Anniversary

Well friends it has now officially been a year to the day since I wrapped my arms around my sweet girl in El Salvador.  Somehow a year has passed since I boarded my first ever flight, full of trepidation, on my way to a country that would come to capture my heart in one short week.  It has been a year since I met a wonderful group of friends adventuring alongside me.  And it's been a year since I was heartbroken by the effects of poverty and overwhelmed by the beautiful spirit of the people in that breathtaking land in the heart of Central America.

The year since that fateful journey has been full of growth and opportunity for me.  I have become more comfortable with myself and more articulate about things that I am passionate about, including Compassion.  I have also begun to get a better feel for longterm plans for further school and a career.  And I truly believe it all began with that simple decision to give up a school trip in order to travel to El Salvador with Compassion to meet Marlen.

It is unbelievable to me that somehow a year has gone by when everyday I can see her smiling face and feel her warm hand encompassed in my own.  How could a year have passed when I can hear the laughter of excited children and experience the sorrow of a struggling young mother every time I let my mind wander back to that land of lush volcanoes surrounding areas of dire poverty?  And yet somehow it has.

I am determined to go back to El Salvador someday.  I don't know how or when, but I left a piece of my heart there a year ago today and it is calling me back to my second home.

This beautiful place will forever hold a special place in my heart.