fiesta de la gratitud: san benito

sunday special

notes from maggie's farm

he is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.  --epictetus

A few weeks ago, my husband, Tom approached one of those dreaded 'milestone' birthdays.  I dreaded it not so much for the *0 number that it was, but because there was a dilemma in how we might observe it.  Big party?  Night on the Town?  Biggie Present?  I mean it was the big *0 and everyone remembers how they celebrate those and now I was under pressure to do something fabulous but nothing over the top and with zippo budget for it.  

Now some weeks prior, at a retreat, I enjoyed meeting a church group of women from San Benito, in the Rio Grande Valley, deeeeeeeep down in Texas, close to the border.  Though we struggled to understand one another (and I embarrassed myself trying to speak Spanish), I enjoyed their company, and especially the tamales they so graciously made and shared.  They invited me to come down to the valley sometime, pushed a slip of paper in my hand, and then we went about saying our goodbyes and slipping off.  

As I unpacked the next day, I found the slip of paper.  It was a handwritten invitation that read:  

fiesta de la gratitud
15 de octubre
san benito

What I saw was October 15th.  Which was Tom's *0th birthday.  It was a sign, I thought!  (I see these signs..I'm like I Love Lucy of the Signs.  The stories I could tell you about the signs...)  And a plan was thus hatched, (the details of which will be shared later this week).  The short of the story is....naturally, we were in attendance at the 

fiesta de la gratitud
15 de octubre
san benito 

And this was the beautiful day they shared with two strangers, united only by a common faith:

It was the best. birthday. surprise. ever.  EVER.  I was pretty darned tickled with myself.  And,  naturally, it inspired a home-cooked, birthday celebratory feast when we arrived, safely, home, the next evening. 

We'll be sharing the details, including the generous basket overflowing with rice and beans that was sent through our church to a local ministry in the Valley, later this week. 

 Meantime......

We'll see you tomorrow.