dine with angels

After the sun began to set, Kelli, Carli and I made our way down a forgotten path where a family of 9 anxiously waited. The small shack was not even in sight yet and three of the children ran to cheerfully greet us and assist us with our gifts of groceries. As we approached their home, we walked directly under a tin roof which is where we found they spent most of their time. They owned one round plastic table with 2 chairs. There was a small, off balanced wooden table where dishes were washed and kept. An off white pipe formed a u- shape over a plastic, faded blue bowl which brought water from the river to be used as a sink. To the left, a wooden column held rusty nails which allowed them to hang various items up. The two things that stuck out to me were an old faded purse and a sliced milk jug which held their toothbrushes. We set down enough rice, beans and maseca on the plastic green table to last them a week. They were immediately grateful. The lady of the house showed us how things were done around there. We observed as she started making the tortillas with her wrinkled hands. She continuously kept a large fire under the wood burning stove so that the rice and beans would turn out perfect for her visitors. We watched in awe as they showed us how they grinded coffee beans and put them directly into a boiling pot with no filtering process. We occasionally tripped over the frantic chickens or over grandma, who towered at about 4 feet 4 inches. This open aired house, with its dirt floors and hanging corn, felt very much like home to me. We eagerly sat down to gratify our empty stomaches (some sat on the floor, some stood, some sat on piles of corn, and some on logs). After they served us, we patiently waited for them to fix their plates and join us. After about five minutes, I finally discovered that they were waiting on us to eat first. They wanted to make sure we were going to enjoy this meal that they had so carefully prepared. It wasn't until I told them that we were full that they started to fix their plates. It took them about sixty second to devour theirs. It was truly an amazing experience that I will carry with me forever. Their kindness was portrayed with more than just translated words. It reminded me of one of my favorite quotes by the Dalai Lama: "We are visitors on this planet. We are here for 90, 100 years at the very most. During that period, we must try to do something good, something useful with our lives. Try to be at peace with yourself, and help others share that peace. If you contribute to other peoples happiness, you will find the goal, the true meaning of life."