have you ever wondered?

look ma!  i can stand on one foot!!

you ever wondered where

 hummingbirds

sleep

at night?

check out this link

watch this!

click on that and allow video to load up

who would have guessed the God would

put them into a deep sleep.

remarkable!!

carlos alfredo

meet carlos alfredo. 
he is our young enthusiastic gardener.

today he showed up at our door in the pouring rain to plant the plants that we had been gathering throughout the week.

i looked at him and said no no no.. mucho lluvia!!
but he wouldn't be deterred.   i said i wasn't going out in the rain ( i mean it was really pouring, plus i was still in my PJ's)

he looked at me and said, mui frio (sooo cold)   all he had on was a thin tshirt so bob showed up holding his rainjacket for him to use.  he was thrilled!!

so here is a photo of carlos posing in the garden.  he did a great job.  the plants are a little too linear for my liking but that is what i get for not going out to help i guess!!  once i am able to bend and lift i will probably rearrange some of the plants as i really don't like the look of a straight line type of garden.  i like it to be like a jungle and hey i am in the right place for that!!  most gardeners in roatan are really merely 'rakers' unless someone teaches them.  i have chosen to teach carlos everything i know about gardening.  he is a very quick learner. 

yesterday he showed up with a bucket full of plants and when i questioned where he got them he just smiled sheepishly.   lesson #2:  teach him not to steal!!   but alas, i admit.. we used them in the garden!

most of the plants we gathered from the adjacent property (owned by the same people we rent from but no house is on there so it has become quite overgrown).  i went for a walk with him yesterday pointing out plants that i thought would be good for the garden.  it is interesting here in roatan because you can just put the cutting right in the ground (no roots) and amazingly enough it grows!!!

every friday afternoon i teach carlos english.  it is a treat for him to come indoors.  i offered to feed him lunch which he resisted but i presisted and guess who won?  now we both enjoy sharing  a meal together before we start the lessons.   it is funny because i am not really very organized and i never imagined myself teaching english but it seems natural to do with him.  for now we are working on nouns, common phrases and the alphabet.  there are certain sounds that are almost impossible for him to make:  the 'th' sound is really hard for him.  he always says 's'.  but he is determined and i know that he will get it over time.  i told him to not worry about it but just to be a 'parrot' and mimic me.  that seemed to help alot.  i have trouble with the double r sound, and the double ll sound. so we are both learning equally.

as he was leaving for the day he came by to give bob his jacket and to say goodbye.  i meandered through the garden and admired his work then i said, 'okey dokey  hasta manana'   he laughed and said, como (what?!)   then i realized that okey dokey probably isn't a good thing to teach him. i said it was another word for okay. but i just couldn't resist  and said "okey dokey smokey" and in that beautiful accent that i love he haltingly said, "okey dokey smokey"  too funny.  i heard him muttering it to himself.  i think of all that i taught him today that perhaps that was his favorite expression!! 

i can just imagine him using that expression tonight with his friends in the colonia.

never a dull moment around here.

difficult decisions

some decisions are so hard to make. we have been struggling about what to do about christmas. the kids are scattered across canada. after many months we decided to stay in roatan. it will be first time we won't be together as a family. at first i was very very upset about this. i am kinda the queen of christmas. i love traditions, candles, special food, baking cookies, making memories with the kids so the idea of not being with them this christmas was eating at my heart.

then i did something i should done weeks ago.

i prayed.

i asked for His insight. immediately, and i mean pronto i was enveloped in a peace. the kind of peace that passes all understanding. and i knew. stay. it isn't the outer stuff that makes christmas .. it is His presence that makes it. and like a gift wrapped in love He appeared to my soul and calmed me. and assured me. and blessed me.

i know that He will be with my kids in the same way. when i finally wrote them (writing things down makes it final and bob was still trying to find a way to get us back there.. but it isn't meant to be) they were understanding and realized it is a new 'life experience'. i just hope it isn't a regular life experience!!! :-)

yesterday bob and i went to get groceries and took a drive into coxen hole. i am including a slide show i made of some photos i took of that time.

http://www.picnik.com/show/id/6230597300_wJLwN/t/a-walk-and-a-drive

have a good day!

the people in our world....

Here are a few photos of some of the people we see on a regular basis... I have mentioned them but now you can see them. they are a tremendous blessing in our lives everyday. We thank God for them. Please pray for them as you feel led. Thanks.

zenola
is one of the first people we met on the island 3 years ago.
she remains a true friend.
she came over the other day and i taught her to make chocolate chip cookies.

marco
is married to zenola.
he has been invaluable in helping bob build
the shop!!
we spend many many hours on their deck
if you ever come to the island and want a tour:
marco gives great tours!!

marco, liliana and their family
live on the same property as we do. marco is dutch liliana is honduran. their kids speak english, spanish and dutch!! they manage the place for the owners who are living in the states. we enjoy spending time with them. wonderful friends!

melissa and her husband jeremy (and twin boys) are pastoring a church here on the island we enjoy them! melissa and i get together every thursday to encourage each other.

enrique
the gardener
he moved to roatan from the mainland to provide for his family.
his wife and children live there and he sends money over.

maria
since my surgery she has been helping to clean, do laundry, wash windows.
she is a wonderful spanish lady.
she is expecting her first baby.
on her own.
pray for her.
she is so precious.

carlos alfredo
this is enrique's son
he is now the new gardener
since enrique has work elsewhere
carlos is 17 years old.
i am teaching him english.

lessons from a hummer

as you know i have a hummingbird feeder on our deck. i usually get around 6 birds but there is one who comes and stays for most of the day. i put a branch near the feeder so i could watch them and photograph them. mr. fluffybutt (yes that is his name) comes and sits for long periods of time. you may say, 'how do i know it is him?' i can tell. he is comfortable with me. he doesn't stir when stand near him and like any pet you get to know them.

so this morning it was raining and there he was. sitting on the branch soaking wet. singing quietly. i went out with my camera. i stood about 6 feet away and greeted him. yes i do that. i say, 'good morning mr. fluffybutt. good morning little friend '

he stopped singing for a moment and just stared at me. then he began again. i slowly walked near him. he flew to the feeder and then back to the branch.

i said, 'my word, you are getting very wet'.
and i too was getting wet.
my camera was getting wet.

he is cold,
he is wet,
yet i can hear him sing
he keeps his head UP in the storm
his beak upturned.
the elements will not threaten his song.

so what is the lesson from mr. fluffybutt today:

don't let the storm stop your song.
keep singing no matter what.
keep your head up towards the heavens

Psalm 121

cabin fever!!!

a common occurance:
palm branches on the windshield
after parking the car.
i love it!

my recovery is coming along very nicely. i seem to be able to move with minimal pain which is wonderful. the toilet seat is still a long ways down but that is getting easier too and i am thankful for that.

i read somewhere that we really heal best 'laying down'. so i have been trying to do that alot. i have one challenge though: boredom!! i have been watching alot of movies. well actually i have been watching the special features of movies because i am one of these kinds of people that doesnt really like to see a movie twice. lately i have been watching the Lord of the Rings appendices and it is fascinating to learn how they chose the actors, made the sets, were able to make the hobbits looks like hobbits, how they made the monsters, chose the music.. etc. etc. etc. so fascinating and interesting!!

but yesterday afternoon i was at the height of going 'stir crazy' and i looked at bob and said,

'do you want to go for an icecream?'
pleading.. begging.. desperate!
*smile*

we have a favorite place to go in west end (cream of the trop) but it was closed. in fact alot of places are closed due to things being so slow on the island. So we opted to just go to a little grocery store in west end and buy a fudgiscle. We sat out on the dock and ate our icecream and enjoyed the ending of another beautiful day.

it was delightful to be out. it was beautiful beautiful afternoon. the best time of day (other then early morning) is late afternoon because the sun is low in the sky and sits so warm, and golden on everything. it so beautiful!! and short walks and visit by the sea are excellent for healing too!

here are some photos.

this boy was having a blast playing on this broken surf board!

it was such a gorgeous afternoon. we are sitting on a dock like this but not two story

as i was eating my icecream i watched this guy playing football in the water then later he came and sat on this post on the wharf. great silhouette.
his name is stephen.

the kids enjoyed playing in the water. i under exposed this it was really sunny and bright.

and this was the icing on the cake that made the drive so worth while:
HOW GLORIOUS IS THAT??

simple things

like a walk in the yard .. slowly recovering and enjoying the beauty




like getting up close and personal with my hummers.. once again... and never tiring of it. (look at that butt.. made me laugh.. bob entitled this: cute as a BUTTon)

like the view from our deck.. even beautiful on a rainy day





like watching bob read while the power is out, and being content to lay there and look at him.


simple things. they well up inside me. for awhile i struggled with being thankful. really it was an awful time. i was kinda 'complainy' all the time. but now for reason, i am so grateful for the simple-est things.

even you.
yes you.
xo

can you feel the l.o.v.e?

for those of you who know bob you would know that he isn't proficient in the kitchen. has never had a desire to learn and frankly i don't mind because i love to cook.

well since my surgery he has been doing stellar in that department. i almost cried when he brought this omelet to me with a heart etched in ketchup. how creative. how loving.



sometimes things happen to force us to grow. let's try not to fight it.


i am learning to rest more then i thought possible for a go getter type like myself. but daily i am seeing my body heal and strengthen so it is worth it. it amazed me. the Lord keeps bringing a scripture to my mind and it is this: "I am the Lord that heals you" Okay, then I will do what I need to do so You can do what You need to do.

what is happening in your life that is stretching you?
don't fight it.
learn from it.
let Him be a part of it.

you'll find yourself cooking, or baking a cake (yes he just made me a chocolate cake), or resting, or reaching out, or developing a skill, or loving against all odds.

take hold of it carefully and no matter what.. show the love.

xoxo

recovering slowly

a view from the ferry ride over from roatan to le ceiba

we stayed at the "gran hotel paris" until they were finished taking all sorts of bloodwork, tests, and even an ekg. then

dr. azcona and i post operaton
he is the BEST doctor.
thorough, caring, wise and humble.
He said "I am an instrument in His hands"
WOW!

a nice policeman at the airport got me a wheelchair. i was grateful but boy i look OLD!

Well I have been home for 5 days getting stronger everyday. It isn't easy to recover because laying around is hard.. literally on my back. But I am doing my best to be a good girl. Bob has been a trooper in caring for me.. adjusting fans, bringing meds, helping me off the couch, bringing drinks, meals etc. I am thankful for several island women who have brought over dinner... that has been a great help. And Lissa went grocery shopping. And Zenola came over and cleaned my house from top to bottom. And..and.. and.... :-)

See I am blessed!!

Today at lunch I was feeling sad, apparently it is normal for post hysterectomy surgery to be hormonal from time to time. I was sitting on the deck finishing my lunch trying not to cry (since it hurts to cry!) when Bob, from inside, said "You have company!"
Out walked Ricardo holding the sweetest little bunny named Mika.

It was just the distraction I needed and soon all my tears were gone and I was ohhhing and ahhhing and smiling and... GRATEFUL.

Yes grateful for the way He keeps taking care of every need.

an excellent Christian doctor
a successful surgery
no hemorrhaging
a safe trip home
meals provided
cooler weather
kind visitors
medical care on the island
a loving helpful husband...

just to name a few.

I just need to be patient! It is a long road. And now I have been on the computer long enough (don't worry I have done this blog in over 4 different sittings since it hurts to sit for too long)

Time to hit the couch. Oh yeah that's another thing... we have been waiting for MONTHS and MONTHS to get our new couch and it arrived the day before my surgery. Perfect timing.

Thanks for your prayers.

I am the Lord that heals you.