Friday, January 27, 2017
10 Months
Little Miss Molly is now 10 months old. She is full of personality and is happy and smiling. She is eating anything she can find, and is walking around furniture and with holding hands. She still prefers to crawl because it is much faster. She is content to take everything out of the diaper bag and play with it, especially if it makes noise or if she can somehow open the wipes and eat them.
Friday, January 6, 2017
Anniversary...7 years later!
We are quickly coming up on the 7 year anniversary of the earthquake in Haiti. After traveling there in October I have seen new buildings and small changes, but the piles of rubble, the daily constant reminder of all that happened that day still exist for the lives of the people in Haiti. Since returning home I have kept in contact with some of my new friends, I asked my interpreter if he would share his story of that day. He was a little reluctant and I must have caught him in a good mood, because he wrote a beautiful story of what that day was like for him. He has a very giving and generous heart, I saw that about him while I was there, and you can see it in his story. He asked me to edit and fix his English as you can see he is pretty good with the English language and I did not fix anything, I wanted it to be all his words. Thank you Marco!
Life and love are gifts from the mightiest God of all and our creator. So priceless that he sent his unique son on the cross to save everyone's life. And like the bible says, what it's to man to have
everything, charms, money, beauty, fame if he lost his eternal life, in other words love life more than everything on earth. And, that's exactly what I believe in. I believe that life is precious and that
we should share the love to everyone we meet cause we all need to live and love till our last breath cuz we never know when that will be.
And it's so true, that day I woke up by a calm and sunny day, I decided to go to the beach so I can spend a good time renewing with these feelings that I have been missing for almost a year being in the Dominican Republic for studies. My parents didn't want me to come back, they would prefer that I stay there continuing my studies and have a better life. But, even though they were right, and that I had conscience of the so called mistake, all I had in my head was to be in my country and with my family. And that day was one of the few enjoyable ones since I have been back in the country. After a cool, enjoyable and relaxing journey with the sun and the water, the jokes and the laughs of the lovely people that I met this very same day. I take the road heading home laughing and happy that I had a such a nice day. My kid and wife were waiting for me, it was dinner and they were waiting for me so we can eat all together. I was setting the table and she was bringing in food and Buddy, my son, was playing with Prince and Princess our chihuahuas Everything was still ok, it was just a normal day till then. When suddenly the ground started to shake.
The shaking was so violent, so violent that the tv and radio set the glasses fell down and crashed on the ground just like the wall of our house. Both Buddy and Sandra, my wife, were afraid so afraid that they were crying, kneeling and holding my legs like they were seeing death in a person. And just as a man does, I was pretending to not be scared, but deeply inside I was more than afraid, they were my family and all my life had been built around them. Loosing them would be too much. So, silently I was imploring God to save them. And fortunately it was just a couple of seconds, but left over was an entire life broken, smashed and collapsed. But through that sorrow and ruin we were happy, happy that we were alive and safe. Everybody was out in the hood, talking, crying, praying after that unnatural phenomenon.
And a few minutes after, while we all still were gathering and wrapping in our desolation full of happiness and gratitude to the Mighty one for we were still alive. A student that was passing by,
wounded on the head covering of dust and a little bit mentally disoriented. He was crying and yelling at people for assistance. Then I stopped him, and asked him to catch his breath and slowly explain to me what happened to him. And it was just at that very best moment that we realized that, that was worst than a falling wall or glasses broken.
According to what the description he was making. I immediately took a pick, a shovel and a clamp. I wasn't really sure about what would exactly my job would be, but I told them that I will be trying to help if there was any need. I was certain that there was some damage, but it is only arriving before the remains of this school that I knew the extent of the damage. Astonished, afraid and sad I was immobile, vivid like a post in an empty field. Trying to find the courage to not fall in tears imagining my friends, family under the ruins and laying down inert on the ground. I was lost somewhere in my own imagination till someone called me and asked me to help with the ones blocked under the ruins. I joined the group of helpers about 5 and couldn't go back home till the morning of the following day. And then went again in the afternoon to another school.
I think I spent rest of the week walking here and there trying to save some lives. I don't even remember how many lives we saved but what I still and will always remember is the joy that was on their faces, their cries of relief and their supplication seeing me coming in the dark, while they were thinking they were breathing their last breath. It was a memorable day, which taught me that no matter how limited you are, you can still bring some light in others lives, that no matter how old or
young you are life should be lived intensely doing what we think we should, cause we don't know how much we have left, that saving life or helping others in their need are the most important and unforgettable things that somebody can do.
Life and love are gifts from the mightiest God of all and our creator. So priceless that he sent his unique son on the cross to save everyone's life. And like the bible says, what it's to man to have
everything, charms, money, beauty, fame if he lost his eternal life, in other words love life more than everything on earth. And, that's exactly what I believe in. I believe that life is precious and that
we should share the love to everyone we meet cause we all need to live and love till our last breath cuz we never know when that will be.
And it's so true, that day I woke up by a calm and sunny day, I decided to go to the beach so I can spend a good time renewing with these feelings that I have been missing for almost a year being in the Dominican Republic for studies. My parents didn't want me to come back, they would prefer that I stay there continuing my studies and have a better life. But, even though they were right, and that I had conscience of the so called mistake, all I had in my head was to be in my country and with my family. And that day was one of the few enjoyable ones since I have been back in the country. After a cool, enjoyable and relaxing journey with the sun and the water, the jokes and the laughs of the lovely people that I met this very same day. I take the road heading home laughing and happy that I had a such a nice day. My kid and wife were waiting for me, it was dinner and they were waiting for me so we can eat all together. I was setting the table and she was bringing in food and Buddy, my son, was playing with Prince and Princess our chihuahuas Everything was still ok, it was just a normal day till then. When suddenly the ground started to shake.
The shaking was so violent, so violent that the tv and radio set the glasses fell down and crashed on the ground just like the wall of our house. Both Buddy and Sandra, my wife, were afraid so afraid that they were crying, kneeling and holding my legs like they were seeing death in a person. And just as a man does, I was pretending to not be scared, but deeply inside I was more than afraid, they were my family and all my life had been built around them. Loosing them would be too much. So, silently I was imploring God to save them. And fortunately it was just a couple of seconds, but left over was an entire life broken, smashed and collapsed. But through that sorrow and ruin we were happy, happy that we were alive and safe. Everybody was out in the hood, talking, crying, praying after that unnatural phenomenon.
And a few minutes after, while we all still were gathering and wrapping in our desolation full of happiness and gratitude to the Mighty one for we were still alive. A student that was passing by,
wounded on the head covering of dust and a little bit mentally disoriented. He was crying and yelling at people for assistance. Then I stopped him, and asked him to catch his breath and slowly explain to me what happened to him. And it was just at that very best moment that we realized that, that was worst than a falling wall or glasses broken.
According to what the description he was making. I immediately took a pick, a shovel and a clamp. I wasn't really sure about what would exactly my job would be, but I told them that I will be trying to help if there was any need. I was certain that there was some damage, but it is only arriving before the remains of this school that I knew the extent of the damage. Astonished, afraid and sad I was immobile, vivid like a post in an empty field. Trying to find the courage to not fall in tears imagining my friends, family under the ruins and laying down inert on the ground. I was lost somewhere in my own imagination till someone called me and asked me to help with the ones blocked under the ruins. I joined the group of helpers about 5 and couldn't go back home till the morning of the following day. And then went again in the afternoon to another school.
I think I spent rest of the week walking here and there trying to save some lives. I don't even remember how many lives we saved but what I still and will always remember is the joy that was on their faces, their cries of relief and their supplication seeing me coming in the dark, while they were thinking they were breathing their last breath. It was a memorable day, which taught me that no matter how limited you are, you can still bring some light in others lives, that no matter how old or
young you are life should be lived intensely doing what we think we should, cause we don't know how much we have left, that saving life or helping others in their need are the most important and unforgettable things that somebody can do.
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