Sometimes I don't speak too bright but yet I know what I'm talking about

truffles, and chocolates, and caramels, oh my!

Valentine's Day was introduced to Japan by the candy companies. They marketed it as a day for women to give chocolate to the men in their lives. They gave small store bought giri choco (obligation chocolate) to co-workers and aquaintences, and honmei choco ( true feeling chocolate) to boyfriends, husbands, or to men they like as love confessions. The fun thing is that a month later on March 14, the Japanese celebrate White Day, which is like Valentine's part 2, when men reciprocate gifts to the women they received chocolate from. I never gave honmei chocolate while I was in Japan, but I did make chocolates that I brought into the office to share with all the teachers.  

I enjoy making food for other people. It's not something I'm great at, though I've had a few fantastic successes (and some utter failures), but it's something I like to do.  I often bring desserts to a Monday night Christian group I attend.  When I was in Japan I brought baking experiments to my Monday night Japanese study group.  Now I attend a different Monday night and I bring food because I want to be useful, I like making food for people.

Unassembled cups

So for Valentines Day this year I decided to make chocolates for the Monday night group. I was all set to make some caramel filled chocolates and truffles as I had in Japan, but then I found a round cup mold. That did it for me and I decided to make chocolate teacups, something I've wanted to do for more than 5 years, but have never succeeded at.

On the subject of romance, all I have to say is that I have this hope that someday I'll love a man who loves both God and me, and together we can love God and love each other.  I have that hope, and I believe someday it will happen, but the space between now and then, and how it will be accomplished is a mystery to me. 

empty chocolate cups kept cool in my absent sister's bedroom

Before all that, I just WANT to make some Christian friends, both men and women. I have some wonderful friends already, from all periods of my life, grade school, college, and Japan, and I am incredibly grateful fro them. They like me, love me, and care about me, and I them. But I really don't get to see them very often and I'd like to make some more friends closer in Maine. 


One of the things I was worried most about was making friends after returning from Japan. I knew I was moving back to my hometown where only one friend (from high school) was still around. I was returning to my home church, which really doesn't have any other young people. Its not that I'm bad at making friends, but I've never had to make friends with people who aren't also driven by the need or desire to make new friends because they're already established, not thrust into some new circumstance or situation.


Sometimes I wish relationships could be as simple to form as the servant of Abraham who found Rebekah for Isaac.  He says "Lord, may the first woman I ask to give me water, that also offers to water my camels be the right woman to be Isaac's wife." Rebekah does just so, and she happens to be a cousin. Not that I'm wishing to discover any eligible cousins, I know all of mine and I think that would just be awkward. But wouldn't it be nice to just say "Lord, may the next person to do this arbitrary thing also be looking to make a friend."

I had a friend from my time in Japan visit this weekend, and describing my conundrum, she very practically advised me to take the bull by the horns. Make an effort and just invite someone out to coffee if I wanted to get to know them.  And she's right, I feel awkward inviting people down to my town because of distance and gas prices, but living so far apart in Japan got me accustomed to driving 1 or 2 hours just to visit a friend, so the distance doesn't stop my going at all. Really, I should just again grow the courage I had when I was four and would walk up to other children and simply ask "Will you be my friend?" and gained myself a playmate for a day.