My mom is from Guatemala. A country that is rich in culture and traces of its Mayan background apparant wherever you travel. I remember as a little girl when my grandmother was still alive that my family would travel there quiet often. My mom would visit at least once a year. Back then, we were not fortunate enough to afford plane tickets. So my most memorable part of our trips was loading our truck full of stuff and my sister and I making ourselves a little home on the cab of our extended pickup truck. Literally, I am talking about the little seats in a pickup truck right behind the driver and passenger seats. We would stuff that little area with pillows from the floor to the seats and pretend it was our little bed for the next couple of days. I would lay down on one side and my sister on the other, our bodies laying right next to each other. My feet right by her face and hers by mine. If we wanted to sit up we just got rid of the pillows and put them behind our backs and sat up. There was no more room than that. Now that's a road trip! Not a comfortable one, but we were 8 and 6 yrs. old give or take and didn't know any other form or way of travel. We traveled this way all along the Mexican coast down to Central America to our Mayan destination and our mother's birthplace! I'll never forget those days.
I must admit that my memories of those trips are also ones of awe of a world that I was not a part of or even aware of. At the tender age of 8 I grew to learn that not every one in the world had the same "luxuries" that I had. I didn't have much growing up but I soon realized that I did. At 8 yrs. old I learned that electricity, clean water, kitchen, dirt floor vs. carpet in my home were luxuries that my mother's little village was not accustomed to.
My grandmother passed away several years ago. I have not visited since I was a little girl. My mother really has no more family to go back to. But she still makes a point in traveling to her native country. For the last couple of years I have been giving my mom beef about her travels to Guatemala. I have been telling her she deserves a "real vacation". She's worked her butt off all her life and I wanted to see her enjoy it for once and go somewhere where she's never gone before and explore and just rest and enjoy the rest of the world. Instead of going to her little village to endure the heat, dirty water, and poverty that is everywhere you turn. I wanted her to see the other side of life for once. The good life.
I never really knew what my mom's reasons for traveling to Guatemala were. I really didn't care. All I knew was that she was spending money to go somewhere where she didn't have anymore family left to see when she could be spending it to go somewhere worthwhile and enjoying herself.
Well, my post is to pay homage to what my mom has been doing these last couple of years. She has a heart of Gold and a passion for her people in Guatemala. For the past two Christmases she has been organizing relief help for the people in her little town. It's not much considering that it's a one man show. Really, two since my dad has been helping her. Every Christmas my mom had been asking me for my family's old clothes, shoes, toys anything! I knew she wanted to do something with them and it was Guatemala related but never gave it much thought. Two years ago she traveled during Christmas to Guatemala and delivered wrapped toys to the sick children in the little hospital of her town. This past Christmas she had put together baskets of non-perishable items, dry goods for people who needed them most. Her plan was to be there this past Christmas to deliver them but she couldn't make it. So instead she sent her baskets down there and her friend had video taped the delivery of these baskets so my mom could see the fruits of her labor. My mom shared the video with me and I must say it brought me to tears. My mom was being the hands & feet of Jesus to the people in this village. And she wasn't even there to enjoy the fruit of her labor. I am so proud to call her my mom! I knew I got that trait from somewhere! :) LOL.
NEways, there was a short clip in the video that I thought was too great not to post. Please note this lady's home behind her. It's literally a tin shack located right by the river. They wash clothes in the river, wash dishes there and am sure bathe themselves there also. My heart aches to see the living conditions. Her children in the video know no other life. THIS IS THEIR LIFE.
I know it's in Spanish, but there's one quote that struck me that the recipient of my mom's basket says. In her gratitude she says, "Thank you,even though I don't know you, God does." Wow, how powerful those words are! We all are God's children and are to serve one another. This lady who lives in a whole other country in living circumstances and arrangements that we can't even imagine has the wisdom and knowledge that God is taking care for them. And will send his workers. This is the peace in her heart. I hope you take the time to view the short video clip. If you want more info. about how to participate or just want to donate ANYTHING you can e-mail or leave a comment. My mom would surely appreciate it from the bottom of her heart.
I love you Mom!! Keep doin what your doin! No more beef about your crazy trips from me!
P.S.-It took me FOREVER to figure out how to convert a home made DVD to a program the computer could read and cut. I learned how to cut a video and then posted it! All from a DVD. I never thought I could do it! But alot of time and downloaded programs later, I did it! Iam movin' on up on my technology capabilities! Oh yeah! I'am officially a video editor! My brain was fried in the process, so I think that deserves a nod on the skills section of my resume! ;) hehe
