Wandering

I am wandering
in the pre-dawn light
of a cloudy day.
for I am not in total darkness,
but I have not come into full being
or understanding.
it is grey. and dim.

But
when the sun does finally rise,
it will be all the more glorious
for the clouds.
They may obscure the light
delay the daybreak

and make the search for truth more difficult,
But the most beautiful sunrises occur
when the clouds are illuminated
in hues
of pink, orange, and purple,
yellow against steel blue
And we revel in God,
the light of life.

Swinging with God

Here's a poem I wrote in El Pino after watching a young girl on a swing:

It only takes a few pumps of the legs
and arms
and then you're off.

Sometimes,
when you're small,
a push from a parent helps.
sometimes all it takes is a friend
your same age.

Arms, legs, and body working together,
you ride higher
and begin to soar.

Then, you can relax into the rhythm
and enjoy your flight
on the wings of the spirit.

When you descend,
calmly
back to solid ground
and dismount--
perhaps with a leap of joy--
your life goes on
and the swing stays behind,
swaying
waiting to carry its next soul
to freedom.

back to the mountain

so now it's back to the mountain with my sister. while Beth was here, I kind of felt like I was in a holding pattern, waiting for her leave so my experience could really begin. For the first 2 weeks it was mostly just me following their lead, tagging along--which felt appropriate, but I was getting tired of it. the dynamic will be very different with her gone, with just my sister and I. I'm looking forward to it, and hope we can get along without getting sick of each other for the next 6 weeks! We'll be back in town in a few weeks and I'll write more updates then. For now, you can look at my pictures on facebook: http://stolaf.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2037363&l=d5e68&id=40401366

adios, beth

We are in El Pino and La Ceiba to see Beth off for her trip to the States. That means that we traveled to El Pino on Monday and spent the night here, before putting Beth on the bus bright and early Tuesday morning. Prairie and I spent Tuesday and Wednesday mornings helping with the children's feeding and pre-school program that the El Pino Methodist church runs. Tuesday was their first day. Hah! What chaos! First, we helped sort beans. Then, the kids arrived and immediately started crying and yelling because they didn't want their mommies to leave. I had planned to help out in the classroom with the 5 and 6 year-olds, since I have more experience with children age 6 and up. Well, the teacher asked me if I could help with the 3-year-olds instead (of which there were 15), because it was their teacher's very first day ever and she could use the help! So I did. Or at least, I tried. I didn't really know what to help her with though, since she wasn't giving any instructions. So mostly I just tried to comfort the five children who wouldn't stop crying--I succeeded with one of them! The same thing pretty much happened on Wednesday, although not as many children were crying as loudly for as long of a time. One sobbing little boy peed on the floor. And when I picked him up for a moment on our way to lunch, I discovered a stinky mess on his leg--and then on my dress... It was frustrating to see how little control the teachers had over the children, especially the one I was working with, who seemed at a loss for what to do. She'll be in my thoughts as the program continues...

the sound of water

I like the way the water tank sings as droplets fall into it. Each one has a different sound that rings, as if in a great silent chamber, a cathedral, or a cave; a holy place.