So here you have it! Hot off the Sacatapequez prensa... Margaret+ of Virginia is knocking us out with her kind, wise, brilliantly colorful and wonderous ways down here South of them border(s) way past Mexico way...ole´ anyway, as she brings us armloads of friendship and joy each day!
Today marks one week since ¨Just Margaret¨ arrived in the little village under the volcano and Margaret is doing sooo good moving around in the hood! It´s true, the neighbors are dazzled (they think she is my daughter) and her Spanish teacher thinks Margaret, our Margarita, your Margaret will no doubt soon be a numero uno student and most likely top of the class as well as nominated for alcaldesa of the ¨Land of Eternal Spring!¨
Thank you Joel and all Episcopalianos in Richmond, Old Virginee for sharing your very good source of Good News with us...we love her and we´re doing our best to keep her comfy, well cared for/fed and happy and healthy (despite a few little not-so-scary volcanic outbursts during each night-- never forget the lava flows down the Esquintla side to the South -- gracias a dios).
Rejoice! Margaret+ begins week two mañana and all is well/swell! We´re having a little luncheon party Sunday in celebration of our ongoing good luck because we now have received Margarita+ and have her all to ourselves!
Leonardo Ricardo y Juan Carlos y los vecinos on the Calle Real (at the foot of the volcano)
· BIG THANKS TO JUAN CARLOS/PHOTOS (I think they are all from our garden)
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6 comments:
Felicidades!
As I said over at Margarita's place, I somehow thought you were in Costa Rica, not Guatemala (a country I have to admit I would be scared to visit)
Costa Rica is like Southern California-
Guatemala is like stepping into another dimension in time, its very own cultural space, filled with surprises, some abundantly breathtaking and good and some in your face stuff that is hard to take for those who have
led ¨insulated¨ wrapped in gauze, sugar coated lives and/or privileged lives that aren´t especially thrilled when facing ¨reality¨ amongst the poor, the exploited, the underpaid.
Once upon a time under the volcano
a crusty older American woman said (as she was being driven away with a NGO group in the back of a open pickup to help others in the rural campo) ¨you either ´get Guatemala´ or you don´t¨-- clearly many don´t as they rush to the airport to get back to wherever and whatever it is that they think will give them security, purity and Macy´s.
Interestingly most everyone from the smallest child to the village elders have wonderful manners, welcoming smiles and the appearance of vertical congeniality-- sometimes the smiles, the nodding in agreement, the outward ¨signs¨ of everyday respect are covering anger, social resentments,fresh injustice and unthinkable pain-- gives real meaning to being in a
¨crucified place.¨
So many ¨foreigners¨ do much good in Guatemala...the place is a beehive with activists bringing books, libraries, clinics, doctors, dentists and everyday gooddoers to even the smallest of communities-- missions of love, caring and sharing that are rewarded with seeing new opportunities which offer new paths in life, some offer life itself-- some offer hope, just for today or forever...here:
HERE
leonardo --for the life of me i still cannot figure out how to type properly on your guatemalan keyboard, so please forgive my unpunctual self ---yo doy gracias a dios para ustedes aqui in la ciudad del volcanos, siempre. muchas gracias por me ayudo mi corazon en este tiempe. mi espanol es muy pobre, pero ustedes son mi hermanos, por los siglos y los siglos.
What a lovely post from down there South of them border(s) way past Mexico way...ole´, Leonardo. I love that phrase. It's a classic. margaret is truly a lovely erupting volcano herself, isn't she? I know you three are having fun, fun, fun, and I'm jealous, jealous, jealous.
margaret, your Spanish looks mighty good to me, but what do I know? (literally)
Continue to share joy and love with each other and learn, learn, learn, margaret.
Love and blessings.
I am so excited you all got to share the same geographic space! Woo hoo!
and think of it, a priest in the house!! I´ll be expecting you too K! You´re the type.
Abrazos,
Leonardo
P.S. So glad you´ve made it through the nasty storms.
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