Friday again -- already

This week has zipped by. I guess it comes from being very busy. There has been lots to do at Holy Cross.

On Wednesday, it was decided that the teachers at Holy Cross needed a Lenten retreat. Since we are well into Lent, time was short, so today was the day. Deacon Jan was given the task of planning and leading this retreat. Did I mention it was only decided to do this on Wednesday afternoon? The purpose of our day was two-fold -- to enhance the spiritual growth of the teachers as we move through the season of Lent and to provide them with informaton they can use as they teach their children about Lent. So, we learned, we worshiped, we laughed, we sang, and we prayed. Using our Books of Common Prayer and the liturgy of the Anglican church, we backed up to look at Lent from the beginning with Ash Wednesday and walked through Holy Week. We had a Palm Sunday procession as we moved to lunch. Mrs. Rosalia and her kitchen crew prepared a delicious lunch - a chicken dish with onion soup and flan for dessert. After lunch, we did a foot washing. I hope more of the teachers feel more comfortable with this Maundy Thursday ritual. It was a good day, I think. I learned about some really interesting Belizean Easter customs, most involved eggs and predicting the future. More on this later as I get clearer information.

I've done more in the last couple of days than prepare for this retreat, although it took a lot of time. A couple of days ago, I judged a writing contest for students in Standard III. They were asked to write a good paragraph or 2 about what they like about the school library or about their favorite book. It was a tough assignment for me. It was hard to narrow it down from the submissions. I wish I had copied them so I could include some of them here. One girl, who I have known since my first visit at Holy Cross, said her favorite book was North Carolina Health Care Careers because she wants to be a nurse, and this book showed her the different kinds of patients she would have to take care of. Let's hear it for those books we have been hauling down here in our suitcases!

Yesterday after school we celebrated 2 birthdays - Mr. Edwin the security guard and Mrs. Godoy, one of the teachers. That meant cake, of course. These cakes were huge, 2 layers with cream filling between them.

This has been the week when it seems like every child needs new shoes. I hope some more are on the way in donors' suitcases. In order to get new shoes, a child's old pair must be either too small or worn out. Children have to bring a note from their parents saying they can't afford to buy new shoes. One day this week, a dad came in with his son. The boy was probably 10. We found him a really cool pair of black, silver and red tennis shoes. He was beaming when he put them on. With that big smile on his face, he said "thank you" about a dozen times, waved to us and headed off to class, a very happy kid. He dad also said "thank you" about a dozen times and hugged Ms. Linda, the secretary, before he left. It makes my heart happy.

I've met more of the neighbors in Paradise Villas. Two of the ladies, both of them retired teachers, have set up a schedule to volunteer at Holy Cross. A group of 3 couples who came together to snorkel, dive and vacation, had a tragedy on Monday. They were out on a boat diving and snorkeling when one of the men apparently had a heart attack and died. They are still waiting for his body to be released from Belize City so that his wife can take him home to St. Louis. It has been very hard for his friends in the group. Such a sad end to their vacation.

It sounds like spring may be creeping through the snow and cold for most of you. I hope that makes for a great weekend. I don't have any particular plans, but I'm sure it won't be dull.