Merry Christmas to YOU!

It's uncharacteristically cold for Belize. I slept in a sweatshirt, pants and socks and under two blankets last night. It has rained a lot these last few days as the temperatures plummeted. I'd say a forty degree drop is substantial especially since these last four months have been so incredibly HOT... It must be VERY cold back home.

With Christmas only three days away, I am imagining what you all have been going through...the preparation, the shopping, the traffic, the crowded stores and malls and the PRESSURE we feel to buy more than what we should. I know...I did it every year since Ashley was born over 29 years ago...And once Bob was gone, I tried to double up and make up for the fact that there was no dad...

As you might imagine, this year is very different...few lights, no Christmas trees, no shopping, and little music. But the gifts I've received have been so heartfelt and meaningful...

Since coming to Belize, I've reconnected (via email) with a friend from junior high school. David was afflicted with polio (born a few months before the vaccine was discovered in 1953). David and I were great friends--I remember visiting him many afternoons after school while he was recovering from back surgery and in a full body cast lying in a horizontal supine position for months on end. When he graduated with us from Bowie High School in 1971, there was a standing ovation and not a dry eye in the auditorium. David wasn't expected to live to see graduation. Many years have passed and I assumed he was gone and was glad that we all lost touch so I didn't have to hear about it. But David is alive and making a difference in other handicapped peoples' lives. He had a stroke 10 years ago and has been in a nursing facility but still has that HUGE heart to try to help others. He even remembers me talking about the Peace Corps WAY back in high school! What a gift for me to find David again!

Another gift has been that YOU have been actively participating in my Peace Corps adventure. Your caring about me has kept me going when times were trying or when I was feeling alone. As I told Cynthia, you are all Peace Corps volunteers. Thank you so much.

I have been blessed by hearing from my wonderful nieces...beautiful notes, encouraging words, and touching sentiments. I'm grateful for this opportunity to discover their depth and beauty.

I received an incredible package from Ashley, Bobby, Nicole, and Aubrey. They replaced the camera that had been broken and added a myriad of other niceties and necessities. But the best part was Ashley's phone call where she could hardly contain her excitement about being able (after 22 years of school) to buy presents. It was crystal clear that she was experiencing the true joy of giving.

My children are all going to try to get here at least once over the 27 month period. Last night as I slept in my sweatshirt and blankets, I also cuddled around my darling, Aubrey and we shivered together and laughed. WHAT A GIFT!!!

These are my moments of Christmas, 2009. This Peace Corps life is beautifully simple. No glitz, no parties, no presents. The only gift I have for you is this simple advice...seek out what is important in life and the treasure it.

For me, it is the knowledge that many years ago, a little baby boy was born in a manger. Allelujah!!!! And having you as my family and friends!

God DOES bless us all...tracy