An Attitude of Gratitude !

I was always taught the importance of writing thank you notes. At times it was a burden (like when I had hundreds to write when I got married), but mostly it is a joy to thank people for being thoughtful over their acts of service, hospitality or  a gift. Of course, when I had children I taught them to write thank you notes as well. I can remember how they would painstakingly write their notes when they were young.

Thank you cards from the 3rd grade!

Last week I went to New Covenant School to share about my trip to Guatemala this summer with my daughters. I spoke to K5-12th grade students and tried to keep ages 5-18 equally interested in my presentation. I loved seeing the kids again and sharing what God is doing in Guatemala and in our lives as well.

Mrs. Lamb's class

Today I received thank you notes from Mrs. Lamb's third grade class. I am not ashamed to admit I just cried as I read their sweet words to me. Some of the students I had in kindergarten and it was great to see how well they are writing now. It makes me feel happy to know I helped teach them how to form their alphabet letters and write their names . Even those I did not teach said how they would have liked to have had me as their teacher. I would have loved it too.There was such sweet innocence in their messages to me.It just made my heart feel full !

Psalm 92:1 says, "It is good to give thanks to the Lord..." so I am thanking Him for teachers like Mrs. Lamb who are teaching children to have an attitude of gratitude and for the children who brightened my day beyond measure!

Firecrackers for Carolina !

There is a custom in Guatemala where firecrackers are thrown at the doorstep of the birthday child at midnight. I guess it is to wake them up to say, "Feliz Cumpleanos". Although we did not do the midnight firecrackers, there will be some fireworks later this evening to celebrate- Carolina (pronounced car-o-lena)

Lacea (named after Randy's mom) Roh  as she celebrates her 20th year today!  What a blessing she is to us !

Carolina loves animals especially Brinkley!

She loves the beach!

She's got sass!

She's quite a lass!

Happy 20th birthday !

" I just met a girl named Maria!"

What a bundle of giggles and love she brought to us!

Whenever I hear the song "Maria" from West Side Story I think of my Maria. The moment I met her I was never the same again. She has brought so much joy, laughter, and love to our home. She was our bonus baby. We did not plan on adding two daughters, but God in His infinite wisdom knew we needed Maria in our family as well.

Maria's Quinceanera !

Maria is a good little sis!

She is the biggest OSU fan !!!

Maria is an artist and loves to read.

Maria, that name will never be the same to me.

Until we meet again...

The purpose of taking this trip to Guatemala with our girls was to help them connect with their birth country. They did not have a lot of memories of Guatemala and we thought it would be important to make new memories and discover for themselves what Guatemala was like. We wanted them to be mission minded and serve while they were here as well.

Most people were friendly !

Stray dogs are plentiful !

One of the girls said that she learned that people work hard here to earn a living.

People are creative and talented !

The clothes are colorful .

Tortillas are a main staple!

The food was delicious !

The children are beautiful !

There were some beautiful views!

Carolina cutting hair !

Maria said she learned more about herself by coming here. She now says that when she is late to go somewhere it is because... "I'm Guatemalan". LOL  

Yes, there are cultural differences, there is poverty, malnutrition, crime, prejudice,lack of education, and corruption. I also experienced how much alike we are... the need for love, security, food, shelter, friendship, and family are all universal. 

As we said adios to our new and old friends I knew that my girls would one day return. We always taught them to be proud of their heritage and to love America. I discovered that I too wanted to return (next time with Randy). I am proud to be American, but I have come to love their birth country as well.
Hasta luego Guatemala....until we meet again !

Birthplaces

We took a day and visited where Carolina and Maria were born. As we started to leave the Highland area one of the first things we noticed was the vegetation changed. 

We started to go into a tropical area where there are banana trees, coconuts, and pineapples. We went to Maria's birthplace first called Mazaltenago. This is a town of about    44,000  people.

Outdoor cafes on the way to Mazatenago

We drove around the town and let Maria take in all of the sites. Now we were off to Amatitlan where Carolina was born. This town is around 77,000 people.

 

It began to rain, but we wanted to see Lake Amatitlan which is the main attraction in this town. We found this pretty lake . It was special to think that Carolina probably was here at this lake when she was a child. She and Maria love coconuts so we bought some from this man who had a stand at the lake.

 

The girls with coco frios!

It was a day full of many miles traveled, but it was worth it !

Our Little Adventure

 

Shortly before we left we took a taxi on our own to Pana. This is a town we had been to before and we wanted to take a little adventure. It was only 20mins. down the mtn. We paid a mere 35 Quetzals or 5 dollars. When we were let off at the market area I realized quickly this was not the area we were in with Vicki a few days ago. We started to walk and everything looked the same. I tried not to panic. Finally, I thought about going towards the lake. I asked some school girls ,"Donde esta el lago?" They pointed down a street." Ok girls let's go", I said trying to be confident. We walked and walked, again I asked...I got another pointed hand. We turned a corner and viola! We found the textile market venders. Rows and rows of them.

   

We shopped and bartered with Maria's  expertise with Spanish numbers. She giggled when the person would speak solely to her thinking she was fluent in Spanish. We ate lunch at a partially open restaurant. 

Carolina eating a hamburger and fries with ice tea!!

While eating ,started to do what it does everyday this time of year-RAIN. A lady came up and started to show us her wares. She dressed Carolina, Maria, and even me up in these traditional head pieces. "For photo," she repeated in her memorized English. Que es su nombre? I repeated in my memorized Spanish! "Teresa", she said with a huge smile!!

I bought these items knowing they may never wear them again. They are a sweet remembrance of our day!

We had difficulty finding a taxi back up the mtn. Finally, we got one and paid twice the amt. back as we did going. I was just so happy to get back with my girls. When I got back home I found this picture of them when they first came to America. Who knows maybe they WILL wear them again?

Maria and Carolina

                                                      

Last week my mother had a very special birthday! Since I promised I would not splash her age around, let's just say that she was born the year after women got the vote! My brother and his family came down from Delaware to help her celebrate. We went to the Bleckley Inn for some pictures.  

    
Here she is Rosemary Matazzaro Munson born July 15th to John and Mary Matazzaro in New Haven, Conn.

Nana and her grandchildren    

Birthday Queen

Randy (my  brother), Rita, Josh, Carolina, Jordan, Erin, (my nieces) David,Maria, Mason, Randy, Kim

What a fabulous time we had celebrating our mother and grandmother ! A gray head is a crown of glory! Proverbs 17:6    You wear it well mom:)