A Flash of Faces

I listened to a sermon tonight about being thankful for the people God brings into our lives. At the very mention of the topic, faces dashed across my mind. Living in Peru for five years afforded me various opportunities to get to know and to grow to love a plethora of people there. Every now and then, friends and family here in the states ask me what I miss the most about Peru, and acquaintances comment on how wonderful the food must be and how splendid the scenery of those Andes Mountains appears. I smile and nod my head, but then I state with assurance that while my mouth may long for the savor of ceviche and lomo saltado and my body wishes for one last hike in Huaraz, those things alone do not make Peru beautiful to me.
Whether I was delighting in my morning cup of coffee or enjoying an evening meal of lomo saltado at Tanta, the people accompanying me in those moments created the sensation and pleasure in the memory. Sharing that flavored coffee in the morning with Emily, Maranda, and Nicole brought me more satisfaction because they delighted in it as I did. While just the thought of Tanta’s lomo saltado makes my mouth water, I realize that the food was just an added pleasure to the company I kept with the Soto family. What kind of experience would Tajmani’s be without Sandra by my side to laugh and giggle with? From taco nights to goulash dinners, cooking with my ninth graders provided countless amusing moments beginning with cutting tomatoes and ending with star gazing in the back yard. :) From enduring traffic jams with Maranda to running around Samoa Park with Emily, I find blessings in the memories God has given to me with the matchless friends I have made. What would a Lord of the Rings marathon be without my fellow LOTR fans there to take pleasure in the classic while dining on whatever food happened to be available for the evening? Dance Dance Revolution provided a great workout, but it proved more useful as an avenue to spend time with students and friends. People make experiences all the more lovely. Isn’t God wonderful? While man can create numerous entertaining devices, only God can create people. :)