Beatitude Attitudes, vol.8

Linking up with Rakhi at Pitter Patter Diaries for Tuesday's Beatitude Attitudes.


[1] Blessed am I to have found a real friend in my former neighbor who moved to another part of town. She and her husband have been through a lot since we first met them, and we have had the privilege of helping them from time to time in different ways. What I am particularly blessed by is that she looks past our age differences, our significantly different backgrounds, and my stumbling attempts to speak her language, and just enjoys my company (as I do hers). She gave me a tip today: if you have trouble getting to sleep, put a sprig of fresh basil in your pillowcase (so you can smell it) and it will help you sleep well.


[2] Blessed am I to know my Mexican neighbors. I was talking with an American woman the other day who has lived for maybe 5 years in a neighborhood in which a lot of our Mexican friends live. But she doesn't know any of her neighbors and feels lonely all the time, mostly because she doesn't speak Spanish.

[3] Blessed am I to be adept at learning a new language. Most Americans who come down here don't speak Spanish and (apparently) don't think they can learn, so they end up living in American enclaves where everyone they know and see every day speaks English. The sad part is that it separates them from really experiencing the Mexican culture, which is what most of them say is why they came here.


[4] Blessed am I to have a husband who believes in the importance of being embedded in the local community. In case you can't tell which gringo he is (there's only one) he's at the top in the back.


[5] Blessed am I to live in a culture where the family is still regarded as the center of the society, large families are common (I mean REALLY large - we have one friend who has 12 siblings, and another with 16 siblings), and life is lived outside, with all your neighbors, not cocooned in your own home by yourself.


[6] Blessed am I to live in a place where many people don't own cars (too expensive) so everything is within walking distance.

[7] Blessed am I that God revealed Himself to me who had no religious background at all, and adopted me as His daughter.