Living at the Center and working with children and adults with special needs means that I visit a lot of people each day. Both at the Center and during those home-visits there are often things that people say that stick in my mind. So here are some of the phrases that I love to hear! · ¿Leemos libros? “We’re reading books?” the enthusiastic boy yells as he is racing up the path toward the Center (more than two hours before the morning education program begins). He knows that inside a giant box are many, many children’s books – a special treat since there are few books to read at home. · ¿Me acompañes? “Will you come along with me?” says a community midwife who is on her way to visit a newborn baby and her mother. I take notes as she weighs the baby, takes her footprint, and bathes the newborn, washing her gentle skin with care. · Si puedo, “Yes I can,” softly mumbles a three year old child who born with a cleft lip, he recently discovered how to inflate a balloon all on his own! His four siblings giggle with delight as the colorful balloon swells in size. When their brother releases it from his tiny fingers, the “globo” suddenly deflates, twirling in the air and making a silly noise as it drops to the ground. · Pienso en mucho… “I think about a lot of things…” a middle-aged woman thoughtfully mentions when I ask about she’s been up to these days. We know that rheumatoid arthritis at age 51 isn’t fair but it’s not the end. Physical limitations aside, she lives out what it means to have a stronger, healthier life by dreaming, imagining, and gradually realizing the possibilities ahead. Words and phrases like these are so powerful. Through the telling of people’s stories, I’ve been allowed to enter a bit more into their lives – and I too am sharing more of my story with others. This has been a good step in building relationships. And there are also special moments when there are no words. Lately the times when I feel spoken to the most are when I’m working with a teenager who is deaf. Often this young woman will stop whatever she is doing and glance down, noticing the warmth of the sunlight as it reflects off of her chair and touches her elbow. It took me a few times to realize that she isn’t distracted from her work but instead she’s appreciating the sensory things that I would otherwise miss! During our visits together, she teaches me to recognize and take pleasure in these things such as sunlight, a light breeze, warmth, textures, bright colors, and more. What used to seem ordinary is transformed into an exciting and beautiful moment to behold. It’s an honor to walk together with people who dare to dream big! In this process I’m also learning to be more aware of my own dreams and abilities; especially how to Be, fully in the moment; Feel, deeply, as in the marrow of my bones; Connect with what is in my heart; and finally Listen to the gentle rustling breeze of where, when, and how the Spirit is most present. Words, spoken or not, are the most unexpected gifts where life seems all the more real and the way it’s supposed to be. I wonder, Isn’t this what we call grace? 
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Winding, winding, winding Up, up, up Down, down, down. “Donde vas Katie?” Is what I hear when I pass by a dear one along the street, I point up toward the top of the steep hill where more women are sweeping, Paving the road in front of their homes for beauty.  Graffiti-stained concrete and beauty, There are lies sprayed across a corner wall, And gently laid flowers An eary symbol that Truth exists. Truth remains Not hidden entirely, Only enough to miss seeing it.  Aware, inspired, empowered By the rarity that exists within the cycle Resisting briefly Reality, like my gut then, is turned on its own. Freshly swept Green leaves dotted with deep yellow marigolds Bright magenta colored bougainvilleas Wrap the narrow pathway  Paving the roads for this kind of beauty,
That goes… Winding, winding, winding Up, up, up Down, down, down. | AuthorI'm a 2009-2010 ELCA YAGM in Mexico, spending time in mission, service, and living in community. ArchivesJuly 2010 Categories |
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