A beautiful, beautiful experience today. I heard the Lord say, "Open up--eyes, ears, skin--let everything in that I have for you." As I did that today, I experienced more personal freedom than I ever have before. Everything to me was beautiful, welcome, happy. I observed how others were feeling, much more than usual (usually I FEEL what others are feeling, or what they seem to be feeling). We went to the beach at San Lorenzo--quite beautiful, with similar scenery to Big Sur in California. The Rodriguez family is one we have come to love--very warm, very happy, with lots of big smiles and laughter, especially Washington, the father, and Samuel, the three-year-old son. However, the 14-year-old son and 16-year-old daughter were happy to sit together in the front seat and look over each other's shoulder at cell phone photos. Alba, a beautiful woman, mother of three, sat in the back with Samuel, me and Vincent.
There were so many things that reminded me of my childhood this day, but what happened was different from how it was back then. We would have been so worried about getting the (borrowed) car dirty and sandy and wet that we wouldn't have had a good time. We would have been fending each other off as one climbed over the other, heedless of accidental blows to the head. I would have been wishing to be anywhere else. All of this was different, because I was different. An incredible gift, to get to "do childhood over" in one day.
At San Lorenzo, the waves were quite strong with a heavy undertow, so we just got wet in the extremely pleasant water and walked about 3/4 mile along the beach. Then we drove closer to Manta (tuna fishing capital of the world, which would have enthralled my dad) and stopped at Santa Marianita, also a beautiful beach, but with much tamer waves, breaking in shallow water. So much fun to remember the many happy times in the sea, and to heal the sad ones.
When we returned today, the house was full with neighbors and friends--coming together every Sunday night--some of the family make fruit drinks and the others come to buy them. Some spoke a little English, and it was fun to try to separate truth from falsehoods as our host teased his friends, calling them, Sr. Lie, and telling us they were tourist guides. We fell for it of course, but it was all in fun, as Washington said, they were "mentiras blancas."
Going to bed tonight happy and calm, ready to return to Santo Domingo and finish the last couple of legs of our journey. Thank you everyone, for being in my life, for the immense gift it is to know you.
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