April 15

Today is Baby E's first birthday! Well, the day we gave him anyway. I'd explain, but.......it's just a long sad tale of government inefficiency and bureaucracy and a smidge of Bolivian culture thrown in as to why we still don't know this chubby charmer's exact birth date. He just arrived on August 15 last year and some papers said 4 months old, thus April 15. We'll celebrate on Friday.

But I like it...

My little brother was due to be born on April 15, 1990. For some reason, I realized a few weeks ago that Dan, one of our current volunteers, is just a couple months older than Micah would've been. That was something to digest. As I crain my neck to look up at Dan (a rarity for me in this country!!) and imagine my baby brother being that tall (which he most certainly would've been, knowing the Thompson genes)..... It's hard to believe and for the ten millionth time I miss what could've been.

Some people are not very sensitive to the grief of miscarriages, but it was real enough to me and I was just 7! And again 7 1/2 years later when it inexplicably happened again, to what I'd like to think would've been my second brother.

BUT....I highly doubt any brother of mine would be driving a motorcycle after only a few days in a third world country at age 19! Dan got stopped today by police for not wearing a helmet (he hasn't found one big enough here) and he fairly glowed as he retold the story while digging out more on the future room. He somehow talked his way out of any further trouble [he speaks German, not much Spanish yet], showed his Indiana driver's license, his gun handling license, and I don't know what else, then just continued on his way...! He said it was so much fun. O-o-k-e-e-y....

~And no it's not our motorcycle, although my administrative staff would like one for quicker errand-running. The missionary family where Dan is staying generously lets him use it!