Walking With El Salvador

A friend stopped by the church offices today.  We did that thing that women friends sometimes do when they have not seen each other for a long time - little screams, arms wide open, run toward each other, big hugs and big smiles.  We met when she was just a girl.  She was my Amiga Secreta (secret friend) at one, long-ago Valentine's Day party.  We have stayed connected via social media for sixteen years.  She explained the reason for her visit.  Back in October she had been robbed and her identity document was taken.  In November, she had organized all of the paperwork necessary (which includes a document from the Bishop because she works in a church), and she went to the government office to get a new document.  She waited the hours in line, as is customary, to find out that because her old one was going to expire in early 2020, there was no use in replacing it.  Instead she should wait until the new year to get a new document.  So, for a few months, she has had to navigate life

We were driving the usual route between home and the church offices today, when we caught up to a pick-up truck making a rather wide right turn.  We recognized the familiar sign across the rear tailgate:  Precaution Future Driver with the phone number of the driving school, and we just cracked up.    This was one beat-up truck.  The rear bumper was missing, the sides were completely smashed in.  "Must not be a very good teacher," we chuckled.  It was impossible to get a good photo into the bright sun through our windshield, but I caught one from a distance as we turned off in another direction.  And I got to thinking, it has been a while since I posted a collection of road pics.  I don't always have a great camera with me, and I am often busy yelling "Look out!" to my trusty husband driver, but every now and then, I catch a little something that reflects a bit of real life in El Salvador. Caught a quick pic of this pick-up the other day.  The sign says th

Welcome to 2020! This year, at the beginning of each month, I hope to provide a little overview of El Salvador's official holidays and cultural traditions for the month.  If you are in a companion church or sister community or other relationship of solidarity with folks in El Salvador, you might like to mutually share your holiday and cultural traditions with your Salvadoran brothers and sisters.  Understanding how and why we celebrate at certain times or why we hold some days as sacred or solemn helps us to build stronger relationships with one another.  Hopefully a few general conversations about holidays can lead to deeper understandings about family, local community, history and diversity. January 1:  New Year's Day New Year's Day is an official holiday in El Salvador, meaning offices are closed and the beaches are full.  Most people in government or formal sector jobs have vacation from Christmas Eve through New Year's Day.  However, for those who work in rest