Few days are as beautiful as this one proved to be. The sky was clear in the morning. The air was not overly cold, nor was it too hot. This being a Wednesday I could take my time getting to the bus. So when Chimi invited me to stop and have coffee, I only had reasons for saying “po,” yes. Starting yesterday, and for the next week or so it seems, Chimi’s family will be distilling Raki. I am fascinated by processes, how it is that things are made. When Homa asked me if I wanted to try some Raki, she knew the answer. As a missionary I am not permitted consume alcohol.
Raki is made from grapes and is what we would call “moonshine” in the States. As I lifted a glass of the flawlessly clear liquid to take in its aroma, Chimi’s son-in-law Milliard leaned in close and said “One raki, everyday, make the doctor go away.” That made me laugh, and wonder if our saying about apples and dentists had been derived from an early advertisement ploy by the producers of whiskey, snake-oil, or other poisons. After draining a thick cup of Turkish coffee with my friends I headed on to the bus-stop. Turkeys and chickens crowded the path up the hill which has become muddy in recent days, after having been as dry as Utah salt plains for nearly three months.
Once in Fushekruje, while passing one of the dozens of cafes that line the sidewalks there, I was invited to join Vinny; the only son of one of the local market owners. We were soon joined by a cousin from his father’s side of the family; a young man named Riza. Vinny and I have never had a proper conversation before, aside from the general “Hello, how are you, good? Me too, goodbye,” that plagues the lips of acquaintances all over the world. I won’t divulge what he shared with me except to say that tragedy strikes every family in some form. My life has been easy.
And it has been a beautiful life, really. I praise God to be healthy, as I am, and to have all of the functions of my body which I enjoy so much. But even if all I had were my eyes to tell me that God was amazing, today would be proof enough to give me calm reverence for His care.
albaniacalling 