I cannot believe I’m flying back to Colorado right now. Back to my reality. Back to my life, my apartment, my friends. Back to a place I have called home for so long. So how can it be that I feel as if I am leaving all of that behind? El Salvador has not just opened my eyes but captured my heart in a way that my home in the US never has and never will.
Its funny hearing other people in our group talk about how El Espino has filled a void in their heart because throughout this whole trip it has slowly mended mine as well. There was something missing, something off; a thirst I have felt for so long that I could not quench. This place was my oasis.
In the United States I’m realizing that although we have so much opportunity, life is dry. Void of instant love and acceptance, of gratitude, of true joy, passion, strength and dedication. I cannot thank my new family and the community of El Espino enough for leading by example and gently showing me the ways in which I could improve not only my life but the lives of those around me.
I can’t wait to see the person I am and become, back in Colorado, with these new perspectives. I hope the spark that has been lit manifests itself into a fire that burns stronger with each day and each thought.
This trip stumbled upon me and fell into place in the most mysterious way, and I thank God for intervening in my life at the time I needed it the most, and bringing me to an unexpected place with unexpected people. He broke me with this trip, only to take the shattered pieces and put them back together to design something greater. Brokenness is a blessing, because it gives you the chance to start from scratch.
<span style="font-family: Calibri online casino Regular;”>I have learned to see emotion as a strength, not a weakness. Feeling is a good thing, a online casino great thing in fact, something that we tend to water down in the US as it is more acceptable to be strong, perfect and always happy. Those moments I feel vulnerable, touched, breakable, are the moments that end up having the most substance and the greatest impact.
Love is the most powerful emotion, and my family in El Espino lives that message each day. Why waste time knowing the depths of a person before love can be shown? They loved me and accepted me without knowing anything about me; treated me as a daughter, sister, grand-daughter, with no knowledge of my past, my mistakes or my views.
Love does not need a reason to be given or shared. It does not require a checklist to be felt. It does not have a minimum time to which it is deserved. And it sure doesn’t have a limit. With love family grows and your world expands to a beautiful place into which nothing else can get you. I love El Espino, I love the people, I love my family, I love my travel team, and I love the unknown of what great things are to come from this trip. With as much heart as I have, I thank you.