Middle Day - el 14 de febrero de 2007

Plaza Italia in the middle of Santiago, at sunset (9 p.m.-ish)

There are mountains in the background, but they´re obscured by smog this evening.

El Cerro San Cristobal, which has a statue of the Blessed Virigin atop it. I live in a house at the foot of the cerro. See the first tall building to the right at the hill´s foot? Look down across the green below it to the first patch of gray. My house is in that gray patch, to the left, about 50 yards from the cerro.

A walkway through a park that runs much of the lenght of the city´s center.

I cross this river every day on my way to and from school. Believe it or not, there is a 6-lane highway that runs underneath this river.

Again, there are mountains hidden in the smog. Can you make them out?

Elena prepares Sunday´s supper, which consisted of a LOVELY salad, boiled redskin potatoes with a brilliant garlic sauce, and fresh fruit.

Today marks the middle of my sabbatical. As hard as it is to believe, I have now completed 4 1/2 weeks in South America and 6 1/2 weeks of sabbatical. And that is precisely how much time remains in South America and in my sabbatical as a whole, respectively. Can that be possible?


I´m not going to make observations today. I simply wanted to pass along a few more pictures of Santiago and mention the milestone that has been passed this day.


OK, one observation!


Life is precious, and moves with tremendous dispatch. I pray always to be able to cherish my days as I have been able to do each and every moment spent here in America del Sur. Perhaps what it takes is an awareness that this day (in truth, like every day) is a special opportunity -- to see, to touch, to taste, to laugh, to cry, to embrace, to speak and hear in new ways, to step out in faith... and to sense the Blessings God has bestowed, on me, on you, on everyone and everything, everywhere.




Peace, dear ones. And much love. From very far away...

-- Bill