Thankful

We are thankful

for earth

and sky;

for trees




and ocean;

for rainfall


and volcanic sand;


for cats


and dogs;


for music


and dancing;


for learning

and storytelling;


for chocolate that comes from trees

and ice cream that is best shared;


for family

and friends.

We are especially grateful this year

for lives well lived




and for new life.











We give thanks to the
Heart of the Earth,
Heart of the Sky

for wisdom

for wonder

for joy

and for love

love

love.

Day of the Dead in SMT

We visited Santa Maria for the Day of the Dead (Nov. 1st).

The big change is that the village has electricity now! Here's my brother-in-law installing a light for the pila (wash basin). Nighttime will no longer provide an excuse for putting off dish-washing!

Collecting flowers with Abuelito (Grandfather):

Feeding the poultry:

Walking to the cemetery to visit deceased loved ones:

The brightly decorated graves, including the gravestone of Edwin's aunt, who was killed by the Guatemalan army in 1982:

Back at Edwin's parents' house, the altar in honor of our beloved dead, including pictures of our recently deceased grandmothers, along with offerings of squash and fruit:

A cool bug

Enjoying the very last crumbs

Some friends came to visit recently.

They brought a delicious cake.

We ate plenty right then, but the next day the kids uncovered the box.

They decided they needed to do a thorough job of scraping and licking it to get every last crumb.

Mmmm!