for Erika

Happy Birthday, Erika!!

I´m sorry that I´m not there with you to celebrate your life, but I am certainly with you in spirit. I´m thinking about you, praying for you, and missing you terribly. I wear our sisters bracelet every day. I love you.

I encourage you all to send a nice message of birthday cheer to my sister!

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A short update, just some thoughts. My health has improved some, in that I am not having sharp pains that send me to the hospital, but I´m still having problems. I definitely was in a funk from all the hospital visits and such, but I feel myself coming out of that funk, keeping perspective and relaxing a bit. I mean, we all always have problems going on, shit happens (except not for me.... I just want to poop!!). And while I´m still actively trying to fix the problems of my gastrointestinal health, worrying about it doesn´t help anything. Happiness is often a choice, almost always a choice. So I am choosing to be happy.

I´ve been in Peru now for a month, and in just one more week Nate, Gabe, and Cara finish their time as JV´s. Well, Cara is coming back for another year, and Gabe and Nate are going to travel a bit before going back home, but in a very real way they are saying goodbye to this place. I am reminded of my own painful goodbye. I am praying for them all.


a sacred silence.