Sonidos Serranos

Sonidos Serranos: Sounds of the Sierras...
Reflecting some of my family's interests: God's wonderful creation (especially mountains and hills!), music, and language...

Psalm 121:1-2 (NASB)

I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;
From where shall my help come?
My help comes from the LORD,
Who made heaven and earth.

29 April 2021

“Healer of my Heart!”

God of Light, take away the dark of night!

Fill me with your pure delight;

Touch me with your hand.

God of grace, flow into this holy place,

Listen as your children pray: “Take me as I am!”

 

Healer of my heart, Lover of my soul!

Maker of the stars, the earth, the sky,

Come and make me whole!

Savior of the world, my voice is praising you alone.

Healer of my heart, Lover of my Soul!

 

Emmanuel, lead me to deepest well,

Where never-ending love prevails,

Drinking from your cup!

Prince of Peace, forever live inside of me!

Keeper of eternity, O Lord, revive me with your touch!

 

Healer of my heart, Lover of my soul!

Maker of the stars, the earth, the sky,

Come and make me whole!

Savior of the world, my voice is praising you alone.

Healer of my heart, Lover of my Soul!


[Sung by Kevin Inafuku]

23 April 2021

“¡Estuvo . . . todo el tiempo!”

Tal vez esta sea mi anécdota favorita de libro preferido de esta serie que tanto impactó mi niñez ¡y que sigue impactando nuestra vida en familia!

 


El sendero de la ladera que seguían se fue tornando más estrecho y la pendiente a su derecha más escarpada. Al final tuvieron que ir en fila india a lo largo del borde del precipicio y Shasta se estremeció al pensar que había hecho lo mismo [en niebla y oscuridad] la noche anterior sin saberlo.

“Pero claro —pensó—, yo estuve totalmente a salvo gracias al León, que se mantuvo a mi izquierda. Estuvo entre el borde y yo todo el tiempo.”


#CSLewis  #ElCaballoYSuMuchacho  #LasCrónicasDeNarnia

#DíaInternacionalDelLibro

¿Qué mejor momento que el Día Internacional del Libro para compartir una anécdota de una personaje favorita (y una foto de una de mis personas favoritas)?

 

📸: @fotosgrafiasromero

“¡Vete, inmundo dwimmerlaik, señor de la carroña! ¡Deja a los muertos en paz!”

Una voz fría respondió: “¡No te interpongas entre el Nazgûl y su presa! O no te matará de una vez. Te llevará a las casas de lamentación, más allá de toda oscuridad, donde tu carne será devorada y tu mente marchita quedará desnuda al Ojo Sin Párpados”.

Una espada sonó al ser desenvainada. “Haz lo que quieras; pero lo impediré, si puedo”.

“¿Impedirme? Necio. ¡Ningún hombre viviente puede impedirme a mí!”

Entonces Merry escuchó de todos los sonidos de esa hora el más extraño. Parecía que Dernhelm se reía y la voz clara era como el sonido del acero. 

“¡Pero yo no soy ningún hombre viviente! Estás viendo a una mujer. Éowyn soy yo, hija de Eomund. Te interpones entre mí y mi señor y pariente. ¡Vete, si no fueres inmortal! Porque viviente o des-muerto oscuro, te golpearé si lo tocas”.

El monstruo alado le gritó, pero el Ringwraith no dio respuesta y se quedó en silencio, como si tuviera una duda repentina. Gran asombro venció por un momento el miedo de Merry. Abrió los ojos y la oscuridad desapareció de ellos. Allí, a unos pasos de él, estaba sentada la gran bestia, y todo parecía oscuro a su alrededor, y por encima del monstruo se alzaba el Señor de los Nazgûl como una sombra de desesperación.

Un poco a la izquierda, frente a ellos, estaba la que él había llamado Dernhelm. Pero el yelmo de su secreto se le había caído, y su cabello brillante, liberado de sus ataduras, relucía con un dorado pálido sobre sus hombros. Sus ojos grises como el mar eran duros y feroces, y sin embargo lágrimas había en su mejilla. Tenía una espada en la mano y levantó el escudo contra el horror de los ojos de su enemigo...

 

#JRRTolkien  #ElSeñorDeLosAnillos  #LOTR  #Éowyn

20 April 2021

Preguntas difíciles...

(Publicado originalmente en inglés en abril 2012)

“¿Mamá?”

“¿Mmmm?”

“¿Por qué se está muriendo Jona?”

Ella estaba sentada a la mesa frente a mí, comiendo una merienda. Miré por encima de la pantalla del laptop y me encontré con esos ojazos azules, más grandes que nunca con esa pregunta. De manera franca y muy tranquila, la vocecita de mi niña de cinco años había captado lo que clamaban todos nuestros corazones...

“Bueno, mi amor, a menudo no sabemos por qué Dios está haciendo lo que está haciendo...”

Su pregunta me había sorprendido. Me mordí el labio, pensando...

“En realidad, nos estamos muriendo todos...”

“¡¿Nos estamos muriendo todos?!” Los ojos, siempre grandes, se hicieron aún más grandes y muy serios.

“Es por el pecado, y por eso Jesús tuvo que morir en la cruz...”



Y llegué solo hasta allí con esta publicación ese 10 de abril del 2011... Las demandas del cuidado paliativo, la falta de sueño, el cuidado de mi bebé de cinco meses y muchas otras demandas me impidieron volver a escribir.

Hay muchos ángulos en la historia, pero la respuesta principal es la que hablé con mi hijita de cinco años esa noche y muchas, muchas veces desde entonces; es la respuesta que desearía haber tenido tiempo y energía para articular en este blog esa noche. Pero, casi un año después (en abril 2012), JM resumió la respuesta en www.jonatorres.com.

¡Te invitamos a leerla, creerla y regocijarte en Cristo!

(La historia de Dios y la tuya”)

10 December 2020

¡Rulemanes!

Cuando tu hijo se pone a sacarle el polvo acumulado al ventilador y se transforma en un proyecto más complejo... 🤔



Y entonces aprende qué son y cómo funcionan los rulemanes... 🤩

Cuando se entera la hermana, se pone a cantar el jingle más conocido en el Estadio Centenario... 😄

(Sospecho que solo los uruguayos más fanáticos de nuestro fútbol entenderán todo esto...) 💙🇺🇾⚽

28 November 2020

“Biker’s Diploma!”

At the beginning of this month I posted about getting what I’m calling my “Driver’s Diploma!”

Another member of our family became confident on his set of wheels just this week! 😊



After searching off and on for several years and after selling DJ’s RadioFlyer tricycle at the end of September (the one I’d brought in pieces spread throughout our luggage in 2016) for almost twice the $35 (dollars) I’d paid for it in SC, late last month (and just in time for his b-day!) I finally found him a second-hand bike in very good shape and for the very reasonable price of roughly $20 (dollars) – a combo that, sadly, is not so easy to come by here. Second-hand merchandise tends to be quite expensive here, especially when compared to SC “yard sale” prices.

All that to say, we’ve been very happy with this find! 😊

After four outings to the park, DJ – very happily – took off on his own this past Wednesday!


💙💙💙

Thanksgiving Traditions!

Thanksgiving Day: One of my favorite holidays! 🤎

In the southern hemisphere, it tends to fall on a regular workday when we have classes to attend and/or teach and a school year to wrap up. All become aspects that help us focus on the essence of the celebration!

In the evening we had to take our now-traditional walk, half a block up and four blocks over, to the little “mom and pop” ice-cream shop that has become an important part of our family’s traditional celebration of Thanksgiving Day.


The purple flowers on the jacarandá tree that we usually photograph on our way weren’t at their peak this year, but we tried for a few snapshots anyway. It was E’s idea to get the flowers with the moon in the background...

We’ve enjoyed watching the horneros rebuild their nest this spring!


DJ also enjoys taking (and editing) pictures with my cellphone:

And I love all the angles in this shot!

Since E’s regular classes had been cancelled for the afternoon, she had accompanied me to school that morning in order to help me teach elementary EFL classes.


This is what can happen when your teen gets ahold of your cellphone while you’re at the wheel: 😄

(She’s one of my favorite people!)

As I commented (on fb!) to John Mark: Dr. Troutman might just have been right when he tried to assure this desperately sleep-deprived mom that a colicky baby turns into a wonderful teen... 😉

SO much to be thankful for!

#ThanksgivingSeason

When a student brings you fresh mulberries from her family’s garden (and you already have an array of seasonal fruit from the open market on hand), why not serve fruit salad over ice-cream (from your favorite “mom and pop” shop) – and call it supper? 😄

That’s exactly what we did earlier this week... 😉

#CelebratingThanksgivingInSummerWeather

20 November 2020

Culture!

Multiple cultural experiences this week...

The Lord of the Rings by Johan de Meij, performed by Montevideo’s Symphonic Band at the Teatro Solís on Wednesday evening!





The Tempest by William Shakespeare, performed by the Classic Players and shared via livestream by Bob Jones University yesterday evening! (E & DJ found out today that their cousin Marcos was the stunt double for the jester!) 🤡😉

📷: screenshots from bju web


(And we’d rather not talk about the rather painful sports event on Tuesday evening...) 🤐

But at least there was pop to enjoy...

04 November 2020

“Driver’s Diploma!”

After originally getting my drivers license in the Great State of Ohio (decades ago!) 😄

...and driving for over two decades in the Sovereign State of South Carolina (with all the crazy drivers there!) 😆

...and even having some experience driving in six countries (on three continents!) 😜

Finally this afternoon I received my Uruguayan Drivers License!

It was a process 🙃 involving, of course, red tape and multiple visits to the municipality.

I had to...

...take the written (computerized) test,

...put in 15 class hours of Drivers Ed (a big thank you! to “🚘ters Academy” for his patience!) 😁

...and then take the actual driving test.

So this little plastic card ranks up there with a diploma or something along those lines... 😉

Edited to add: 
The process was at least somewhat complicated by the pandemic (due to limited postal service, etcetera).

“Revalidating” a document internationally now requires the country of origin to “apostille” the document, thus certifying it as genuine. However, the interruption of international mail caused by the current pandemic complicated that aspect, so it was easier (and cheaper!) to start at Square 1. (Plus, I frankly was not confident that the DMV would be up to the challenge of validating a document internationally, pandemic or no...) 🙃

When it came down to the actual driving test (and the instructor found out that I’d already had a driver’s license elsewhere for years), all I had to do was drive around and through the park. Grace! 😉

02 November 2020

“Happy Birthday, JM!”

The challenges of the now-infamous pandemic couldnt keep us from celebrating our favorite man...


Celebrating as a family on Birthday Eve...


Celebrating with friends on his actual birthday...

31 October 2020

“Happy Birthday, (Not So) Little Man!”

This year has been, umm . . . How should we describe it?! “2020!” (Right?!) In all seriousness, this has been a year full of challenges in every realm of life...

We had to get creative regarding how to celebrate DJ’s birthday simply but with at least a few friends this year. (We hadn’t done a party for him the last two years, poor guy...) So we came up with the idea of having a picnic immediately after getting out of school in a nearby local park with a few friends from school. (And on his actual birthday – possibly a first for us!) 😉



We combined ideas we’d gathered over the past two or so years – and even recycled some materials! Not being able to find a definite consensus (in writing) on protocols for groups, we tried to take precautions in every measure we could imagine, even incorporating masks that fit the party theme...



So much fun!


Since E was my full-time Party Planning Assistant this time, we had lots of fun with all the details…







DJ also helped with some of the food prep and decoration...



And we made party bags for DJ’s classmates (because taking cupcakes to school – or any food to share, for that matter – isn’t allowed right now).




“Happy Birthday, (Not So) Little Man!”


We love you!

26 October 2020

The Best Bouquets!

It’s spring! Wildflowers are in bloom everywhere, and my Little Man picks a bouquet for me as he leaves the school…

From my 👦, with 💙!”


19 October 2020

A Favorite Quote!

“War must be, while we defend our lives against a destroyer
  who would devour all;
  but I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness,
  nor the arrow for its swiftness,
  nor the warrior for his glory.
  I love only that which they defend...”
 
J.R.R. Tolkien
The Lord of the Rings, Book IV, The Window of the West

03 October 2020

Moon and Mars!

Moon and Mars, as seen from Montevideo tonight...








O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens...

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what is man that you are mindful of him,
and the son of man that you care for him?

(Psalm 8)

28 September 2020

“International Son’s Day!”

So, now I’m seeing that today was International Son’s Day (at least in English-speaking nations).

And we’re thankful for our DJ.



He’s typically working on studying several topics at once these days...



And drawing maps...

And learning history and geographical names in two languages...

Just because... 😄


SO thankful! 💙

26 September 2020

“National Daughter’s Day!”

So, I see that today is National Daughter’s Day (at least in the northern hemisphere).

And we’re thankful for our E! 💕




15 July 2020

Thoughts...

Endeavoring to keep up with overseeing schooling in two languages plus teaching a college-level course (involving remedial aspects and last-minute online adaptations) combined with limited internet access have all contributed to my having limited access to social media over the past four months. So, when posting my current profile picture almost a month ago, I had no idea that wearing face masks (or not) might actually imply some sort of political statement (although I had, of course, heard comments here and there about health-related pros and cons of wearing them).


“Who is that Masked (Little) Man?!”

In response to a friendly poll on how often I wore a mask, I replied that I do so “(Almost) always!” when in public and in the spirit of Romans, chapter 13, clarifying that masks are required here on public transportation, in supermarkets, and in some school settings, for instance. Conceding, for the sake of the argument, the potential lack of efficiency of masks, I observed that if my wearing a mask makes others feel better (even if that’s all it does), why wouldn’t I wear one when out and about, especially when doing so in my case (living in a relational culture) would be (as all my life really should be) a matter of Christian living?

Without hesitation, my 14-year-old, reading over my shoulder, commented: “To the masked I became as masked, if by any means I might win some...”

Yes! That’s exactly the (1 Corinthians, chapter 9) attitude I intend to communicate (even if breathing a greater concentration of my own CO2 is not in my own best interest). Deny my rights and liberties?! Yes... I personally know Somebody who gave up so much more for my ultimate good (Philippians, chapter 2), and His doing so involved death in my place on a cross...

20 April 2020

Salmo 40:1-4

 Al SEÑOR esperé pacientemente,

  y Él se inclinó a mí

  y oyó mi clamor.

Me sacó del hoyo de la destrucción,

  del lodo cenagoso;

Asentó mis pies sobre una roca

  y afirmó mis pasos.

Puso en mi boca un cántico nuevo,

  un canto de alabanza a nuestro Dios;

Muchos verán esto, y temerán,

  y confiarán en el SEÑOR.

Cuán bienaventurado es el hombre

  que ha puesto en el SEÑOR

  su confianza...

(Salmo 40:1-4)

01 February 2020

“...lavador alegre de pies...”

Señor, rompe las cadenas que me sujetan a mí mismo; libérame para ser tu esclavo alegre; es decir, para ser el lavador alegre de pies de quien necesite que le laven los pies, que le cocinen la cena, que le pasen por alto sus defectos, que le feliciten por su trabajo, que le perdonen su fracaso, que le consuelen sus penas o que le cosan un botón. Que no me imagine que mi amor por ti es muy grande si no estoy dispuesto a hacer por algún otro ser humano algo muy pequeño.

~Elisabeth Elliot


Lord, break the chains that hold me to myself; free me to be Your happy slave — that is to be the happy foot washer of anyone who needs his feet washed, his supper cooked, his faults overlooked, his work commended, his failure forgiven, his griefs consoled, or a button sewed on. Let me not imagine my love for You is very great if I am unwilling to do for a human being something very small.

~Elisabeth Elliot