Catching up, canned food, and dead fish

Dead eel
Feliz Cumpleanos a ti, Robyn! Rachel, Nancy, Robyn, Connie y yo
Mom's gone wild in Mexico headed back to the aeropuerto
Downtown Pto. Vallarta
Jesu Cristo en la arena
The downright cutest dead blowfish I've ever seen
yo a la playa
la playa
a dead red snapper on Robyn's plate that stared at me during dinner


God's sunsets in Mexico are right up there with the ones in SD

It's not ugly, the view we had each morning...

"Mom's gone wild in Mexico"...just kidding! But it was great! We were there 2 full days with travel on either side. I had never been to that state of Mexico, near Puerto Vallarta. I would love to return and take Jason and Em. I told Jason's mom last night that if her son weren't so hot and wonderful and her granddaughter not the best kid ever, I never would have returned. You think I'm kidding? I love the Spanish language, the quiet life and laid back ways of Latin America. (I know it's North America, I'm talking about culture...where else do they mandate naps for everyone? Siesta.)

We stayed in a beautiful home, walked the beach each day, sat in the sun and ate lots of chips and guacamole. The boogie boarding was great, and, I did need a total body exfoliation so, when I got washed up onto the beach, it was a mixed blessing...We could see whales jumping from where we were laying on the beach. There were shooting stars each night in the star saturated skies. We found a quaint town one night, north of where we stayed called Sayulita. If for some reason you never hear from me one day, DON'T send a search party there...

It was wonderful to be surrounded with women who love life, love being wives and moms, and desire to walk closely with the Lord. We laughed and cried. It was good to get away. It was good to come home.

Upon returning, as anyone knows who has ever left their home for an extended amount of time (sometimes even 5 minutes!!!), there was a lot of catching up to do. The grocery store was one of those necessary errands, so I headed to my favorite store. (BTW, I don't dread the grocery getting experience anymore...I rather look forward to it. Thank You, Lord!) This was after I got to hang out with one of my favorite friends for a short visit. We were catching up as she had just returned from a wedding and we were talking about labels, or names. She was sharing her heart about how when people hear a specific name there is an immediate association and often assumption or expectation that goes along with it...FAST FORWARD to the grocery store where I was buying cannellini beans in a can. I thought about how the recycling companies want us to remove labels when we throw our bottles and cans in the bin and I thought about how that relates to us as people. We walk up to the shelf in the store and expect that the can that says "Organic Garbanzo Beans" is really what it says it is. But what if it weren't. What if when you got it home it were pickled herring?! Or, what if the grocers never came up with labels and we were expected to guess what was in each can on the shelf? "Mystery meat" would no longer be a joke in cafeterias.

But seriously, have you ever bought a can of something that was mislabeled? When you opened the can, you saw what was inside for the very first time. The true ingredients.

As a lover of God because of the grace of Christ, I try diligently not to 'read' the labels others have placed on people. I don't expect humans to be perfect. I'm not shocked when my selfishness surfaces. I'm not flabbergasted at human error, when churches aren't perfect, when the name on the outside doesn't match the ingredients. Our labels should read: Child of God; Created in God's image; Earth dweller, so slight imperfections...but forgiven, so handle with care. Store in a cool place.

Instead, I enjoy the ingredients. I like opening the can from my pantry and seeing that what was inside was what it was supposed to be, no weird additives that I cannot pronounce and that shouldn't be there in the first place, but plain and simple 'beans'. Humans add the fillers and preservatives. God made the beans just beans. We are the ones that add the fillers, preservatives and labels to our lives and to the lives of people around us.

We are all sinners. We all have the potential of receiving God's forgiveness if we ask Him. And, though some don't want to be opened, as cans the majority of us want to be known for our true ingredients. So, today, take the time to see what's really on the inside of someone's heart. Unless you are the president of 'Campbell's', you really don't need to worry about labels...