shifting places

Little dry leaves dance carelessly in a fleeting summer wind whirlpool as I turn the corner along the streets of my new neighborhood. The rasp of the leaves on the sidewalk and the playfulness my imagination imbues them with make me grin. On the sunny side of the street the heat is enough to make my sweater feel like one layer too much. But another shady stretch of sidewalk cooled by a wind from the sea makes the me glad to have it on. My summer flat is one short block from the sea, which glints invitingly from between the lazily docked sailboats.

Summer arrived in Helsinki while I gallivanted on the other side of the globe. Lilacs are blooming, and a summer thunderstorm arrived today. It has taken longer than I expected to get back into the rhythms of day and night, but I think I have finally made it. The memory of my last days in California center around North Hollywood and precious moments spent with college friends. I love seeing my friends in their contexts, succeeding, living, learning and dreaming. So after an amazing month and a half of road tripping, family traveling and sightseeing, I am back with the best of intentions to write my thesis, enjoy the long light days of summer and revel in the fact that my life is in God's hands.

Sonja is also here for a few short weeks, enjoying the Finnish summer before continuing her adventures in Israel. We are now at grandma's, being lazy. After vacationing so much, we just need a bit of time to recover! :)