July 22, 2008
Guaymas has been my July destination, on and off, for 11 years. It is challenging sometimes to pick out little moments when so much has passed, when we have seen so much.
The unusual becomes common.
Amazingly enough you almost don’t even notice the poverty.
The kids look dressed for a day of summer camp, mostly dressed like kids at home. As I look more closely at those waiting to get into class, I remind myself that the messages on t-shirts are in the English of donated apparel from north of the border. The kids often have no idea what their own shirt says.
Next to their Sunday best, those clothes are the nicest ones they own.
Sometimes those are their Sunday best.
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With a little help from my friend.
Luz Marie reached over to coach her friend Paola, who colored the sandal shapes stenciled on the white parts of her new beach ball. It seemed as if she needed a little help. After a while Paola returned the favor.
I wondered if they were so close as friends that they were trying to create identical artwork. For 20 minutes I watched as they traded tips, helping each other in the way of best friends.
At the end, however, they had each created independently unique versions.
In other beach ball news:
Jesus colored his beach ball according to expression.
When he used a red marker, he pressed his lower teeth into his upper lip; purple brought a twist of his lips the left. With orange, he wore the perennial favorite expression, his tongue between the lips. (okay, I was recently caught with a similar expression while focusing on a photograph)
The removal of a pen cap, tight with newness, brought a look of consternation.
On thing remained constant: his focus.
I can only wonder whether he had an emotional storm going on inside, only because he changed colors often, and so his expression changed often, until the spell was interrupted by Community Circle.
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Guaymas has been my July destination, on and off, for 11 years. It is challenging sometimes to pick out little moments when so much has passed, when we have seen so much.
The unusual becomes common.
Amazingly enough you almost don’t even notice the poverty.
The kids look dressed for a day of summer camp, mostly dressed like kids at home. As I look more closely at those waiting to get into class, I remind myself that the messages on t-shirts are in the English of donated apparel from north of the border. The kids often have no idea what their own shirt says.
Next to their Sunday best, those clothes are the nicest ones they own.
Sometimes those are their Sunday best.
--------
With a little help from my friend.Luz Marie reached over to coach her friend Paola, who colored the sandal shapes stenciled on the white parts of her new beach ball. It seemed as if she needed a little help. After a while Paola returned the favor.
I wondered if they were so close as friends that they were trying to create identical artwork. For 20 minutes I watched as they traded tips, helping each other in the way of best friends.
At the end, however, they had each created independently unique versions.
In other beach ball news:
Jesus colored his beach ball according to expression.
When he used a red marker, he pressed his lower teeth into his upper lip; purple brought a twist of his lips the left. With orange, he wore the perennial favorite expression, his tongue between the lips. (okay, I was recently caught with a similar expression while focusing on a photograph)
The removal of a pen cap, tight with newness, brought a look of consternation.
On thing remained constant: his focus.
I can only wonder whether he had an emotional storm going on inside, only because he changed colors often, and so his expression changed often, until the spell was interrupted by Community Circle.
-----------
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