Happy and Lucky

Warning: This email should be read with discretion – check today’s date! No Afrikaans this time (I find it difficult to do wordplay in 2 languages on the same words).

We adopted two Chandigarh street dogs, which happily came waltzing through our gate one morning. We named them Happy and Lucky. Lucky felt at home immediately, but Happy needed at least two bowls of food to be happy with this arrangement. At some point Happy became very unhappy and didn’t feel so lucky anymore, but after more food rations, he was happy again. Lucky has never been lucky and always gets her paw into the food bowl, but she is always a happy dog.

The geckos are happy these days and should consider themselves very lucky. I’ve made my peace with them and decided to welcome them into my home. The children and I keep a keen eye on them while they eat all the mosquitoes and other awful insects that are not welcome yet. We already have 7 little friends staying in our home. It is just a bit risky to put on the fan. Murphy’s Law dictates that if there is a gecko on the fan it will fall on a person in the room.

The children and I are pushing on with the home schooling. It’s hard work, but we enjoy it! We are happy with this way of education and feel very lucky to be able to do it. I’m learning a lot too.

I discovered a way to get rid of unwanted gardeners. I just have to ask them to clean the paths in the garden and pick up the doggie pooh. They simply refuse – it’s too low a job to do – a practical application of the caste system. I liked the last gardener and I told him that I will do it from now on – so now Stephan is the lucky one who gets to do it – but he is not too happy either.

We are happy to announce that we became lucky and are hoping to extend our family by end of October. This happened right after deciding not to extend our family anymore. We are happy-go-lucky about this new event in our lives.

We were singing "Jesus, all for Jesus" in church on Sunday. Anandi tapped me on the shoulder and asked, "Why do you sing ‘Jesus, awful Jesus’?" Maybe it was the expression on our faces that gave her that in impression. Sometime we hide our joy so well. We are happy or unhappy according to our circumstances and if our circumstances change we say we are lucky or unlucky. But JOY found in Jesus lasts forever – through all circumstances - because we know God loves us and will never forsake us – no matter what the circumstances might be.

But the truth is: I'll never live in peace with the geckos - the rest is all true :-).