them as "jujube" which in Albanian is "xinxife." They are also referred to as red dates or Chinese dates. In case you want to know how to grow them, check this Texas A & M AgriLife Extension site.

the scene at a fruit and vegetable stand

Scene at a Fruit and Vegetable Shop (1-Oct-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

close-up of a few cimkas

A Close-up of a Handful of "Kimça" (1-Oct-14; © Richard L. Bowman)

Lots of things to be thankful for, but I will have to consider a long while this mild virus bug that showed up in my body today. Aches and pains and a slight fewer are not things I am normally thankful for, but maybe this is something I can learn.

--©2014, Richard L. Bowman

Response Form

Your Name:

Your Email Address:
Confirm Email Address:

Your Questions, Affirmations or Other Comments:

By submitting your comment, you give permission for your comment to be placed in this blog (as appropriate). Your name will be the only identification included. No other use of your name or email address will occur except to respond to any question you raised.