Thursday, November 29, 2007

Te extraño.

Oh, Bo-liv... Tonight, I am missing you. A lot. Este noche, te extraño mucho.

I miss the way you made me cry; I miss the way you made me laugh. Te extraño.
I miss sitting with you at lunchtime. I miss your homemade chicken-foot soup. Te extraño.

I miss the dusty walk to Missionaries of Charity in my feo walkabout boots. I miss your toothless smile, your abrasive embrace, your blind eyes, your stinky wheelchair, your stained sheets, your disfigured fingers that held my face in your warm, calloused hands. I miss your yellow soccer ball. I miss spoon-feeding you. Te extraño.

I miss your faithfulness and commitment. Te extraño.

I miss sharing a blanket with you as we napped and cuddled on the sofa while the rice was cooking. I miss watching The Simpsons in Espanol. Te extraño.

I miss linking arms with you as we skipped past pot holes and sleeping dogs. I miss the way you shouted my name "Eli!" when you saw me a couple blocks away. I miss the black gate that was home. Te extraño.

I miss breaking bread with you and drinking tea with you in the morning. Te extraño.

I miss your holey sweater and over-sized jacket. I miss the way you held onto my arm as your limped along. I miss the way you called me your daughter and your love. Te extraño.

I miss the way you stared at me when I sang, the way you giggled at my mispronounced palabras, and the countless times you asked me about "my country". Te extraño.

I miss learning from you and teaching you. I miss your brown, round eyes. I miss your kind words as you struggled to translate for me. I miss offering hot chocolate to you. I miss visiting you at work. Te extraño.

I miss the way you made me miss other things, like comfort, familiarity, English, mis amigos.
I miss the way I struggled with brokenness, suffering, simplicity, and sacrifice because of you.

Te extraño.

No puedo olvidarte porque tienes parte de mi corazon.

I can't forget you because you have a piece of my heart.

2 comments:

Violet Read said...

Querida amiga.... está bien que extrañas a Bolivia y las experiencias que tuviste ahí. Me duele por ti y me da tristeza que estés asi pero recuerda que esa experiencia es una experiencia de tu vida. Te ha cambiado y nunca nunca vas a ser la misma mujer. Dios va a continuar usandola para hacerte en la mujer que el quiere que seas. ¡Permitele usarla! Permitete pensar y extrañar a Bolivia. Es es lo que te ayude en recordar lo que Dios ha hecho y está haciendo. Habla sobre tus experiencias y porque lo extrañas. Tienes mucho para decir y muchas cosas que nos puede ayudar entender el amor de Dios y quien es. Te quiero mi amiga y estoy bien emocionada para abrazarte y placticarte. ¡Hasta pronto!

Chrislyn said...

that is beautiful