From
there, we continued traveling around the beautiful Lake Atitlan which
is in the mountains until we arrived at Samaj Tijonik where we were
greeted by 2 members of the group. Their craft is making paper and we
got to see a demonstration and then Linda made her own. They use corn
silk in the pulp to give it a unique design and extra strength. After
it dries, they cut out many intricate patterns for cards, journal
covers, albums etc. They took pictures of us visiting them and were so
happy we took time to learn about their craft.
Today is Sunday
which is a very busy day in the villages and towns and when we stopped
in Antigua it was bustling with activity. There were many
foreigners here so did not feel so special. We walked around the town
square and observed for a while and stopped in some of the shops. But
after spending time with the crafters the last several days, it was not
appealing to us to purchase from anyone who does not operate with fair
trade. We were then treated to a fabulous lunch at a lovely restaurant
with the BEST desserts and no one ordered beans, rice and tortillas!
As
we returned to the Sharing the Dream center in Guatemala City, it was
very quiet in the van partly because we are very tired and partly
because we know this is the end of this journey and in many ways it is
very sad.
We ended our day reflecting on our time together, the
itinerary, our accommodations and our food. There were no complaints
just some positive suggestions to enrich the next group’s trip. Diane
went around the room individually expressing her appreciation of each
of us and of course, I shed many tears because this has had such a
profound impact on me. While we were talking, I had a visual that
several years ago, Diane came to Guatemala and dropped a pebble in a
huge body of water and started sharing her dream. She listened
carefully to the people and they shared their dreams. Through the years
the ripples continue to expand as hearts touch hearts and the quality
of lives of the Mayan people is improved as they help themselves. A
high value for both of our cultures is education and this has truly
been an educational experience for us. Diana who is an outstanding role
model for the Mayan females is invaluable to Sharing the Dream. She is
such a treasure with so many gifts and talents. There is no way we can
express how much she has given us the past 9 days. Diana’s sincere
words of gratitude that she verbalized to us were that she believes
that God has brought us together for a reason and that he is working
through us connecting our hearts so we can share our dreams… and with
those meaningful words of wisdom from a bright and shining star who
will forever be with us in spirit, we will go on our separate paths and
return to our abundant lives. It will be exciting to see what God’s
dreams and plans are for us. |
