September 11, 2004
Tom Grows Old, and Abe Comes to Comfort Him
I (Tom) felt very loved on my birthday last Thursday. It started with 24
kisses and a love letter from my wife. At school Ester and the eighth
graders made a card, a cake, and some lemonade; and had a hilarious round of
toasts, in which a number of students shyly said how they loved me and hoped
that God blessed me and my wife and gave me muchos años mas – many more
years. After school, Kelly took me to the butterfly museum in La Ceiba,
which is the most amazing collection of carcasses I have ever seen. Then we
drove to the airport to pick up my brother Abe, who visited us for the
weekend. When we returned to the campus, there was a special birthday
dinner (lasagna and apple pie!). And then I opened gifts – oatmeal,
oatmeal soap, a mug, and an assortment of things from stateside family. I
usually suppress expectations of feeling special on my birthday, but I was
much loved this day. Thanks everyone who made it that way.
Abe’s visit was short but dulce. We played a lot of music at the school,
for the discipleship group, and with our friend Juan from the mountains (a
singer-songwriter himself). We saw the ocean, visited the Ramirez family in
La Muralla, fed the rabbits, swam in the river and the brook, and saw the
violent destruction of two piñatas. You can keep an eye on his weblog, Noli
Tangere where he may post some of his own reflections and photos. Thanks for making the trip, brother.
