I'm back

Forgive me Father, it's been 9 months since my last posting! As I prepare to return to Costa Rica for the third time, I am ramping up (maybe) the blog again. We'll see how it goes.

Reeling

Well friends, tonight is my last night in Costa Rica. I must say I am reeling from an absolutely amazing week. Not just because I saw monkeys and toucans (which i did) but because I fell in love with the earth (again)and had some real moments of beauty that have changed me forever.

A few thoughts from the flight to Costa Rica

On about hour 6 of my transit today I started to settle into some good clear thinking. I listened to my Ipod for about an hour and fell into some great tunes. Make our Garden Grow from the musical Candide (conducted by the great Leonard Bernstein) reminded me that we are neither pure nor wise nor good. we do the best we know. we build our house, chop our wood, and make our garden grow. I like the simplicity of it. then i grooved to some Bach played by the brilliant Yo Yo Ma. The thought came to me that we must fill our hearts with greatness. music, art, nature and let it make us into better people. Finally i really got into the passionate Juanes song Fotografia. Although i cant understand all of it as its in Spanish, it sweeps me away. So, here{s my analysis on the meaning of life. Find you purpose, believe in your purpose and follow it to the end. Bye for now.

Poison Dart Frogs and stuff

I really can't believe that my Costa Rica adventure is just around the corner. This little froggie is called a "Blue Jeans" frog. I really hope I get to see one. My lifelong love of frogs would be made complete by just once glimpse.

Just feel like braggin'

I love my boys!

Our baby sisters and brothers

"How can we go on spending obscene amounts on budgets of death and destruction, knowing full well that a minute fraction of these would insure that children everywhere would have clean water to drink? These are our sisters and brothers out there, not statistics."

—Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Salty and dangerous

Last night, after a centering yoga class and some serious steam room relaxation I went home starving. It was after 8, the boys were still up and my mother-in-law was over. The house was a mess (is a mess) and there wasn't much to eat in the frdge. So after reading 18 books to the boys, talking over the week's activities with my m.i.l (whom I LOVE) i headed downstairs to scavenge for food. At the back of the 2nd shelf of the fridge, behind a bunch of wilted radishes, was a tiny, innocuous looking jar of caviar. Half empty. Left over from the birthday party I had made the caviar and egg dish for this past weekend. There was also a tiny ramekin of hard boiled egg yokes and a half a container of pure creamy creme fraiche. I pulled out a package of specialty crackers my friend Tammie sent me from Manhattan, and carefully opened the package. Quickly, I piled the egg yokes on the cracker, balancing a dollop of creamy goodness on top of it and finally, the piece de la resistance, the dark, salty and dangerous substance that rocks my world--caviar. As I bit in, the cracker broke and fell into my hand forcing me to cram the whole thing into my mouth. But I couldn't stop ther. One more cracker, the crunch, the salt, the creaminess, and then another. Oh joy! I can't say it stopped with just three crackers and I won't promise that I didn't lick my fingers. Next to yoga, it was the most centering thing I did all day.