The Break

For weeks I had been looking forward to a break from school. Teaching, tutoring every night, preparing for the Eco-Karnival, and report cards were draining. The break couldn't come soon enough I thought. My plan was to travel to New Zealand and spend a week with Owen and Irene Gabbie, but that didn't work out. It was just too expensive to travel there. So, I stayed on the rock.

What does one do with no travel plans and a whole week off? I had no agenda, no plans carved in stone. The only plan I stuck to was to not set the alarm clock. What a wonderful feeling waking up on your own time. The evenings have been cool so I kept the windows opened. Waking up to the sound of birds chirping and the palm leaves rustling was as relaxing as a good massage.

So what did I do on Spring Break? I began purging. I started with the closets, moved on to the drawers and cabinets, and finally removed things from the walls of my apartment. Getting rid of stuff kind of feels liberating, doesn't it? At least that is the feeling I get. Why do we think we need all this stuff anyway? Over time it just becomes clutter and I hate clutter.

Not everything was purged, though. Some things are attached to good memories. Those I want to keep. Those things got packed. I thought packing would be emotional and a drudgery. It wasn't.

I didn't purge and pack all week. I wasn't going to spend my entire week off stuck in my apartment. On Tuesday, I was invited by a Korean woman to have lunch at the Hyatt. She was not aware of my "Saipan bucket list", and had no idea that lunch at the Hyatt was on my list. It was a leisurely lunch with no time restraints and a chance to have deep conversations about faith, work, and love. I listened as she shared her story of how she met her husband and chose not to follow Korean "expectations" on marriage, but rather she followed her heart and trusted that God would make something good of it. And he has. He was a poor man, not good marriage material others would say. But she saw something in him that "pinched" her heart. She took a chance on this poor man and they have been happily married for nearly 30 years and have been living on Saipan for 20. They own a successful furniture company here and another one in Korea. I like listening to stories of love and success.

Another bucket list thing I have wanted to do was accomplished one day while driving around Saipan with my coworker and friend, Debbie. From Koblerville to San Rogue to Kagman, we drove all over the island looking for as many churches as we could. When we found one, we got out, walked around, and took a picture. I find the architecture of the churches interesting and very different from one another. It was fun driving around neighborhoods that I have not yet been too.

I had planned to walk up to Mt. Topachau on Good Friday, but a stomach ache and the fact that it was very rainy kept me from that hike. In fact, the only time I left the apartment on Good Friday was to take a late afternoon walk on the pathway.

I wanted to sleep in on Easter Sunday, but I felt compassion on Pastor Greg. He worked so hard all week trying to get everything organized for Sunrise Service. His car was loaded with items for the breakfast. He needed my help. So, I set the alarm for 5:00 a.m. (the only time I set my alarm during break) and headed up to see my last Easter sunrise service on Navy Hill. Even though it was very cool up there, I am glad I went. There is something magical about watching the sun rise. When the service was over and most had left, I lingered up there for a while savoring the view from atop.

Easter Day ended with a long walk on the beach. I live right on the beach, yet I seldom take advantage of walking along it. As I walked on the sand I thought about a lot of things, random things....thoughts about my future, my work here, why faith can be hard at times, how I liked the feel of sand squishing between my toes, and so on. Sometimes I wish there was someone with me on those long walks. I stare at the horizon and I wonder.

My break was good. It was a time to relax and not think about school, students, or work. I slept until my body was ready to wake. I spent quality time with good friends. I felt the sand under my feet. I saw the sun rise. The break was good.