I'm in what I am going to start calling "Oasis" days. AKA Sabbaths. In my "regular" life at home, I schedule these weekly, but on the road they are a bit more unpredictable.
Today is the capstone of my oasis. I slept in a bit, had my all-time favorite breakfast (tortillas con quesillo, chimol, and una tazota de cafe con dos gotitas de leche), then got unpacked, went for a long run/walk in the football field in the perfect seventy-five degree breezy sunny weather. Now I'm sitting on the balcony, staring at the natural beauty of the mountains, the sky, and the hot pink flower tree and the brilliantly orange flower tree. Aaaaaahhhhhhhh. I went to a Honduran small group last night, and spent a good time with the Lord this morning. Double Aaaaaahhhhhhh. Oh, and after my run/walk, I showered in a fantastic hot shower, blew my hair dry, and dressed in clean, good-smelling fresh clothes for the first time in two days. Aaaaaahhhhh. The big and little things that just make life enjoyable. May I never take them for granted.
The last few days have been a bit of an oasis as well. I went to Trujillo on the coast, and after the rain cleared on Monday had a wonderful afternoon on the beach, and several delicious Honduran meals while there. The next day I spent the afternoon on the beach in Tela. Two different tropical beaches in two days. Tough, but somebody's got to do it. Tuesday night we had dinner up in a restaurant where we watched the sun set and the ocean lap the shore of Tela in the twilight while we devoured garlic shrimp spaghetti. Mmmmmmm.
Wednesday we went to the airport, and I went to the mall for the afternoon. I spent the evening watching soccer (USA won, Honduras lost) and spent the night with Cesia. Yesterday the leaders for the next three weeks came down, and we came back to Siguat, followed up by this bomb-diggity of a morning.
This last week, as I have yo-yo'd from seeing poverty to seeing beauty and back, I have decided that I want to live generously. What is living generously? I think we need to live with open hands and eyes. Clutching at nothing. Receiving the good gifts that come. Seeking to give good gifts to others in need. I want to keep my eyes and hands open, to miss neither the gifts that come, nor the opportunities to give. Pray that I may do that!
