Posted in GTO on November 30, 2009 | 1 Comment »
Glennon and I had a wonderful hike at The Buffa yesterday. I love spending the day there. We encountered this old bull that didn’t want to have anything to do with us, even though we found him enchanting. We went up the long way, found a gathering of cattle at the top, each one completely different from the others. On the way down, we became lost and stuck in a ravine. Once in the clear, we found goats, sheep, and our Moo Moo, waiting for us in a parking lot.
Posted in Buen Pastor on November 29, 2009 | 1 Comment »
Madre Angelita cross stiches in front of a Saint at the Toone Thanksgiving/Christmas party.
Posted in Buen Pastor, GTO on November 27, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
I had a strange start to the day. There are a bunch of strays that hang out on one corner on the way to Buen Pastor. This morning, one of them was fighting? playing? with another dog. The other strays, about 5, sat on the other side of the road watching and wagging their tails. As I walked by, the two stopped whatever they were doing and then all 7 started following me. We picked up another 4 along the way. New dogs would come down and start doggie drama and then flee. 4 of the dogs were bleeding but didn’t seem to care. Dogs hemmed in by fences went absolutely crazy when our troop walked by. And then some random passerby, pulled out elephant sized pieces of raw meat to feed the dogs which is when they stopped following me.
At Buen Pastor, I was greeted by Madre Patti, Vanessa and her husband Jonathan. Vanessa and her school raised $3000 for Buen Pastor during Hispanic Heritage Month which is HUGE! I was so happy to finally meet her after many prior emails. A couple hours later, each girl thanked Vanessa by presenting her with a personal thank you drawing and Vanessa named the student she would gift the drawing to. My hope is that this visit establishes a link between the girls and Vanessa’s students. Even pen-paling can be transformative in opening windows to dreams.
Later on, I spoke to one of the girl’s mothers about her addiction to alcohol. We’ve talked before and I’ve encouraged her to seek help. When you’re an addict, and the addiction/abuse has been in your family for generations, it’s impossible to quit on your own. But as I spoke with her, I knew, I knew, there would be no change. The only hope lies within the next generation, her daughters, to break this cycle of abuse at all levels. I don’t know if there’s any hope here… but that doesn’t mean you ever quit trying and believing in change.
And Arima was there! Arima is a strong and wonderful woman from Chiapas. She went through the shelter program at Buen Pastor and was able to start a home for herself and her daughters in Guanajuato. But part of this process is having her girls stay at Buen Pastor during the week as she works. It’s hard on her. Her daughters mean everything to her and yet, she’s alone during the week. But it’s a start. I told her that this time next year, she’ll have her daughters at home with her and will be living with love and safety in her home. She agreed. Transitions aren’t easy by their very nature, which is why so many people don’t embark on them.
I ended the evening hanging sheets with Dani and then giving Madre Patti her English lesson. Walking home I thought it had been another big, beautiful day filled with all the intersecting worlds that make up Buen Pastor.
Posted in GTO, tagged Vignette on November 27, 2009 | 1 Comment »
You should be thanking me for my imperfections, exclaimed Roland, as they give you the opportunity to work on your own communication skills and evolve as a Father.
The audacity! thought Aaron. Should his left hand be thanking his right hand for never being there, making it do all the work, and evolve as a hand?!
Posted in GTO on November 26, 2009 | 3 Comments »
Three months ago, I wrote Mary’s Pence for a grant. I entitled my project Compassionate Touch for Survivors of Domestic Violence and Sexual Abuse. Essentially, massage as sacred work, healing the wounds and releasing bodies from the trauma they’ve been holding. Last week, I received a warm, congratulatory letter letting me know Mary’s Pence will be awarding me $2000 after I sign a contract.
You can imagine what wonderful news this was. But even moreso: being compensated for the massage at Buen Pastor will free up resources to allow F to begin a solar energy course. It’s online, offered through a school in Spain, and 1.5 year long program. It would add a specialty to his engineering background: solar engineering. His dream is to offer poor folks affordable alternative energy to offset crippling electricity bills which are abysmally high here in Mexico. Someday, we hope to bring solar energy solutions to those who would readily welcome this, but have no resources to implement it. Being awarded this grant for massage therapy at Buen Pastor will bring us one step closer to this dream.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.
Posted in GTO, tagged Vignette on November 25, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Fourteen hours into the prayerathon, Rafa was the only supplicator who remained seated upright.
Posted in GTO on November 24, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Posted in GTO, tagged Vignette on November 23, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
As a cookie jar, Tommy lived and interacted across a wildly diverse set of other ceramic pieces. Everyone formulated their own personal meaning of place using cues such as public-private, large-small, daytime-nighttime, loud-quiet, and crowded-empty. Not surprisingly, it was with the people that Tommy shared his spaces that dominated his perception of place (friendly, close social proximity, imitation, stillness on stage). Sometimes these people were friends, family and colleagues, such as the cookie jar family he shared a shelf with. More often, and particularly during the daytime, the individuals who affected him most were the ones that he repeatedly observed and yet did not directly interact with – Tommy’s Familiar Strangers.
Posted in GTO, tagged Vignette on November 21, 2009 | 1 Comment »
Alone with the animals, Guerlyne pretended to ride the bull rodeo style on his mild mannered heifer which irritated her bullfriend to no end.
Posted in GTO, tagged Vignette on November 20, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Posted in Buen Pastor, massage on November 19, 2009 | 1 Comment »
I had a wonderful day at Buen Pastor yesterday. More of the madres are requesting massage. Fortunately, it’s helping. We do arm rotation exercises and massage around the shoulder to keep this ball and socket joint limber. It’s great to see them loosening up and healthier these days. Another interesting experiencing was working with nerve pain. Using visualization and reiki, I worked with one of the madres to clear her chest and arm of radiating pain. It was an eye opening experience for both of us.
I need to invest in a stool. Some of the madres can’t get on the table. So I place a filled suitcase for them to step on while I hold them to balance them as they maneuver the table.
At one point, I went with Madre Lourdes for a walk downtown to buy some things. She’s one of those uplifting people who raise spirits simply by her presence. I truly admire her and cherish any time I get to spend with her.
In the afternoon, I listened to boy troubles, dried tears, and played Connect 4 and Jenga with the girls. They love Connect 4 and are seriously improving their game as they learn strategy. I also got a chance to see Sara’s report card and congratulated her on raising all her grades since last year. It’s pretty amazing the effect that having a sponsor does to a girl’s grades.
Finally, I ended the day by giving Madre Patty her English lesson. The sun had gone down and Fernando was still working on finishing up a numbers project. So while he wrapped things up, I conversed with Madre Patty. She’s at the point where we can hold a conversation in English. She told me about Buen Pastor 30 years ago. Apparently, there were three times as many nuns, and they spent three times more time in prayer. Today, they “only” have time for 3 hours of prayer everyday. They pray in Latin. Madre Patty told me that when she first became a nun, she and the others were all given prayer books with Latin on the left and Spanish on the right, so that when they prayed, they would know what they were saying. I found all of this fascinating.
We also talked about the differences between the words old, vintage, and antique. This lead to a conversation about the nun habit. Apparently, all the madres have vintage habits with long capes, flowing sleeves, and heavy material. She explained them to me and they sound fantastic. I’m hoping that one of these days, I can see a full outfit. They don’t wear them anymore — but the madres do have them preserved in their closets.
Posted in GTO, tagged Vignette on November 18, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
The highlight of Alan’s everyday was morning Zumba® class at San Javiar Ceramics. He got out of bed for Zumba®. He dressed for Zumba®. Alan lived for Zumba®. Morning Zumba® with friends calibrated Alan’s general satisfaction with life at a higher level than the majority of the population.
Posted in GTO, tagged Vignette on November 17, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
All the men in Esther’s life seemed to be offering her a big plate of empty promises. She resorted to taking refuge in chocolate.
Posted in GTO, tagged Vignette on November 16, 2009 | 1 Comment »
Gloria felt suffocated by some of the people in her life. She knew she could fly if only she could get out of her plastic bag. She could feel her Uranus Opposition coming on and she was poised for change and liberation.
Posted in GTO, tagged Vignette on November 14, 2009 | 3 Comments »
The crowd went wild when Dante Duckley took the stage. He held tightly to all their hearts in the palm of his web and suspended their admiration with his distinguished carriage and poise. Dante promised each and everyone he would love her forever. No crush could ever match this one.
Posted in GTO, tagged Vignette on November 13, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Posted in GTO, tagged Vignette on November 12, 2009 | 2 Comments »
Posted in GTO, tagged Vignette on November 11, 2009 | 1 Comment »
Olivia was so focused on her spirituality, she was oblivious to everything else… including the fact that she had begun sleeping on a penguin.
Posted in GTO, tagged Vignette on November 10, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Howard wondered why everyone always looked to him for rescuing. He didn’t believe himself to be a leader. He was just an owl, who had lost his head. He would have rather been left alone, obscure, and facing out his window.
Posted in GTO on November 8, 2009 | 2 Comments »
I love the weekends. It’s the time I seek out sweet new finds for our home. Once I knew there would be a way to stay in Guanajuato, I committed to making our home a place we enjoy being in.
Last weekend, I brought home a Catrina and those two Guanajuato prints you see over the desk. Then over the week, F and I varnished the table. Yesterday, I added a colorful Indian table runner and a little green trash basket that brightens up the entire room.
I debated on the table runner as it was a bit pricey, but I’m so glad I brought it home. It brings so much personality to the room, it’s like having another person in there. The runner is embroidered by hand and I love the little green balls.
Yesterday, I went to San Miguel. That’s where I found the table runner. I also found a little, hand sewn horse from Chiapas. She was so adorable, I had to take her home. Bright, happy colors are becoming a theme here, at least in the kitchen and work area spaces. Joined by lots of sunlight, I’m really loving this space. Happy, colorful, sunlight are all words that remind me of Guanajuato. It’s wonderful how the place you live in informs (and modifies) your design sense.
F and I also brought home wooden stools to sit on at mealtimes. We bought them from the same folks who made my desk. They’re located directly across from my work area, at the kitchen counter.
That was all yesterday.
Today, we explored San Javiar, and I found an area I had never been in before. Lots of colorful, outstanding graffiti adding depth and dimension to walkways. I’ll save those photos for another time. F took me to the place in town where you can buy all sorts of ceramics. One of the stores was three stories, big and wide, and packed with odd, if not intriguing pieces.
I was mesmerized. I went to every corner of every floor and wondered why people would buy this stuff. But they were! 
And not just a few people, but many, manymany! I debated getting a kitschy dolphin greeting for our doorway, and terribly tacky ceramic napkin holders… but I realized that I could turn our home into one that resembled my grandmother’s easily, quickly, and inexpensively, and only I would appreciate the irony. 
Everyone else would think I had extremely bad taste. But, on second thought, aren’t those elephants just a little bit appealing?
We left with what we had come for. A ceramic container to hold our water and a stand for it to sit on. I also managed to find five handmade ceramics plates, 10 pesos each, way up high on a shelf where nobody would ever find them.
