big hearts

(Stacy and i trying to stay warm)
I am inspired by the beauty of generosity... there is something so special and unique about it. Generosity is one of those gifts that enters into your life, and makes you feel so inexplicably good. This is on my mind because of a recent trip my sister and I took to Ecuador. Aside from our quality and hard core sister bonding, we spent a lot of time with family and friends. The trip was beyond anything we could have dreamed up.

(Stacy, Jose, Jose, and Juan)

A high school friend of Stacy’s and the family (The Monges who I lived with 5 years ago) played a huge part these amazing two weeks. The Monge’s took Stacy and I everywhere from a party bus around town to the Amazon without thinking twice. We were given rides from one end of the city to the other, in and around town so we won’t have to pay the cab fare, or potentially get lost. Everyone selflessly gave of their time and energy to connect us with anyone they knew in the country, making sure we got to experience the richness of Ecuador.

(the car got stuck on the hill)

I am still in awe of the love I felt, and the long list of things we were able to pack into a short 12 day stay because of the gracious generosity. The days raced by and were not nearly long enough to squeeze in everything. However, regardless of the race against time, it did not diminish the value of each cherished moment we shared with our dear friends and family. And we did not leave in regret of what did or did not occur.

(a little girl in one of the native communities)

One of the great mysteries of life is how everything (a vague word, I know:) all comes together. This recent trip once again reminds me of how important it is to challenge ourselves and explore the unexpected, to trust ambiguity and to have faith in others, ourselves and in God. I absolutely love and find joy in the small reminders that cause us to shift our vision beyond our own immediate surroundings in the small radius of what we see and call “our world.” When we are able to look up and recognize the moments that allow us to be touched and to touch others. It is in these moments, I can feel life becoming so real, so alive that I can taste it. When this happens I stop and think to myself, how could life be any more beautiful.