October 15, 2010

liquid red

it's official:

the rains have begun!

i love it!

today we had to take cover by the bank 

while torrents of rain fell from the sky

many people were huddled under the overhang at the bank

trapped, so to speak

at one point i thought we would get flooded out as the water

level rose to the place where we were standing

one lady who has lived on the island all her life

said that this rainy season is like the old days

it used to be that all of october would be steady rain

day after day after day

i was grateful that ida, our friend,

chose today to set up her BBQ and sell

chicken, pork, beef, potato salad, refried beans, and tortillas

it was a good place to hang out, while trapped,

and have a good lunch.

unfortunately a thoughtless guy in a truck

drove by full speed and drenched us all.

crazy guy!

the rain was coming down so hard that these people were all standing by the door sweeping the water away so it wouldn't come into the clinic!

once we got home i was grateful to have a hot shower

and warm tea

i often think about the people who don't have electricity or running water

how do they warm up?

or stay dry?

just another thing to be thankful for....

October 14, 2010

sweet rain

our rainy season has officially begun.
it is wonderful!
after months and months of  high temperatures and high humidity
we welcome the 
sweet rain...


the wonderful thing about the rainy season in roatan
is that it isn't like a typical winter in canada
where once it snow it stays cold for 5 months


we get rain
but not every day
and it doesn't last every day either
sometimes it will only rain in the night
and the days will be sunny and cool
with the most amazing breezes coming off the sea


i love the rainy season here!
i wait for it!!


it is a time for long walks,
a time for doing indoor jobs like cleaning ,
for baking 
yesterday i made peanut butter cookies 
(from homemade peanut butter)
and 2 pumpkin pies.

delicious!!

and the gardening in the rainy season
is a wonder to behold!
seriously, everything grows so fast!
it is remarkable.
i have been transplanting from cuttings and they
are getting buds and even flowers within a week.
i love it!
yesterday bob and i went to island shipping to pick up 
a shipment of food for the needy.

thought you'd like to see how food is transported!

as i was wandering around the property i saw
little plants in black plastic bags along the side of the building
they looked like they had been there for months and months
as most were very unhealthy or lanky looking
so i asked if i could buy some.


it was quite funny because the 'watchie' wasn't able to quote a price for the plants
so i said 50L for two plants and he happily took that
seeing that i had a wonderful opportunity before me
(and they were half dead anyways)
i offered him 20L (about a dollar)
for another one and he agreed happily.
that could mean a couple of baleadas and a drink for him.


we both went away happy
once home
carlos and i wandered throughout the garden,
in the rain,
the sweet rain,
for a good long time
checking our 'babies',
pleased at their growth


yes we stood in the rain for a good long time
enjoying every minute of it

refreshed

October 13, 2010

a tribute to the miners

i have had the tv on most of the day 

watching, praying, believing for these men who have

been trapped and yet from the obvious evidence of their faith expressed

i think perhaps have lived down in the bowels of the earth

freer then most of us.

i have blogged about it on my other blog if you want to read it

a tribute

October 12, 2010

hammock for sale

every day that the cruise ship comes in

the island gets hyped up about the influx

of tourists landing for a day at our shores

from the top floor of the cruise ship they can see the beautiful colors of the coral,

they see the green hills with palm trees waving hello

as people get off the ship they see the garifuna dancers dancing on the dock

being that it is our rainy season  i hope they see some sunshine, and turquoise blue water

many islanders are hopeful to get someone to take a tour with them

so you see line ups of tour guides vying for your business,

as well as taxi drivers,

and independent tour guides,

you have girls who want to braid your hair,

you have little children who tag along giving you a walking tour

it can be noisy and overwhelming

the shops that are empty all week are now loaded with

t-shirts, souvenirs, hammocks, earrings, vanilla and coconut jewelry

everyone is hopeful

bob and i  go to the made in roatan shop on cruise ship days

and hopefully are able to sell paintings or carvings or jewelry

for our friends.

it isn't a business for us,

it is non profit

it is a gift that regularly blesses us to meet new people and to share

the wonderful joy of 'giving' and thinking about others

we hope we 'rub off' on someone else and they will start thinking about the poor amongst them

today was a good day at the shop

and yes

the hammock sold!

zavala, the man across the street was so happy that the hammock

sold

it mattered to him since he only made one other sale all day

so i want to say thanks to this young girl for buying it

you made his day!

you did.

in fact many people tonight are celebrating, 

not in the way we think like eating out in a restaurant

or going shopping at the mall

but they are celebrating making it through another day

having enough to buy their family dinner that night

or to pay their electric bill

or buy shoes for their kids

either way,

i know they are smiling

thanks to those of you who come to the island

i hope you realize what a difference you make by coming

you made someone make it through another day

God bless you all.

October 11, 2010

 

blushing sky

we went to seadancer to see the sunset

and it was rather uneventful so we went

in to visit dee and dan

while we were chatting at their place i looked out the window

and saw this amazing pinkish hue across the sky

i ran out (yes literally) with my camera

and captured this

it just goes to show that sometimes we don't wait long enough

for the good to come.

i gave up too soon for the sunset

it just got better and better and better

we enjoyed this glorious ending to the day 

and then went to west end for pizza

at pura vida

a wonderful way to end the day!!

October 10, 2010

happy thanksgiving

welcome to my world

when you don't have family near by you have to make family

this is my roatan family

carlos, the young man in the green shirt is our gardener

and we have definitely 'adopted' him

and have grown to love his family too

we had such a wonderful time together

sharing, laughing, stumbling through spanish/english together

but all the while extending our hearts and hands to each other.

it was a very special time

with too much food, lots of cake (not pie as they don't like that as much)

and lots and lots of laughter!

kendi the girl in the front came to the house a few hours early 

and helped me stuff the bird, peel veggies

and we made name cards for everyone

i taught her to stamp and emboss and she loved that!

we put a bible verse on the inside of each card 

and during the dinner everyone read it

we expressed what we are thankful for

i was so overcome with emotion that tears welled up in my eyes

those of you who know me well, realize how hard it is for me to not have family nearby

so to have these special people gathered around my table was really wonderful.

i realize that class, language, color doesn't matter one bit when 

love is expressed and shared.

it really doesn't matter at all

i am thankful

so thankful

for His unending love,

for my family across the globe

for my family near at hand

for friends who know me and still love me

and for a husband who still whistled at me when i dress up nice.

i am blessed.

happy thanksgiving.