Honestly Speaking...

Why being vulnerable can help us connect as humans 💞

Hi, friends, family…anyone interested to hear the “other side” of our story 😊

Where to start...?!

I’ve never blogged before, but journaling has always helped me process my thoughts & feelings...can’t be that much different, right...?

I want to share some of those with any of you curious to hear...& might even include some pics…to brighten up the page ☺️

Visiting a majestic waterfall or some amazing Mayan ruins or watching your kids happily splashing in the pool...& then posting pics feels like a bit of a sham…when you’ve spent the last 2 weeks being so sick with a parasite, you’re rushing your kids or yourself to the toilet every 20-30 minutes...ugh...🤢

…we need to be more transparent! I speak for myself. I have so much respect for honesty & vulnerability. And hearing about what others are going through, the hard, often sad grit of life...the pain, the loss, the ongoing challenges, & for some extreme loss & grief 😔

When we asked our server at the hotel last weekend, on day 3 of ordering our girls pancakes, “¿Como estas?” the last thing we expected him to tell us was that his wife had just died last month. Tears welled up in his eyes, as he explained it was a health-related issue & she was only 57. We hardly knew what to say, especially with the language barrier, besides “¡Lo siento!” He was such a kind man, always offering us a smile, even in passing. We would never have guessed he was in a season of such deep grief.

Often I’ve judged people for their responses to me, but then when I hear their story—“my son just died....her marriage just ended...I had an abusive step-dad”—I feel so convicted.
How can I ever know someone else’s struggle? Empathy & compassion are gifts, even when we have no idea someone’s story.

When we came to Mexico, some said “Wow—I wish I could do that!!” or
“What a dream you guys are living!”
It was hard to hear some expressing what sometimes sounded like jealousy, when I’d recently lost my job & we’d just sold so many of our things, including our cars, our home, & left all of the familiar, especially our support systems. But then I realized the photos I’d been posting made it look like we’d come on an exotic vacation. Often our experiences here have been incredible, but the everyday “hard” is what people can’t see.

I’ve been thinking for a long time that I need to write about our life, including our struggles...the good, the bad, the hard. We love Mexico; so many things have been great here. But for me one of the hardest things is being in a place where I can speak just the basics of the language, but not really enough to go “deep” when I want to connect with someone I’ve been around awhile. And being so far from many I connected with more deeply at home—those walks with a friend, visits over tea, or catching up at a park while our kids play, even the moms I’d regularly chat with at our girls’ school—all those moments of connection, now a distant memory.

My “life-line” is often messaging briefly with friends & family & the video calls we have once or twice a week. Prayer has become a much more regular habit, as I ask “Show me the way, Jesus...give me the strength I need, mentally, emotionally, etc. Help us give our girls what they need...Help our country. Be with those we love, as many struggle with what’s happening there, & we’re in such a hard time as a nation...”

We have been incredibly thankful that Mexican people are almost all very friendly & welcoming—they’ve never made us feel like “outsiders” & we have often been blessed by our hosts checking in on us, bringing us a bag of local coffee, once even little activity books for our girls 💖

This morning we had no running water. It was a bit like camping. Here in Mexico, they have a “cistern” on the roof of each home. Once the repairman came, we found out that the pump wasn’t working because of an electrical issue, & thankfully he fixed it. Tap water here isn’t safe for drinking—you have to buy it purified...& we learned the hard way last month that you can’t refill it at just any place. So, after a week of trying to get over what seemed to be a parasite, we realized we’d probably been consuming water from a less-than-pure “Agua Pura” refill shop, & had even continued to after starting our first round of meds 😝 ...so we changed our water source, & went on more meds, which finally took effect.

We are very reliant on having a good host these days. Someday soon maybe we can buy a property, & be more self-sufficient...if we can get residency, which is pretty complicated, especially if we can’t go back to Canada…& get out again! We know that getting residency & buying a property will come with their own sets of challenges, & life anywhere is full of them.

Everyday has its own joys & trials 💛

“Your Heavenly Father knows what you need. Seek first His kingdom & His righteousness, & ALL these things will be given to you as well. Do not worry about tomorrow...each day has enough trouble of its own.”
Matthew 6:33-34