"Hair cut"

Here are the most recent photos I have. Actually, I'm not getting my hair cut. The lady is an adult student of mine, and I've been to her salon a few times for a "head spa," basically hair treatments, shampoo and conditioning combined with a scalp and shoulder massage that lasts about an hour and is absolutely wonderful! I'm still growing my hair for locks of love, and it's not time to cut it yet. One week, she learned that their salon would be featured in a magazine for hair salon owners, and she wanted to have some better pictures of serving foreign customers. So she called me up and asked if I would come in and let them take pictures of me. They had one from when another American friend of mine and I were there, but it wasn't very clear. She keeps a sign on her salon door that says "English OK." Her English is very fluent (she's my top student) mostly because she lived in England for a few years studying at the Vidal Sassoon salon in London. So my American friends are glad to have someone they can go to who will be able to understand exactly what they want done with their hair.
I don't know if my picture will get chosen by the magazine,
but I thought I could at least post it on here.

Anyway, to thank me, she's going to give me a free head spa
next Monday. I can't wait! I just finished a week of "Halloween
Party" classes, and I'm really worn out and glad it's over. Yes,
it is November 8th already. The previous week, we had the "Jr. Step Test" in almost every class, so we couldn't do halloween parties that week. Every year, we usually do the halloween party as a reward for the kids from preparing so much for the test. We have no choice over when the tests must be given, and so we had them during classes, Tuesday throught Saturday, October 28th through November 1st. Thanks to the brilliant suggestion of my oldest niece, I dressed up as an angel, wearing a long white dress that I made in highschool, wings made from cardboard, a white foam wrapping sheet, and white plastic string; and a halo made from a silver headband, white flower-arranging wire, and silver Christmas tinsel, the kind that is just a long, fluffy string. My only photo of it is from my boss's husband's photo studio, where I literally went 'trick or treating' with my youngest class, three girls who are all just barely three years old. One of them had a reindeer suit on, which was absolutely darling. Of course, they are all adorable all the time!

Cleaning under the rug

Upon further reflection of last week's post, I think the analogy of the swing is better suited to what we settle for in our walk with God. Sure, it's fun to play on a swing, but a hot-air balloon ride would be so much more exciting and enjoyable. The area where I grew up had a balloon launching pad nearby, and we loved counting the balloons float across the sky. The closest we ever got was to go watch the balloons as they were launched. Mom and Dad always said no, it's too expensive, when we invariably asked if we could go up in a balloon. Of course they were right. But, as Christians, how many of us settle for the simplicity and mundane enjoyment of a swing, and never ask our heavenly Father to take us up in a balloon?

Tonight I did some much needed cleaning in my apartment. I think I can finally, totally say that I feel completely moved in. All of my boxes were finally all unpacked, and everything repacked and put away where I essentially know where it is. I had borrowed a friend's vacuum cleaner this week (I have such a small apartment I'd rather not have my own vacuum) and I used it as a catalyst to get me to clean up my place, because I can never seem to clean up for the sake of having it clean. I have to return the vacuum by Monday night, and I don't think I'll have time to use it on Sunday... though maybe I can do a bit more on Monday.

I titled this blog 'Cleaning under the rug' for simplicity's sake, but tonight I cleaned under the tatami. Yes, we call it a tatami mat, but they are quite large. Each one is about 3 1/2 inches thick, maybe 4 inches, and they fill in the floor of the room like large tiles. In one spot, there is a gap just wide enough to get your fingers down into there and pry up one of them. Once one is up, any of the rest of them will come out as long as you don't have furniture on top of it. I have bookshelves and a desk all along one wall, so I was only able to take up three of the six mats and vacuum underneath them. Still, that's the kind of satisfying cleaning I love doing.

To take that yet a level deeper, I've also been pondering the meaning and substance of repentance. If you love God and hate your sin, you'll obviously be trying to avoid sin at all costs. But if you willfully keep returning to the same sin, you obviously love the sin more than you love God. Most every day, I realize how much I truly need to love God more, and hate sin more. Repenting of sin over and over again as a Christian is just like cleaning under the rug. Maybe no one sees all the ugly sins deep in our hearts, but God wants to clean it all out just the same. We may not even want to look in there, but we've got to admit our filthiness before we can be cleaned. Without genuine, regular repentance, we are not walking with Christ, and without Christ, we're doomed.