The seasons are changing...

Well, technically its been fall for a while here, but there are other kinds of seasons too. I have mixed feelings about the changing of seasons. I love the changes in nature that so vividly show God's creativity and handiwork, but sometimes I am not ready for the changes that must take place in my life.

As the season of fall has started it has gotten cold here, so cold I am not sure I am going to survive the winter (California has softened me up too much). No mater how much I complain about the cold I actually do love it. I would way rather be cold and be able to get warm than be hot and have to turn on the air conditioning to get cold. Some of the things I love about the cold are hot drinks (like hot coco and tea), warm blankets, beautifully colored leaves, sweats, scarves, warm socks, long sleeves, hot showers and heaters. I haven't turned on my heaters yet because I am warm enough inside, but I have turned on my toilet seat! Here in Japan they have heated toilet seats, it is so nice to be able to sit down on a warm seat instead of an icy one.

One of my favorite things about the coming of fall is the beginning of Basketball season! After playing basketball for pretty much my whole life and playing it pretty much everyday for the last four years it has as special place in my heart. My team at Westmont always has their first exhibition game in the end of October and pretty much from then on Basketball rules their lives. They made a trip up to Oregon recently to play some games and I recently saw some pictures of it and I really miss it; the teamwork, the games, the nights in hotels, the sweat, the encouragement, the fun times, the pregame meals, the pregame devotions, but most of all the relationships. I wish I was there to be a part of it again, or at least to watch them play and cheer them on. I'm just glad for the internet and live stats; I was so proud to see that they won their first 2 games!

Here in Japan we are gearing up for Basketball season. I am excited, nervous and sad all at the same time. I can't wait to get started and be back in the gym with a Basketball in my hands. I feel like I know this sport so well and love it so much I cannot wait to communicate that to my team. At the same time I am nervous; I have never done this before. Yes, I just finished coaching volleyball, but that's a different sport and those were middle schoolers. Now I am coaching the JV girls Basketball team. They are at a higher skill level than middle schoolers, and there are so many more decisions to be made. Decisions about what offense to run, what defense to run, should we press, what out of bounds plays should we do, who gets playing time, how to run practices and I'm sure so much more. I am also sad because it means the end of volleyball season. I hadn't played volleyball in a while, but I quickly rediscovered my love for it. Its a fantastic sport! I also really enjoyed coaching my girls and I will miss seeing them every week. I think the thing I will miss most though is planning and running practices with JuShin. I had so much fun hanging out in her office the last hour of school each day and talking about our girls and what we were going to do in practice, and then going to practice and trying to get each other to demonstrate the drills. Thankfully JuShin has said I can come to her office and plan for my basketball practices, which is great, but its not going to be the same. The other thing I am incredibly grateful for is the fact that women's volleyball team that I have been practicing with still has practices that I can go to and hopefully get my fill of volleyball.

As the seasons change from Volleyball to Basketball I have a chance to begin again, to try something new, to participate in something I love. I know it won't be easy, and I will miss what I had before, but I want to see the good in it without forgetting the good I had as well. Its not an easy balance, but I hope that I will remember that God is at work in all of it. Just like I can see His handiwork in nature I want to see it in my life. My favorite display of His creativity and handiwork in the fall is the changing colors of the leaves and the beautiful patters that are displayed.

The following pictures are of some leaves that I collected and then a leaf rubbing that I made of some of the leaves. We did the leaf rubbing as a project in first grade, but I enjoyed it so much I got a little carried away with the example I was supposed to make :)