The Forgot Table

Right there...at that long, rectangular table across the restaurant from our camera perspective where we are seated. See that table? Jim leaned against the table to read a menu.  He lay down the large city map of Lausanne, Switzerland on the edge of the table.  He ordered pasta for us, picked it up, and brought it to our table.  As we ate, a couple came in, chose that table, sat down, read the menu, ordered and ate. They never touched or even moved the map from the very space where Jim had lain it.  It must have hugged their pizza!

It was pouring down rain in Lausanne, and we had just spent the last 3 hours in the Castle Chillon.  We were starving since we had not eaten since breakfast, and it was 4pm.  We all finished eating about the same time.  The couple left.  A few minutes later, Jim noticed that he had left our map on their table.  As he got up to retrieve the map, the man from the couple came running back to his table.  Both the man and Jim intersected at the same table.  But why had the man returned?  He looked at us, "Silly. I forgot our umbrella!"    Jim replied, "We forgot our map on your table!" 

Everything that had been forgotten at the Forgot Table had been remembered.

The man was half our age.  We found great comfort in that!
Although, we felt a little disappointed because in our last Steppingstone Blog, we had written that we always look carefully around to make sure we leave nothing behind.

We love it when we remember what we forgot...unless we don't want to remember what we forgot.

We pray your Forgot Table is working for you.

Keep looking up!
  J:m and L:nda
 
 

Looking Around

When our boat reached Brunnen, Switzerland, a small village on Lake Luzern, we began to gather all the things that we had employed during the 2 1/2 hour boat ride.  We had alternated our camera and iPhone, shooting photos with both. A tube of sunscreen, a PayDay wrapper and an empty coffee cup were tucked neatly under our chairs. A map rested on my lap.  Our backpack had a zipper open and one pair of sunglasses lay on top.  But, when that boat horn announced our stop, we became the most efficient hunters and gatherers ever seen.  Sunscreen was stuffed into the open backpack, followed by the camera and the map.  Sunglasses found their place on the nose. The iPhone was slipped and zipped into my crossover and the coffee cup and candy wrapper were history.
    We stood.
    We did one last thing.  We looked around.  With zippers closed and belongings unionized, we disembarked.  There are just some things that you can't leave behind; you need to take them with you.

Lake Luzern

Wildenstein Castle

We will disembark from European Nazarene College in 10 days.  We are standing.  We are looking around.  We can't take tangible assets with us.  How can we zip a college campus into our backpack?  Or, an International church?  Or the Rhein River?  Or Germany?  Or Switzerland?  Instead, we will have to pack the intangible assets, those investments of true value: relationships, memories, conversations, support, concern, ideas, experiences, and digital photos, achievements, and prayers.

We are looking around, and we have found what we want to take with us.



Keep looking up!  And....around, too!

J:m and L:nda