Fare Forward

I've taken hiatuses from my blog before, but I'm pretty sure that eight months is the longest it's lain silent. A friend asked me if she should hope for any future posts and I told her that I just wasn't sure. Life these past few years or so had been one transition piled on top of another and I just didn't seem to have the same inspiration. Perhaps my children were my muses? And still in the midst of processing life transitions: moving to another city, launching four children from our Jordan nest to independent lives in the States in four different states, graduations, marriages, an engagement of our youngest daughter (who while we concur is ready for marriage to her loving fiancee, is still young), sorting out health issues, etc. , we found ourselves facing an abrupt transition out of Jordan.

We had sensed this transition coming, but due to visa difficulites, it came more quickly than we expected. And just like that, our life in Jordan, at least the the physical place of Jordan, was finished.

We've called Idaho home-base these last six months, but we've also traveled several times to visit family, and once to explore another overseas living opportunity. We've been so very blessed by the love, support, and encouragment of family and friends as we've journeyed through this transition.

A funny thing about transitions is that one can not be sure when they are finished.

"Fare forward, travellers! Not escaping from the past
Into indifferent lives, or into any future;
You are not the same people who left that station
Or who will arrive at any terminus,
While narrowing rails slide together behind you;
And on the deck of the drumming liner
Watching the furrow that widens behind you,
You shall not think 'the past is finished'
Or 'the future is before us'.
~from the Dry Salvages, Four Quartets, T.S. Elliot

A week spent with all our children, and one night in particular, brought great healing and resolution to our six months of wandering, searching for home. On New Year's Eve, our children prepared our favorite Jordanian meal, ma'loubi, or "upsided down".

As we shared food around the table, we shared memories of our years together in Jordan. Active Son honored us for the lives we had lived in Jordan and blessed us in our future endeavors:

"Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to  the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever." Amen. Ephesians 3:20,21

After dinner, Active Son put up my blog on the big screen TV and we scrolled through all those memories of life together in Jordan together. My blog! Who could have known how God would use it my life? What a balm that time of remembering was to my soul!

And now I am ready to say,
 "Not fare well,
But fare forward voyagers."

I even felt a surge of motivation to keep writing and blogging, but it is hard to say if this will last. Meanwhile, Dear Husband and I are preparing to depart for another land, and it too will have wildflowers and other treasures to discover. We are anticipating another couple months of transition/living out of a suitcase, but maybe I will be back. I hope so.

#beautifuljordan #springtimeinjordan

I think I can say that I've never experienced a more beautiful spring day in Jordan than I did last week--and I've enjoyed some very fine spring days in Jordan over the years. It was Dear Husband's birthday week and so on his day off we decided to drive around the countryside of northern Jordan, drop down into the Jordan Valley, near Pella, and then drive up to Amman  to end the day with dinner and a movie--our second movie in the last two months. Are we empty-nesters or what?! We used to see a movie about once every three years, and we weren't alone.

Preparation for the trip was easy: I made a chicken quinoa salad, a thermos of tea, and grabbed my phone (I've been taking all my pictures on an LG G4 these days).

As we drove along the Mafraq-Jerash road I spotted a lone black iris on my right, so Dear Husband stopped the car. I had never seen any black irises in this particular area, though I always scan the hill sides every spring as I drive his road. Additionally, it was nearly a month earlier than I usually see black irises. All around, unexpected.

I excitedly photographed that lone iris. A black iris sighting is always special. But then I looked around me and begin to see more: twos and threes, and clumps of black irises. We may have seen 30 or more, many more than I have ever seen in one location. You may have laughed at me if you had seen how exuberant I was about this flora find.

And this clump, later found blooming just a few meters from the road. How did I miss them?

With that great flora encouragement to begin our journey, we cut across the Jerash highway and headed up a country road in the direction of Ajloun, winding through charming villages and driving along roads which overlooked terraced valleys.

I love the varied texture and colors of the landscapes: red soil, tan soil, stone walls, green grass in the springtime, and always, olive trees.

We decided to enjoy our picnic lunch in the Forest of Healing, near Ajloun. Dear Husband found a lovely spot near these red-barked Arbutus trees, which are indigenous to the region.

God's teeny tiny rock garden. So lovely to find beauty in small, unexpected places.

Something in the Umbel family of plants

And more breathtakingly beautiful wadis (valleys) which were a feast for the eyes--another scene of grandeur around nearly every bend.

When I saw the yellow hillsides, I knew that we must be just in time to see Jordan's crown daisies burst into bloom.

Down the hill...

...and around the next bend. Are we really in Jordan? Why hasn't anyone opened up a bed and breakfast up here??

Echium catching some rays

And then we saw a old metal sign with the words "Jesus Cave" painted on it, pointing down this road. At this point we had made so many stops, we were getting behind schedule if we still wanted to make dinner and a movie. We agreed that seeing the Jesus Cave might just be better than a dinner out and so we turned down the road.

No tree looks deader in winter than a wild fig tree, its knarled and twisted branches drooping down toward the ground, and no tree looks more alive in the spring than a wild fig tree, with its new green leaves reaching up toward the sun.

Here we have arrived at the Jesus Cave, or a better translation, The Cave of the Messiah. The legend goes that Jesus took shelter in this cave. Maybe. The cave was used as a wine and olive oil press in the Byzantine era, and the oil press has been restored inside the cave.

The area for grape stomping 

The oil press, inside the cave

The kitchen area

Dear Husband signing the guestbook. What a wonderful detour!

The opportunity for a restaurant dinner had surely slipped away as we still need to descend into the Jordan Valley and then ascend to Amman. We did end up getting dinner as the movie theatre had surprisingly fresh offers of Greek salad (for me) and a chicken salad sandwich for Dear Husband.

The movie with which we ended our day of touring: "Theeb", the acclaimed Jordanian film, filmed in Wadi Rum, which earned an Oscar nomination, just one of it's many awards. Though it was released last year, we hadn't managed to see it then, so we were thankful for its re-release after its Oscar nomination. Active Son recommended it: "Very good. Kind of like Lawrence of Arabia, but better--and shorter." We agreed. and we discussed the subtleties of Bedouin culture as portrayed in the movie, most of the way home.

Such a wonderful Jordan day.

A Pleasure Full Grown VI~Madaba

Another beautiful winter day in Jordan, and another opportunity to visit beloved sites, sharing them with Bride-to-Be for the first time. We've visited all these sites before, but it has been a long time, if ever, that we've enjoyed them together. 

This trip is special because now Oldest Daughter is with us, having arrived in Jordan on January 2, just four days before Active Son and Bride-To-Be have to return to the States. We are so very thankful for those four full days together! (Unfortunately, Older's Daughter's husband, Music Man, couldn't join us as he was preparing to leave on an Asian tour with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.)

Our first stop, the site that is now believed to be the ancient city of Sodom. This is Oldest Daughter's first visit to the site as well. Below, most of our group looks out towards Jerusalem, over the "Cities of the Plain" (Genesis 19:28). Dear Husband is explaining one of the many interesting points about the discovery of this ancient site.

The unexpected beauty of Jordan

Jordan Valley

We stopped briefly at the Dead Sea to take Active Son and Bride-To-Be's picture on a TC (tourist camel). That picture must have ended up on Tayta's camera. Then we drove up the steep back road to Mount Nebo, the historical site of where Moses looked into the Promised Land. It was a hazy day, so no pictures there.

On to Madaba, to visit some churches, view some Byzantine-era mosaics, and enjoy walking the streets of the old city. 

An apropos place  for Tayta to read her Roman Empire-era texts for next semester, as she walks on a Roman road (to her left) and views Byzantine era mosaics

Though we've been through this archaeological park a few times, we always seem to learn new things from our favorite guide. 

Abstraction

 Tree of Life

A favorite picture from the holiday season

St. George and the Dragon, inside the Orthodox church which houses the famous Madaba Map mosaic. St.George is the patron saint of the area.

Inside the church of Saint John the Baptist

Up at the top of the bell tower. I couldn't look down, even though we were well fenced in.

Unintentional city art: the remains of peeling layers of paint and paper on an outside wall. Yes, I made Artist son pose in front of it.

Our last stop for the evening: one our favorite restaurants, Haret Jdoudna. Oldest Daughter and Music Man's Christmas gift to the family was a dinner out, and this is where we chose to eat it. What a perfect gift!

A Pleasure Full Grown V~Little Petra

Upon awaking the next morning in Dana village, I went to the window to check the weather as we were planning to continue on to Petra and Little Petra after breakfast. Today was Bride-To-Be's one chance to see Petra. The thick drizzly fog did not portend good site-seeing weather, and the room temperature told me that it was still very cold outside.

We huddled around the breakfast table,  hands cupped around our warm tea glasses, and discussed our options. In the end, we decided not to decide until we drove out of the valley. We drove slowly on the narrow road which wound up to the highway through the dense fog; at times visibility was only four or five feet.

However when we made it to the highway, the fog quickly cleared and we were encouraged to make the hour drive to Petra to see what we would find there. We planed to drop Active Son and Bride-to-Be at Petra, with the rest of us continuing to Little Petra. Only Artist Son had ever visited Little Petra, admission is free, and as we have seen Petra many times, we wanted to avoid the $80 we'd have to pay for our entrance fees to Petra. 

The mostly-clear weather held, even as we dropped down a bit into the valley toward the entrance of Petra. We dropped off Active Son and Bride-to-Be, and the rest of us continued down the road another fifteen minutes or so until we reached Little Petra. 

Stopping to visit an ancient cistern opposite the entrance of  Little Petra

A couple of us purchased scarves from the Bedouin vendors set up outside the entrance of Little Petra, and then we headed into the siq, a narrow gorge which is the entrance to the ancient city. The siq of (big)Petra is a mile long; this one, just about 100 feet long.

We enjoyed walking around, climbing up and down, letting our imaginations absorb the ancient beauty that surrounded us on all sides.

A smaller treasury

Tayta and Artist Son looking at "the other side of the street"...

..and Artist Son decides to check it out. The landscape reminds me of something from a Tolkien book.

This is about the time that we stood together and exclaimed once again how awesome our surroundings were. Tayta thought we should sing. She would. Artist Son suggested the Doxology, and so we sang.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow

Praise Him all creatures here below

Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost

Amen

Until now, we were the only people in Little Petra. The only people except a young Bedouin vendor, who invited us to his "shop" to enjoy the best view in the land, and a very old Bedouin who played for us on his one-string rebab. He was completely charming.

In the next cave  we viewed the 2000 year old Hellenistic-style painting that was revealed in 2010 after being rejuvenated by British conservationists. These cave paintings are all the more remarkable because they are so rare, with only fragments of any Hellenistic painting remaining today.

About this time we saw one other tourist couple, from Portugal, and so enjoyed pointing out these exquisite paintings to them.

Then onward and upward in search of our Bedouin-vendor-friend's camp. We were invited for tea after all, and it sounded perfect on this cold blustery day.

Our Bedouin friend spoke the truth. I believe the view from his camp was the most beautiful for miles around. Dear Husband scrambles off to get a better look...

Here's a panoramic shot I took. It's a little distorted, but a little of the Bedouin shop/camp shows on the left, and Dear Husband and Artist Son are on the right. They're not really across the canyon, but more like 90 degrees southwest of the camp.

The geography of the land seemed a melding of the sandstone formations of Wadi Dana and Wadi Rum.

We sat in the sun and warmed our hands on the glasses of the steaming tea that our Bedouin friend served us, still soaking up "his" beautiful view, Tayta bought a trinket from him (made in India) for more than we should have paid, but we didn't feel taken in the least.

The shades blue-grey lichens of the area always catch my eye. The colors are perfect.

As we headed back to Petra to pick up Active Son and Bride-to-Be, we had to pull over to the side of the road to enjoy yet another exclamatory view. 

We couldn't just look from the side of the road. We had to go be there in that place. For just a little while. Together.

I tried to capture some of the grandeur with my camera, Artist Son, with his pen and sketchbook.

Despite the inclement weather, there was no shortage of tourists treking out of Petra late that afternoon. Active Son had shown Bride-to-Be the wonders of the city, hiking to the Monastery and ducking into a cave to wait out a brief hailstorm. We were all very thankful to return to our (relatively) warm apartment in Mafraq, complete with a hot showers heated mattress pads.