The Truth About Haze

You may have seen us talk about the air pollution problem in our city, and you may be wondering how bad it really is. I cannot find numbers for the previous years. I know that the government has recommended wearing smog masks several times before, but this year does seem to be pretty bad. If you look at the map you'll often see many different colored flags mainly orange, red, purple, and burgundy. What you don't want to see is burgundy. Wait a minute...I only want to see green.
A few years ago I noticed I had fallen into a pretty bad habit. I would wake up feeling pretty good after sleeping in my lovely air-conditioned bedroom, but as soon as I would exit the bedroom, I would be met with heat and stinky air. Every morning I had the exact same reaction--an audible YUCK would come out of my mouth. I realized that wasn't really the tone I wanted to set for the rest of my day, and my yuck did absolutely nothing to change the air. So I purposed in my heart that I wouldn't do this anymore. In addition I started mentioning it to Rusty (and probably anyone else who would listen) so that I would have some accountability, and if I caught myself doing it I immediately spoke the truth out loud, "This does nothing to change the air. God is good to us."

I also started looking for things to be thankful for. This is the first year that we've put on masks; although I feel quite fashionable blending in with the masses, I'm very thankful for their effectiveness. We were blessed to find some made in the USA, and I have some with easy release bands that go around the ears. My blue one isn't made in America, but it's convenient for getting out and doing business. It's like a quick-release version.

It's interesting to note that this is also our dry season. We really miss rainy season right now, and our grass shows signs of not liking the ground water as much as God's watering. But there's still beauty!

 

It's also the beginning of a great fruit season. I love it when I see the prices of mangoes falling; I know it's time! We break out the iced tea for using mango syrup, and mango with sticky rice will usually show up at least once. 

It seems like a lot can hit us at one time. We have hot temps, no rain, and dirty air. We have time off from school but no real opportunity to "escape". Yet God sustains us and gives us good things. He lets us know people are praying for us, and we're very grateful. 

"It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to the Most High. It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning, your faithfulness in the evening, accompanied by a ten-stringed instrument, a harp, and the melody of a lyre."