Hola, All! Edna and I have met these 3 Guatemalan girls who show up just when we need them. For instance, yesterday we were in a Tuktuk, which is a three wheeled taxi about the size of a golf cart. It was pouring down rain as we were making our way from San Juan to San Marcos on the bumpiest roads because of the hugh potholes in the road. In one place the water was covering the road and somehow we made it through. Normally the sides of the Tuktuks are fairly open but when it is raining, they have a curtain on each side, which only helps to keep the rain out if you hold the curtain in place. We were both wearing capris, Edna had a jacket but nothing on her head; I was wearing my rain windbreaker with a hood. And the rain was coming down in sheets. As we rounded a bend, we saw a large truck completely blocking the road; our driver could go no further because they were working on the road. I asked our driver how much farther the town was and he responded 20 meters, but I really had no idea how far that was. As Edna and I got out to walk the rest of the way in the rain, we were laughing at our predicament! The town was really only a short walk, thank goodness. As we reached San Marcos, who should be at the top of the hill but our little angels. They showed us to a restaurant named Ganesh where we were to meet with Stephanie, the Reike instructor. I am pretty sure we would not have found the restaurant without our little angels. Several times when we wanted to go someplace, they just seem to appear out of nowhere.
Angels can be people sometimes!
Dawnie
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
June 29, 2011 Happy Day
Hola, All! Yesterday we had the pleasure of riding in the very back of a very crowded van with several young men from Canada. They were quite intertaining! We ate lunch in Antigua at a wonderful restaurante, then made it to Panajachel, where we took a boat to San Marcos. At the dock was a young man who carried both of our bags to our hotel. San Marcos is very tropical, with mostly pathways instead of streets. People love it there because it is very quiet, if you don´t count the dog fights and the roosters who crow whenever it suits them. We had a delicious dinner at the hotel, then sat outside my room and talked for a couple of hours. Hotel Paco Real has a sercurity guard who walks the grounds at night. It has 8 ´hotel rooms´that are actually huts with a downstairs room and an upstairs room. Edna is in a room below me. The rooms have a bed, small table with chair, and a private bathroom. I took a lukewarm shower last night, but Edna figured out how to get hot water..........by barely turning the faucet, hotter water comes out, but also less pressure.........oh well, it beats a cold shower!
This morning we explored part of the town, finding the meditation center, which we plan to visit tomorrow. Also, I talked with Stephanie who is going to give us a lesson about Reike, an energy healing technique. We then hopped on a boat to San Pedro where there is a festival celebrating St. Peter. It was quite the sight and very loud, as someone feels the need to continually set off firecrackers. We are headed to San Juan next to visit JoAn and Molly at the medical clinic that I helped build in 2008.
Will write more later!
Happy Day!
Dawnie
This morning we explored part of the town, finding the meditation center, which we plan to visit tomorrow. Also, I talked with Stephanie who is going to give us a lesson about Reike, an energy healing technique. We then hopped on a boat to San Pedro where there is a festival celebrating St. Peter. It was quite the sight and very loud, as someone feels the need to continually set off firecrackers. We are headed to San Juan next to visit JoAn and Molly at the medical clinic that I helped build in 2008.
Will write more later!
Happy Day!
Dawnie
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
June 28, 2011. GREAT DAY
HOLA, ALL! SOMEHOW I HIT THE BUTTON THAT CAPITALIZES ALL THE WORDS AND CAN NOT SEEM TO DECAPITALIZE THEM! OH WELL. ALL WENT WELL AT THE AIRPORT YESTERDAY. WE BOARDED ON TIME, THE DOORS WERE CLOSED, AND THEN WE SAT. IN A FEW MINUTES THE PILOT ANNOUNCED THAT THERE WERE 5 PEOPLE WHO ARRIVED FROM CHICAGO AN HOUR AGO, THEIR LUGGAGE WAS ON BOARD BUT THEY WERE NOT. THEY HAD TO FIND THEIR LUGGAGE AND TAKE IT OFF THE PLANE BEFORE WE COULD LEAVE. THE NEXT THING WE KNEW WE WERE ON THE RUNWAY, WITHOUT THE PEOPLE FROM CHICAGO!! YIKES, CAN YOU IMAGINE HOW THE PEOPLE FELT WHEN THEY FOUND OUT THAT THEY MISSED THE PLANE!! AND WE WERE THE LAST FLIGHT OUT! I KEPT IMAGING THAT THEY WERE COLLEGE STUDENTS, NOT PAYING ATTENTION TO THE TIME, SITTING IN A RESTAURANT WITHOUT A CARE IN THE WORLD........UNTIL NOW!
THE BED AND BREAKFAST WHERE WE ARE STAYING IS ABOUT 10 MINUTES FROM THE AIRPORT. IT IS A HOME THAT HAS BEEN CONVERTED WITH 5 BEDROOMS FOR GUESTS, 2 IN ONE HALLWAY AND 3 IN THE OTHER. AT THE END OF EACH HALLWAY IS A COMMUNITY BATHROOM. IN THE CENTER OF THE HOUSE IS A COVERED, BUT NOT ENCLOSED, PATIO WITH THIS COMPUTER, A TABLE FOR EATING, A TV AND COUCH WITH CHAIRS. SINCE THE TEMPERATURE IS ABOUT 65 DEGREES, IT FEELS GREAT! JUST OUTSIDE THE PATIO IS A SMALL YARD WITH A BEAUTIFUL, LARGE LEMON TREE WITH LEMONS AS BIG AS ORANGES! I STAYED HERE THE LAST TIME I WAS IN GUATEMALA AND REALLY APPRECIATED THEIR HOSPITALITY. THAT´S ALL FOR NOW, MY STOMACH´S CALLING ME TO FILL IT.
HAVE A GREAT DAY!
DAWNIE
THE BED AND BREAKFAST WHERE WE ARE STAYING IS ABOUT 10 MINUTES FROM THE AIRPORT. IT IS A HOME THAT HAS BEEN CONVERTED WITH 5 BEDROOMS FOR GUESTS, 2 IN ONE HALLWAY AND 3 IN THE OTHER. AT THE END OF EACH HALLWAY IS A COMMUNITY BATHROOM. IN THE CENTER OF THE HOUSE IS A COVERED, BUT NOT ENCLOSED, PATIO WITH THIS COMPUTER, A TABLE FOR EATING, A TV AND COUCH WITH CHAIRS. SINCE THE TEMPERATURE IS ABOUT 65 DEGREES, IT FEELS GREAT! JUST OUTSIDE THE PATIO IS A SMALL YARD WITH A BEAUTIFUL, LARGE LEMON TREE WITH LEMONS AS BIG AS ORANGES! I STAYED HERE THE LAST TIME I WAS IN GUATEMALA AND REALLY APPRECIATED THEIR HOSPITALITY. THAT´S ALL FOR NOW, MY STOMACH´S CALLING ME TO FILL IT.
HAVE A GREAT DAY!
DAWNIE
Sunday, June 26, 2011
June 26, 2011: Follow Your Heart
Hola, All! Here I am, on the eve of another adventure! Tomorrow I leave for Guatemala with my friend, Edna, who is also bilingual..........yipee!! I met Edna several years ago through her sister and my good friend, Cynthia, who passed to the other side. Sometimes I talk to Cyndi in my mind, knowing that she hears me; tears are falling down my face as I remember how she was so full of life and laughter! Such a joy to be around, and you talk about courage...........it oozed out of every pore of her body! Cyndi showed us how to accept with courage and grace those things that can destroy our lives, if we let them. She had a feistiness about her that I just wanted to capture and inhale until it filled all my cells! With determination and strength, Cyndi followed her heart. And, that's the main reason that I am going to Guatemala; my heart has been calling me to return. Near the end of my last visit in September, 2008, I heard about a small town on Lake Atitlan called San Marcos La Laguna that had a holistic/meditation center. In a nutshell, holistic healing is treating the whole person, not just one part. For instance, if you have a headache, you usually take ibuprofen and the headache goes away (to return at another inopportune time). But, holistic healing looks at why you got the headache in the first place, trying to find the source of the headache and not just treating the symptom. That's what Edna and I are interested in learning more about.
Our adventure starts tomorrow in Guatemala City, where Patricia's B&B will send a driver to pick us up at the airport. The next morning they have arranged for a van to take us to Panajachel, a 3 hour drive on roads that wind through the mountains. In Pana we will eat lunch, exchange money, possibly do some shopping, and take a 'yacht' across Lake Atitilan to San Marcos, where we will live for the next 5 days. On Sunday, July 3, just two towns over in San Juan,we will meet up with a group from Denton to do some mission work, returning on July 10. I will write about our adventures as time permits!
Follow your heart,
Dawnie
Our adventure starts tomorrow in Guatemala City, where Patricia's B&B will send a driver to pick us up at the airport. The next morning they have arranged for a van to take us to Panajachel, a 3 hour drive on roads that wind through the mountains. In Pana we will eat lunch, exchange money, possibly do some shopping, and take a 'yacht' across Lake Atitilan to San Marcos, where we will live for the next 5 days. On Sunday, July 3, just two towns over in San Juan,we will meet up with a group from Denton to do some mission work, returning on July 10. I will write about our adventures as time permits!
Follow your heart,
Dawnie
Sunday, June 19, 2011
June 19, 2011: Freedom is a State of Mind
Hola, All! This morning I heard a song that I haven't heard in a long time: "Born Free". I knew most of the lyrics but as I was listening to the words, a deeper and different understanding was taking place. In case you have forgotten, the first stanza is: "Born free, As free as the wind blows, As free as the grass grows,......" It got me to thinking about another meaning of freedom. Is anyone really born free or is freedom a state of mind? How many people live in countries such as the U.S and feel tied to their jobs, to their responsibilities, to their relationships? They drag around all day bemoaning the situation that they see themselves in, not even trying to look at it differently. Rev Kay has a grandchild who has spent much time in and out of jail. One time she said to him, "You are the lucky one, because you can see the bars that imprison you. Many others are imprisoned by bars that are invisible." What a profound statement! I know that I have felt trapped before, not knowing which way to turn, and feeling like I had no control over my life. I wish someone had said to me, "You know, Dawnie, the only things keeping you behind bars are your feelings, your beliefs." That was so true........I FELT trapped, FEELING like I had no control, no options. And yet, I did have options; I could stay in the pity party that I was throwing for myself, or I could look at the situation as an opportunity to grow. Everything that I see as an obstacle, is really the Universe giving me an opportunity to change something about myself, whether it be my thoughts, my beliefs, my actions.
The third stanza from the song starts by saying, "Stay free, where no walls divide you". As I continue to let go of negative thoughts, negative words, negative actions, the walls that I put up so long ago are falling down like raindrops. leaving me closer to the people I love. What a feeling of freedom it is to know that the bars and walls that used to contain me have since dissolved into thin air, back to where they came from. Without a doubt, freedom IS a state of mind; the same person who imprisoned me has also set me free. I truly am "Born Free".
Be free,
Dawnie
The third stanza from the song starts by saying, "Stay free, where no walls divide you". As I continue to let go of negative thoughts, negative words, negative actions, the walls that I put up so long ago are falling down like raindrops. leaving me closer to the people I love. What a feeling of freedom it is to know that the bars and walls that used to contain me have since dissolved into thin air, back to where they came from. Without a doubt, freedom IS a state of mind; the same person who imprisoned me has also set me free. I truly am "Born Free".
Be free,
Dawnie
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
June 14, 2011: My Perception
Hola, All! Have you ever wondered why certain things happen to you? I know that I have, especially if I see something as hurtful, evil, deceitful, causing pain, etc. But, if what happens to me is fun, or exciting, or makes me happy, then I'm jumping for joy! What makes the difference here? It is only my perception of the event. The value of anything that happens to me, or things that I see or read about is determined by my perception, and nothing else. What if I could first see an event as neutral, would that change my perception of the event? What if I could back off from the situation and just watch it unfold, without putting my judgements on it, could I see it differently? Could I learn something from it? Most likely the answer is yes.
Several years ago a close family member, I'll call Susie, was so mad at me that she would either act like I didn't exist or say ugly things to my face. She even called and told me that I wasn't welcome at the family Christmas gathering, even though it wasn't at her house. Of course my perception was that I was being wronged. Granted, through the years I had said things that were hurtful to Susie; after all, who hasn't said things that they regreted? But, to have all this anger aimed at me for the reasons that she gave, it made no sense. At first I was deeply hurt and struggled to understand how this could be happening to me. But, as time went on, I was able to step back, to try to see things from her perception. She was old and lived alone, her husband having passed away 2 years ago. She didn't have many friends, and spent a hugh amount of her day by herself. The bottom line, in my way of thinking, was that she was angry at life and was taking it out on me. Ok, but, how could I deal with my hurt feelings? I kept having to step back, to look at the situation objectly, which was not easy to do. But, I did realize after a few months, that this was going to be a hugh lesson for me in forgiveness; I was going through this for a reason. That realization didn't help me forgive her any sooner; the only way I made it through was by working on forgiving her little by little. And then, one day a couple of years later, as if by magic, the anger directed at me was gone, and things were, sort of, back to normal. Was I ever able to see this as neutral? Not on your life. Am I a better person for having gone through it? Absolutely.
Stepping back from a situation can be such a blessing. It allows me to try to look at the event from another perspective, which helps to keep me from saying/doing something that could make the situation worse. Now, that's a good thing!
Step back into a more peaceful solution,
Dawnie
Several years ago a close family member, I'll call Susie, was so mad at me that she would either act like I didn't exist or say ugly things to my face. She even called and told me that I wasn't welcome at the family Christmas gathering, even though it wasn't at her house. Of course my perception was that I was being wronged. Granted, through the years I had said things that were hurtful to Susie; after all, who hasn't said things that they regreted? But, to have all this anger aimed at me for the reasons that she gave, it made no sense. At first I was deeply hurt and struggled to understand how this could be happening to me. But, as time went on, I was able to step back, to try to see things from her perception. She was old and lived alone, her husband having passed away 2 years ago. She didn't have many friends, and spent a hugh amount of her day by herself. The bottom line, in my way of thinking, was that she was angry at life and was taking it out on me. Ok, but, how could I deal with my hurt feelings? I kept having to step back, to look at the situation objectly, which was not easy to do. But, I did realize after a few months, that this was going to be a hugh lesson for me in forgiveness; I was going through this for a reason. That realization didn't help me forgive her any sooner; the only way I made it through was by working on forgiving her little by little. And then, one day a couple of years later, as if by magic, the anger directed at me was gone, and things were, sort of, back to normal. Was I ever able to see this as neutral? Not on your life. Am I a better person for having gone through it? Absolutely.
Stepping back from a situation can be such a blessing. It allows me to try to look at the event from another perspective, which helps to keep me from saying/doing something that could make the situation worse. Now, that's a good thing!
Step back into a more peaceful solution,
Dawnie
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