God gave me the best gift I could have possibly imagined: my mom came
to visit me this past week! He worked through some very very generous
people to make my prayer to Him a reality. I don't really know where to
start with blogging and picturing and all of that, because she was here
for a whole week, and we did so much and I lived so much and smiled so
much that it would be impossible to catalog it all. I guess I can give
some bare bones details and a scattergun smattering of words, pictures
and phrases that may seem random or simple, but that created the best
week I could have dreamed of. |
| This is us in front of the Grand Hotel in San Jose, we had the BEST spiced coffee and a live pianist that played all kinds of songs that we requested. It was beyond lovey :) |
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| Jenga in the park! This is me winning...;) |
The facts: Friday morning I went and picked up mom at the
airport--the most anticipated and LONGEST morning of my stay here. Time
drags when you are waiting :) Well, she finally came, and there were
tears to be sure. We hung out in Alajuela and she spoiled me. We
stayed in a hotel there and left the next morning for San Jose, found a
hostel there and then explored all day (insert more spoiling here),
{also insert that she is an amazingly fun person that I just love being
around, no matter what we are doing}, the next next morning we went back
to Puntarenas where she lived the next week of life with me, doing
everything as I do, eating here in the house, going to school, running
to the post office to vote (woo hoo!), and then friday I took her back
to the airport and watched her walk away. Security guard says to me:
"no lloras jovensita" dont cry little one. Good luck with that!
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| Alajuela (where the airport is) in front of a fountain |
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| We had a TON of fun, there was a lot of laughter. Which I hear is the best medicine. |
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| She is so beautiful. |
Here comes the smattering: Carlos our taxi driver in Alajuela, that hotel with the sinky bed, frightening front desk worker and amazing coffee, exploring Alejuela, cool breezes, San Jose!, our great taxi driver and psychedelic hostel Pangea, roomie Deborah (50+, single writer traveling the world, convinced she was being poisoned by cilantro), pizza! KFC! AMAZING Irish Frappe in Puntarenas, DELICOUS fresa colada smoothy. She spoiled me so much. Warm cinnamon bread and coffee for breakfast and supper in the park by the National Theatre, the Grand Hotel and live piano music with our spiced cappuccinos, an HILARIOUSLY fun time full of laughter in the ocean in Puntarenas, walking on the beach at night, touring Puntarenas, our "movie night" documentary about Mr. Brain Wash, going to class, dealing with taxi robbery, Trigo y Miel our little bistro, games in the park, and just all of the time we had to talk and relax and just be.
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| Our hostel in San Jose was extremely psychedelic...and strange, but it turned out to be a really nice place to stay |
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| Hostel from the outside. If this were a neighborhood in the US we would have turned the other way and RAN, but...things are different here |
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| Sunset in Puntarenas. |
Mom's being here was like this sunset for me, it began a new "day",so to speak. I feel ready to face tomorrow. She came at a really tough time as far as stress and having to deal with money issues back in the states, but that made it all the more wonderful for me, having that support. She is so patient with me. I definitely do not deserve a mom like her. I love her so much, I can't even express it. Talking with her helped me center on my goals, and realize some things that God is teaching me through this experience. I want to be the type of person that has learned these lessons, with the qualities that they produce, and so therefore, I really can be thankful for the stuff in my life (that I don't enjoy) that is teaching me. I can also be thankful that the things and people teaching me are not a permanent factor in my life, I will be leaving them in 5 weeks.
Oh, in quick summary, through Lucre's eyes:
Julie=Queen Elizabeth, sweet, kind, appreciative, loves the cooking, thin, beautiful and angelic
Hooray! She like mom! In juxtoposition, my wonderful mom mad Lucre preplexed as to how I turned out how I did. One lesson I am learning is how to accept criticism and the disapproval of man. I am used to being able to ingratiate myself (and it is not working here at all).
God is the Giver of good gifts. I am thankful beyond words. I cannot believe how blessed I am. Really. Wow.
Erin, this is wonderful on a level I cannot imagine. It really is incredible that this happened, as a prayer I have been saying for you for a couple weeks now is that you would get a time of break and rest. To have your mom come down, that is beyond what I could have thought of. God truly is gracious and giving-at-just-the-right-time beyond belief. Thank you for sharing this.
ReplyDeleteYour Mom really enjoyed spending the time with you as well. A comment both of you made reminded me of a story. One of the first years we returned to Rice Lake, Jill our host, made the comment that I was very pastey (pale)and told me I better put on sunscreen. Knowing her British upbringing and culture differences, I chose to ignore her comment rather than take it to heart. Yes, I am very fair, especially if I havent been out in the sun much. So in a round about way, what she said was true. Fast forward to a year ago, I told her about the pastey thing and how the kids like to tease me. You know you are pastey mom. Jill was mortified and appologized for being so insensitive. I told her I was not offended and the kids got a good laugh. There are many things that are lost in translation in culture and language. It is also easy to be nice for a short time(as with your mom's visit), but harder when the guest stays 24/7. I may ask around and find out what is the way someone would give a compliment. It would be an eye opening experience if she was following the culturally accepted practice.
ReplyDeleteAlso, maybe there is something subtle you are doing or not doing, purely unintentional, that would make a big difference in the way you are perceived. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God who gives generously to all with out finding fault. He can also give you the grace to follow through.
I am sure that you can do some act of kindness to show your appreciation for taking care of you while you were sick - love languages here - touch (hugs), words of encouragement (notes or compliments), gifts(sometimes just flowers picked up on the way home from school),acts of service or quality time. Do you know what hers is?
Remember to review some of the scriptures I sent with you. I really felt led to do so and wondered why they were so heavy. Now I can see God was preparing you for your time there. Eph 6:10. Stand Firm. Love Aunt Cindy
I am sure that the previous students have acted more like your fellow students than you. Having a nice Christian girl has probably been a relief.
thanks for all of the support and encouragement...and the role you played in making sure mom was able to arrive fresh and full of energy. I feel so loved :)
DeleteYour point about finding Lucre's love language was a really good one, and it has gotten my wheels turning. Thanks Aunt Cindy :)
I am so happy for you, that your mom was able to visit and refresh your spirits in a way that only an in-person interaction can do! Moms have a way of knowing just what to do and say, don't they?!
ReplyDeleteSending lots of hugs and blessings for you! =)
Colleen this is belated, but thank you for reading and commenting on my blog...it really means a lot to me :)
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