Landmarks are important. When we lived in California, our landmark was Saddleback Mountain. I could spot it from the air, flying from the east or the west and knew that we were almost home. Driving, I could only see it when I was driving inland from the coast, but we would pass through a railroad underpass and then I would see the mountain and I knew we were all but home.

Here, our landmark is the world's tallest building (occupied, finished), the Taipei 101. It is a majestic building, shaped similar to a bamboo shoot and clad in a watery blue-green reflective glass. It looms over most of the mountain that surround Taipei. It is brightly lit at night and like in California, I always feel better when I can see it because I know my day's journey is nearly over.

We cannot see the Taipei 101 from my apartment though. If we look out the windows at the front of our apartment, we can see its reflection in a building across the park. If I look out the windows on the other three sides of my apartment, I see in the other directions or other tall buildings obscure our view. From the roof of our building, the view is magnificent! Actually, we couldn't see Saddleback Mountain from our home in California either. In either case, it is there and it gives us comfort.

It is amazing though how often I lose track of the tallest building in the world. I actually know where it is but often I cannot see it. It might be obscured by clouds and rain or other buildings. Occasionally, it is obscured by a mountain. But mostly it is obscured by clutter. You know, ground clutter. I walk down the street and I see the people around me and the beetle nut spittle on the sidewalk and I hear people talking and cars and scooters and smell the restaurants and look in the window of the shops. I am so surrounded by the little things in my life that I cannot see the biggest things in my life.

The same thing often happens with what we value most in life, or say we value anyway. We get so bogged down in everyday living that we forget to connect with the people we love. There are so many things to do that going to church and expressing our faith becomes a special occasion. While it is okay to lose track of the tallest building in the world, it isn't okay to lose track of what we value most. That may be one of the best things I learned during my first year in Taipei.