Joy snuck up on me. I'm not sure when, maybe this past weekend, but it did. I am so grateful. Last week was hard and bad. I attribute it mostly to my bad attitude. Somewhat to the tarantulas, but mostly to myself. But this week is real good. Sunshine, waking up at 7 to write until 8, trying to have a quiet time and then thrown into the day. I'm not sure when things changed here but I just noticed that they have dramaticaly. Kids come to me asking me for help with their homework, ask to sit on my porch with me, ask me to eat lunch and dinner with them, ask me to play basketball and soccer, ask me for band-aids, ask me to perform minor surgery on them when they do stupid things, ask to borrow my clothes. The Tia's ask me to help in the kitchen, ask me to make facebook pages for them, ask me for advice on how to love these kids better, ask me to go to church with them. I have a place. I belong. I have office tasks but I also have life tasks. Sarah Thomas reminded me that to live here is ministry and that is enough. Ministry isn't solely office work, art work, teaching english. It is all. You think that since I blogged about that back in January I would have learned that lesson by now but apparently I am slow. I think I have learned it for the moment. I think this comfortable feeling I have in my skin and my bones and my days is an indicator of that.

life is just good people.