Sounds of Christmas

Hola...

Here in Mexico, Christmas is a lot about noise - singing, bells ringing constantly from the village churches, loud music blaring from boom-boxes on the corners (all night), and, of course, fireworks! The fireworks usually begin for any saint's day in the middle of the night (maybe 5 or so in the morning) and are meant to keep the evil spirit's away. The ones for Christmas Eve were especially loud and I believe were coming from high atop the mountain - probably more like small cannons. How they get them up there is a mystery as the elevation begins at 5,000 ft and goes up to about 7-8,000 feet.

In any event, I have become accustomed to the sounds - especially of the fireworks - and have decided they are simply a new-type of alarm clock! So, my mornings begin about 5:30 or 6:00am as I welcome the dawn of the newness that will emerge.

As there is a very large ex-pat community here in Ajijic (both Canadian and American), it is easy to celebrate this holiday in familiar ways, including turkey dinner with all the trimmings and Bing Crosby singing White Christmas from the ipod. My roommate and I had an open house and someone even brought us a fruitcake!

A deep feeling of gratitude is wrapped around my heart. To be enveloped with such physical beauty - the mountains, flowers, lake - and the warmth of new friends brings full circle the depth of our unity and connectedness as we live and express this One Life. God is gracious...God is good....all the time.

You are loved,
Lynn