When one lives the life of a student one cannot do very many tangible things to honour their father on this day. So I improvise.
In honour of my dad I made scrambled eggs for breakfast. Dad was the first to teach me the simple and subtle nuances of preparing this light dish. The perfect balance between egg, chives, and garlic salt is very hard to achive, but I had a good teacher. The toast was cut into triangles today as well.
I also memorized Matthew 7:7-11 in honour of my dad's example because he was the one who introduced me to my Heavenly Father and his generocity and love make this passage so real to me. If God is more capable of loving and protecting and providing for me than my dad is, then God is a truly amazing God indeed!
Sometimes it is very hard to let go. It's even harder to let go when instead of throwing your arms out in release you throw them out to gather. I'm reaing 'Turkish Reflections: A Biography of a Place' by Mary Lee Settle. Mary reminisces over the details of her travels and short time living in the west coasts of Turkey in flawless stream of consciousness. She shepherds you through details of life by the Agean while alluding to the many political, social and historical minutia of essentially everything she saw.
While describing her term in Istanbul she relates how the "Aya Sofya [Holy Wisdom or Hagia Sofia] is a museum now, a new monument to the secular leader Ataturk, whose personal hatred of the clergy has left a void in Turkey that threatens to be filled dangerously." Truth fills every word of her observation.
Even the least experienced of mass communication professionals will tell you that perception is reality. No matter the facts or circumstances someone is right and another is wrong and it is very hard to throw a lever to change a bias (didn't both sides of the American Cival War claim to be on the side of God?). Mary's sympathetic perspective on the Turkish psyche makes me understand why the nation on the whole is so fearful of foreigners. In the early 1970s the Turks were suffering mass casualties on the island of Cyprus at the whims of Greek Cypriot war-lords. Turkey called on many allies to aid in securing safety for the disputed island. Britain refused. The US couldn't afford another battle over the ethics of international intercession after getting into Viet Nam. The perceptions of Turkey's actions took two routes: After threats [warnings] from the Greek mercinaries [army] the forces of Turkey marched to the shore and commandeered [stole] boats for the voyage to Cyprus and liberated the Turkish Cypriots [exterminated the Greek Cypriots] as an act of national defense [as an act of war]. The international reaction put Turkey in a negative bracket. The Turks believed they had no other choice, they were right.
So Mary is correct when she says that a void will fill dangerously. Though Aatturk carved a hole through walls of hyper-islamic nationalism, taking the truth to Turkey will not happen without much opposition. It has not hapenned without much opposition. Foreign ideas are considered poisonous. However, despite the tares, I believe that Turkey is ready. Spiritual darkness is now the hardest tyrant to overthrow and the most difficult perception to breach. There's no lever for it.
The Turks have a name that they whisper for a hero that returns from war. They used it for the Turkish prime minister that sent the army to free Cyprus. It is a name reserved for one who selflessly leads and rescues. It is the highest compliment. It is the Turkish word for lion. It is aslan.
I know that everyone takes these pictures, I'm so sorry, I couldn't resist. And, yes, my car has been down Broadway.
This is the typical Times Square shot that everyone gets. And this was just a little something we passed along the way.
The whole of the trip was pretty amazing. A few friends (a local, two transplants, and a fellow tourist) went to see the New York Philharmonic play Haydn's 90th symphony at Lincoln Center on Saturday night and then stopped at a really awesome pizza place on 6th somewhere near 44th or 43rd. And we ate it folded just like real New Yorkers.
Then the usual trip to the the Statue of Liberty, walks around the city, cheese and bread shopping in Little Italy and trouncing around China Town. And subways. Yikes.
I got to stay with the Dierkings at their home in Yonkers which was very nice. I really don't think I've ever slept so consistently well in my life! I even got to help mow the church lawns and sing in the Sunday morning service which made me really feel at home.
I got to have dinner with Ethan, who travelled to New York and Turkey with me last year. That was very cool. It's hard when you and your friends diverge after school because you can't just up and decide to go out with everyone the way you could before. It's a good thing there are extended week-ends.
My travel bug is sufficiently quenched for at least another year. But that won't stop me from trying to visit Florida in August... I hope.
I really can't go for more than a year without making some kind of exciting spur-of-the-moment voyage so I am going to go to New York City tomorrow morning. You can't stop me!
Yeah, it really is that bad. I can't just sit still. If I'm anywhere for more than three years then I'll get sick of the place unless there is a major lifestyle change or part of the landmass falls away so I'm suddenly living on beach-front property.
There are a few definites such as church on Sunday and seeing a dear friend off to Korea to teach english to sixth-graders. Oh, how life progresses!
Anyway, I'll take pictures as soon as I get there and post them as soon as I can.