Katha von Dessien

[Five Minute Friday] Visit

Teaching isn’t always easy.

Passing on content you’re not really interested yourself can be challenge.
Speaking about things you’re really passionate about can be a real struggle.

I enter the room and 25 more or less interested students look at me.

Expectantly, hoping I don’t do grammar with them.

No, no grammar today.

A question instead: How many slaves work for you?
Blank faces.
Surprise.
Question marks.
A joke about mom doing their laundry quickly dies when I ask them to do research.

They get onto the computers, visit the first websites.

They read stories about child labor in Bangladesh to produce clothes the students are wearing everyday.
They look at pictures of Chinese production lines and people working day and night so that people over here can get a new phone every year.

They encounter the term human trafficking for the first time and are shocked that prostitution and organized crime exists right in front of their eyes.
Ninth grader cockyness turns into surprise, horror, shock.

I can hear quiet murmurs, people exchanging facts and questions.

Slavery is real.

It happens right in front of you.

In this globalized world this is our burden.

Today is “Shine a Light on Slavery” day.

The 27th of February – speaking up for the more than 27 million people in slavery.

And I hope that my students don’t just visit these websites.

That they don’t stop at talking about it.

That their shock and surprise turn into action.

And that I may join them.

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As always I am linking up with Kate Motaung and other fabulous writers.

If you want to know more about this topic, start with Slavery Footprint.

[Five Minute Friday] Open

My life is like a prison sometimes. I feel trapped in my day-to-day routine. I just function, but true life has left me.
My mind is like a prison sometimes. I mull the same thoughts and questions over and over, but there’s no answer that makes the spinning stop.
My soul is like a prison sometimes. Worries and fear of the unknown creep up and won’t let me sleep. The more I worry the bigger these forces become and tear me apart.

It’s so easy to become closed off.
Stuck in my own doings and pereceptions and worries.
Hidden from the world and other people.

How can you be a door opener
for other people?

But there is a door.
Only recently when I reflected upon this busy, busy year I had with final exams and studying 24-7, without any time for friends but a lot to worry about – only then did I realize I had a few doors along the way.
Or rather, door openers.

People like J.
Whenever I felt overwhelmed with questions and deadlines and my own emotions, there was J.
We would cook together or have coffee and she would listen.
And then speak firm and encouraging words.
She listened to my questions and pointed me towards answers.
She opened my perspective for more.
She restored a bit of hope where I had lost it.

J is a door opener.

Interesting enough, this year roles are reversed.
She’s stuck with exams and drowning in books.
She is overwhelmed with questions about the future.
She might also feel like in prison sometimes.
The other day we had lunch and talked a bit how much I appreciated her role in my life. And then she said, “but don’t you know that you’re my J?”

This touched something inside of me because that’s who I want to be.
I want to be someone’s J.
A friend who shares life with you.
A listener.
An encourager.
A thinker.
A “sit still and wait” person.
A perspective changer.
A hope restorer.
A door opener.

*Yes, there were other people in the last year, too, and I can’t thank them enough for being Js in my life! If you’re reading this, please know how much I appreciate you!

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Friday is writing time!Kate Motaung‘s Five Minute Friday party!
Five minutes to give it a go at

[Five Minute Friday] When

No matter how much you plan a lesson, a day, or a life – something will always go wrong.
Isn’t this the attitude we often have towards life?
Well, what if things interrupt our plans, but in a very positive, surprising way?
Especially when you least expect it.

Today is my first day of the holidays.
It was quite a delight walking out of the school yesterday and feel the knowledge flood me: You’re off for an entire week. You can sleep and rest.
With these high spirits I walked downtown.
At a traffic light I ran into a friend I had met in my first semester and hadn’t seen in quite a few years.
I thought I would just say hello and then move on.

I was wrong.

We started talking about what we’ve been up to for the last few years and a superficial chat quickly turned into a time of sharing about challenges and faith questions.
We ended up going for coffee and a few minutes turned into a few hours.
We left the café, smiling and incredibly blessed.

I didn’t expect to run into that friend yesterday.
I hadn’t planned to spend hours in a coffee shop hearing his life story.
And yet I am so glad I did.

What if life isn’t about perfect plans and anticipating all the negative possibilities?
I guess life is more about our willingness to be interruptible.
To be open for the people and things that come across our way each day.
Because when we least expect it we will meet blessings in disguise.
These kinds of interruptions won’t destroy our timetables – they’ll enrich our souls in ways no planned event ever could.

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Friday means writing party over at Kate Motaung‘s place! One prompt. Five minutes of flat writing. No editing. But loads of encouragement from fellow writers!

[Five Minute Friday] Keep

Things had to change.
After five years of studying theory at uni, it was time to put knowledge into practice.
So I started a new job a few weeks ago. Actually, my first job ever. I am a teacher at a school nearby and the next 1.5 years I’ll be in training. People will watch and evaluate my teaching, there will be lots of late nights preparing and many early mornings.
I had heard quite a bit of rumors and horror stories about these years.
“You won’t have a life during this time.”
“You’ll just live for school.”

So obviously I wasn’t that thrilled when I had to get up at 5.30 am for the first time in many years.
I would cut all my extra curricular activities, no more social work.
I would limit my relationships because I wouldn’t have time for people.
I have to be an adult now. But is that really what it’s like?

Shortly after I started working I met a friend for lunch and she said something that stuck with me:
“Don’t stop living. Keep the things in your life that keep you alive.”

I guess we all know situations that drain our energy.
You might live through such a phase of life right now.
You only go from day to day.
You function, but you don’t live.
And slowly by slowly you realize joy has left the house called your heart.

Don’t cut off everything.
Yes, life is not just about fun and easy going.
Yes, there are times that really challenge us and take our energy.
But keep going.
Keep the things and people in your life that push you forward.
That touch something inside of you, below the surface.
In German, we have a verb for that: “beleben” – it gives life to you.

Keep life inside of you.
This might mean a good night’s sleep.
A coffee date with a friend.
Reading an encouraging and exciting book.
Going for a run.
In my case this means lots of cooking.
Playing music in a band.
Leading worship at church.
Practicing my administrational skills at organizing congresses.

Find what gives life to you.
Small things everyday, bigger things once in a while.
Don’t just function.
Live!

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Friday means five minute of free writing over at Kate Motaung‘s place – come and join us!

[Five Minute Friday] Wait

I pounded on the door.

Desperate to be let in.

My head full of questions, my heart like a restless sea of worry.

What is going to happen? What does the future hold for me?

Answer me, Lord.

Finishing a phase in life and transitioning into the next is not easy.

Stepping into new things in life feels like standing at the edge and wondering what would happen if I took the plunge.

The next steps are not mapped out clearly in front of me. All I can do is wait.

I don’t want to wait.

Waiting seems to be a natural part of life.

Waiting for the bus. Waiting for a friend who’s late. Waiting for summer. Waiting for the cake in the oven to be done.
Waiting for a better life to start. Waiting for the crisis to be over. Waiting for a spouse. Waiting for a child.

We often don’t want to wait, yet we have no way to change it.

We want to have the answer now. We want things now,

But what if it’s not really about the waiting to be over? What if the waiting is the essential thing?

Waiting time is never wasted time.

Waiting develops us in ways often unseen: endurance, patience with others and ourselves, an inner perspective.

Waiting prepares the canvas onto which our future is painted – brush stroke after brush stroke.

Waiting strengthens the foundation we can later build on.

Waiting sharpens our character for the trials to come.

Waiting redirects our perspective.

We become aware of our own dependence and neediness.

We open up ourselves to the help of others.

We find the Lord who is working in our waiting and who’ll open up doors we never ever pounded on.

What are you waiting for? And how are you waiting?

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It’s another Friday and over at Kate Motaung’s place we gather for a fabulous five minutes of writing. One prompt. Just write. No edit. Share and be inspired!

[Five Minute Friday] Share

It’s 6.30 am and my alarm clock won’t let me sleep any longer.
Time to get up and go to work.
I don’t feel ready for that.

The sky is dark, dawn is slowly creeping up.
I look out the window and see the neighboring houses covered in white.
Snow.
My mood drops, my smile turns into a grimly look, and I think “O no.”
I am not a fan of snow and the cold, but that’s a different story.
I walk into the bathroom to splash a bit of water into this sleepy face.
I make coffee.
All the while I feel a mood change taking place inside of me.
From hopeful to pessimistic.
From happy to moody.
Slightly aggressive.
And the day hasn’t even fully begun yet.

As I consider my feelings this morning I have to ask myself the uncomfortable question: What do I share today?
Do I want to pass on these feelings and attitudes to the people I meet today?
What do YOU share today?
How will people meet you on the street, at work, at uni today?
What will they take away from a conversation with you? A “Oh, she was really something today”, or “I feel encouraged because of her”?
What will you like and share on facebook or twitter? Yet another animal video or something that might speak to someone else?

I don’t know how your morning looked like.
But I know that the world’s already full enough of grumpy, hopeless people.
Share some difference today.
A smile.
A word of encouragement.
A bit of perspective in the midst of pessimism.

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One prompt. Five minutes of writing, no editing. That’s Five Minute Friday at Kate Motaung‘s place. It’s always a joy to share encouragement and stories with the other writers, come join us!

What Breath Can Teach Us

I breathe in.
Feel the air flooding through my nose, mouth, down the trachea into my lungs and stomach.
I breathe out.
Breathe in again.
See my stomach rise and fall.
The more I listen to my breath the calmer I become.
Nature has its God-given rhythm and I can simply join its pattern.

Yesterday in my speaking class we did breathing and articulation exercises.
Words are a wonderful thing.
They can convey content, feelings, subtle hints, deep suspicions.
They can tear down or build up.
They always resonate with us.
While we experimented with different dynamics and voices the instructor said one interesting thing: “Whatever and however you speak – make sure your breath and yourself are rooted within you. Always come back to that root inside of you.”

This might sound strange, but it is the secret to good speaking.
You need firm roots to manage the different pitches, moods, contents you manage each day.
The people and things you interact with in 24 hours might kick you around, might really challenge you – but you can always come back to that breath inside of you.
Breathing in. Breathing out. Natural order. Peace.

Peace.
This word sticks with me, not only since yesterday’s class.
Feeling rooted while speaking, returning to that natural breath is a good metaphor for the rest of life.
It kicks around sometimes, doesn’t it?
Calls to take, errands to run, people to meet, counseling to give, problems to solve, fears to face…
Life’s tough and it’s not hard to feel like a tiny boat on a stormy ocean at times.

In the midst of these turbulences we need to be rooted.
We need that place we can go to, where our sense of self and order are restored.
Where our hearts can let go and calm down.
Where we can breathe in fresh air, a new sense of hope and perspective.
That place we can always return to.
That haven of peace.

This place looks different for all of us.
A cup of coffee in the morning.
A night of good and enough sleep.
A song that breaks the gloominess of our day.
A meeting with a friend.
Exercise.
Reading an encouraging book.

Silence.
Using the early hours of the morning to be still.
Before speaking a word I want to listen.
Listen to my breath going in and out.
Allow my heart and body to be flooded with air, energy, spirit for the day.
Before telling the Lord MY agenda for the day, I want to hear what HE’s got in store for today.
I face the challenges of this day with peace because I know I can always return to it.
To Him, the Prince of Peace.

[Five Minute Friday] Send

You never know what shape and sizes happiness comes in.
Sometimes it can be just a small, square piece of paper.
Filled with words of encouragement.
As much as I like email and the speed we can communicate across continents these days — there’s nothing like opening your mailbox and finding handwritten letters from friends.

There’s something about putting pen to paper.
A process of reflection takes place as I try to find the words to convey my feelings.
It takes courage to share your heart.
It takes boldness to send out a piece of yourself to someone else.

But it is such a blessing.
Someone else gets a glimpse into your heart and life.
You enter a new level of friendship, you’re not strangers anymore.
Someone else reads your words of encouragement in times when they need it the most.

But the biggest blessing returns to you as you imagine their faces light up upon your letter.
Their hearts lifted because of your words.
Their faith renewed because of the faith you have for them.
And maybe they’ll be bold enough to reply and share a bit of themselves with you.

Let’s be bold.
Let’s not hide ourselves – our discouragement, struggles, and joys – from the world.
Let’s send out a bit of ourselves to others.
Let’s speak words of encouragement where it is most needed.
Let’s send out happiness in an envelope.

Well, this is the theory.
But I decided to do this in a very practical way and will join round five of #fmfpartysnailmail by Kaitlyn Bouchillon.
You send out five cards and you’ll get five cards.
You connect with wonderful women around the world.
Just one little step, but I am excited to see what will come out of it!
If you’re ever interested in doing something similar, let me know – I would love to connect!

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It’s Friday and as usual, I am meeting up with more wonderful writers over at Kate Motaung‘s place! Come and join the writing party!

[Five Minute Friday] Welcome

Welcome to 2015, readers! I hope you had a great start into the new year and are excited for all the things to come. It’s Friday, so as always, I join a fabulous writing community over at Kate Motaung‘s place.

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It felt like the first day of school.

Searching for rooms and familiar faces.

Meeting new people.

Slowly finding out who would become your colleagues and friends.

After five years of studying and two months of resting I am back in school.

Literally, since I will be teaching highschool students very soon.
The new year is truly new for me.

A new phase of life, full of adjustments, challenges, and changes.

But I am not sure I am ready to welcome them.

I don’t know how your last year looked like.

I don’t know what the new one has in store for you.

And I surely don’t know how you feel about all of this.
Are new people welcome in your home and life?
Do you expect or avoid changes in your life this year?
Do you dread or embrace the future?

Sometimes life and its people overwhelm you.

They surprise you. In a good way.

When I entered the school this week I was surprised to see many familiar faces.

People I didn’t know before turned out really nice and opened great conversations.
While I was mostly hesitant and scared of all the new courses and work to come I slowly rediscover a long lost feeling: passion and excitement for the new opportunities lying ahead of me.

So as we start this new year – each of us with their own challenges and joys – let go of the past and hesitation.

Let’s welcome new people in our lives or allow old ones to surprise us.

Let’s welcome interruptions and blessings in disguise.

Let’s be overwhelmed at times and enjoy times to breathe even more.

Let’s welcome life.

Special: Favorite Christmas Memories

It’s Friday and I meet with many fellow writers over at Kate Motaung’s Five Minute Friday.

Today’s prompt is ADORE.

This feeling of awe in light of what we celebrate at Christmas.

This sensation of joy as we recall childhood memories.

Pure adoration for Christ in the midst of gift shopping and endless loops of annoying Christmas tunes is a piece of hard work.

It’s so easy to just fall into routine and leave our heart’s response to all of this behind.

Traditions can help us to focus on the important things again. Treasure the little steps of preparation. Feel the excitement and joy building.

Leadings our hearts to adoration.

As a Christmas treat I have a guest on my blog today.

Sophie Kröher is a dear friend of mine and she shares a few of her favorite Christmas traditions from the Eastern part of Germany with us. She is also a very, very talented photographer, so of course, you’ll find a bit of her work in here, too. 🙂

Her thoughts are in German; I have attempted to translate it below.

Von Würstchen in Mehl

Der Schatten der sich drehenden Pyramidenflügel an der Wand.

Feine Nebelschwaden der Weihrauchkerzchen in der Luft.

Leuchtend gelbe Punkte der Schwibbbogenkerzen, die sich im Fenster spiegeln.

Das Kinstern und Knacken einer Schallplatte.

Männeln wecken.

Mamas zerstochene Hände vom Bögenbinden.

Stollen buttern.

Heimlich die Butter mit Puderzucker an einer Stelle abkratzen.

Und dann, nach schier unendlich langem Warten: den Tannenbaum schmücken, Linseneintopf löffeln, Würstchen in Mehl wälzen, die nach Braten riechenden Haare waschen, in die Metten gehen.

Weihnachten im Erzgebirge.

Mein Weihnachten.

Beim Männeln wecken, Bögen binden und Stollen buttern bin ich leider schon seit einigen Jahren nicht mehr rechtzeitig dabei.

Pyramidenflügelschatten, Weihrauchnebelschwaden und Schwibbbogenkerzenspiegelungen habe ich mir wenigstens hergeholt.

Aber morgen geht’s heim, rechtzeitig zu Mamas Linseneintopf – dem besten der ganzen Welt und des ganzen Jahres.

Und um mit Papa Würstchen in Mehl zu wälzen.

Mein Weihnachten.

Daheim.

Sausages and Flour

The shadow of the pyramid wings moves along the wall.

Fine mist of the frankinscence candles in the air.

Bright yellow spots of the light arc are mirrored in the window.

The cracking sound of a vinyl.

To wake up the Männel (German tradition to put up the traditional frankinscence candle men).

Mom’s pierced hands while making the bows.

Butter the Stollen (Eastern German traditional Christmas loaf).

Scratch off the butter with powder sugar when no one is looking.

And then, after a long time of waiting: decorate the Christmas tree, eat lentil stew, roll sausages in flour, wash your hair smelling of meat, go to church.

Christmas in the Erzgebirge (Ore Mountains in the East of Germany).

My Christmas.

I haven’t made it in time for years to wake the Männel, make the bows, or butter the Stollen. A few things I managed to take with me, though – pyramids, frankinscence, and light bow.

But tomorrow I will go home, just in time for Mom’s lentil stew – the best stew in the world and of the whole year. Just in time to roll sauages in flour with Dad.

My Christmas.

At Home.