We left Nicaragua on June 12th. for El Salvador to our oldest son home. We then went to Guatemala on Saturday the 14th. On June 15th. we celebrated with 5 of our grandchildren, 2 of our sons and 2 daugthers in law (love) our 46th. wedding anniversary.
On June 16th. we went to a basketball game to see our son Victor leading, as usual, his team to victory. And then, June 17th. came and we were led, Victor and I, to the swankiest bowling alley, restaurant and else in the city, blindfolded, by our family, to celebrate Fathers Day.
After playing, adults and children alike, we realized that many friends of ours, from 1980 on, the ones who opened their arms to us when we came to Guatemala, were participating in a seniors bowling tournament!
We joined them and we were all together in joy, laughter and celebration as if 28 years living and friendship had started just the day before.
So many years ago political exile gave you a kind of social prestige to build upon.
Now, there was a more meaningful Christian lot to share. And our friends were as nice and open as before and shared back with us all the family affairs that came and went while we were separated as the close circle of friends we have always been.
This is Our Lord! The Lord of the times! The Lord of love, friendships and circumstances! The Lord of everything! The Lord of adults, adolescents and children alike!
That night, after going back home, late at night I could not sleep and I continued reading the book that my dearest friends Earl and Olive Alexander had sent me.
A book about a little 5 inches tall purple dragon who lived through all sorts of times and circumstances in the Old and New Russia. A little dragon, by the name of Dmitri, who after many hardships and changes lived from camp to camp among hardened soldiers.
And I read... And I realized... that the little dragon, Dmitri, was everyone of us who decided to serve the Lord! Little dragons, not taller than just 5 inches long! Why? So we do not loose sight of our limitations and the wondrous omniscience of the Lord!
We could certainly ask... What was the purpose of being made so small? So we realize that all we can do is to bear witness to Him, on behalf of Him, before the people of the world, by being who we are, just we, humble servants of the Lord, moved from camp to camp through circumstances and people.
And what I read that night was this... "Dmitri was ready now to tell the young soldier what the little dragon knwe about God. He began: You know that He is Creator. the bad lords that you talked about owned a little land. He owns everything. That makes Him the Lord God.
But men want to do whatever they want to do, even evil, evil things. Many, many men hate having a Lord, even a kind Lord, so they run away from him. But He made the way for men to come back to Him and to be with Him. The old priest taught me this.
My friend the priest, the one who died, called Him "The Good Lord" as well as "The Lord God". He is good, theGood Lord, our Lord God".
And do you know what? I had been using as page finder a card and a notebook page letter that Juanita, our oldest girl from the childrens´homes, who is actually finishing her College first semester of Psychology, had given my wife the night before the morning when we left, our until then, Las Palmas Girls Home, to start our new retirement phase (we had been retired before, and we will until called back again to action by Our Lord God).
I had to read it again! These are Juanita ´s words! I cannot resist to share them! they are so point blank a message from the Lord!
I want, by sharing them, tell Juanita and all the boys and girls, younger boys and girls, too. that the Lord is a Good Lord! that He is a Lord God! That He will be Their Lord God and Good Lord forever, rain or shine, in joy and sadness, despite any circumstance in their lives.
And that?... what for?... To show them His Grace, Mercy, Love and Care, He will use time, circumstances, people, to take them through life paths to their encounter with Him.
As I said in my last blogger posting, it is hard to forget the loved ones. As God is a God of Love He has put this love as a longing in our hearts! Before we longed for our blood and flesh children! now we will long for the ones we have left behind, but with the sure comfort of knowing that He knows how to love much, much better than us.
Thanks, Juanita, for your heartfelt words!
The card: Grandpa and Grandma: I love you a lot but I will not wake up to say good bye to you because I will not be able to bear to see you going off knowing you will never come back to our home as before when you went on your normal trips. Bye and have a good time. I love you. Juana.
12/06/08. Thanks for all... you are really very charming persons! Thanks to you I am happy today walking through a College corridors! May God pour great and abundant blessings upon you and your family! God bless you! you will always be my "abuelitos!
Remember: Never add interrogations marks when God has already posted final dots!
Life is a theater play with no rehearsals! So.. Laugh! Love! Live fully every moment of your life before the curtains come down and the live play ends without applauses!
Love is above everything else to desire the loved ones happiness even if implies no seeing them again! From Juana María Gutierrez E. To the Abuelitos.
The letter: Abuelitos... Thanks for everything. You have really been part of my life and you will continue to be! I do not regret at all having met you both! You were the ones who gave me what I needed to keep ahead and become what I have always dreamed!
May God bless you infinately! I love you a lot and you do not imagine the profound sadness I feel when saying good bye and separating from you. but I have faith in God that in a not far away future we will be together again. Do not forget me! Keep me and take me with you in your hearts! Forget the bad times I was part of! Remember the good ones we lived together!
I hope to have you with me when I graduate because thanks to your planted before sacrifices in my life I will do it. I know you will be happy with your family but do not forget us all those who still need a lot here in Nicaragua.
I will always remember you and I also hope to visit you. Enjoy a lot! Enjoy what you missed all these past 6 years! Share what you learnt here with other people but most than else take care of yourselves as a couple! Rest! You deserve it!
Thanks, again! give my regards to your family! and I hope if I ever need your support again I will have it! I am sure of it! Take care of yourselves a lot, and if I ever decide to start a family you will be the ones who will hand me to my future husband with veil and crown (a virginal wife to be). OK? I truly love you, abuelitos!
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Thanks, again, it is my turn to say. And now, after a thorough sauna, deep massage and chiropractid adjustement to relieve all the last months and years accumulated stress we are leaving our son´s cozy home, back to another basketball game and victory, and back to more warm and happy exhanges with our friends, in a nice and cool, almost cold Guatemala night!
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