Reflections

Wow, what a week! Tomorrow is Wemerson`s 32nd Birthday and I made him Grandma Joy`s rasin cookies as a pre birthday gift! The man is easy to please! I have been reflecting on the fact that we have been here in Brasil for over 5 years and it is just NOW that I am coming out of culture shock...it really can take that long. We are taking a cultural anthropology class and learning lots about changing cultures, adapting, stress levels and how to control them, how to enter a new place without all your presupositions, judging, etc... I came to this amazing realization that with all the stuff that has happened in the last 5 years I have been operating at an amazingly high level of shock and stress that JUST NOW is starting to lessen. Fellow students have even commented that I seem more smiley and easy going this year and I think it comes from I finaly am feeling able to stop treading water and SWIM... if that makes sense. SO as we celebrate Wem`s birthday tomorrow I am on my way up... the boys have made a few fun surprises and we are going out to lunch ( a very rare treat!) and I am feeling truly Joyful again ( maybe it was Joy`s cookies that did it!) and with a real smile instead of just a fake one so that no one will ask me what is wrong. Such a pain to explain when you don`t even have a clue yourself! Enjoy the pics of the boys... they put real smiles on my face for sure!