~*~ El Valle ~*~

Wow, this is the bumpiest road I have ever been on. The rented van is just shaking like a bucket of bolts, but I know when we crest the hill and see the beauty that lies at roads end, it will be all worth the bruises I am sure we will have. Just a little farther now. STOP!! Look at that colorful parrot just sitting in that tree. God I would love to spend the rest of my life in this jungle, surrounded by such lush beauty and even the humidity doesn't seem hard to get used to. Okay, lets get up the hill, because guys, when you see this valley, I assure you, it will take your breath away! Pull over right there buddy and feast your eyes on El Valle! Have you ever seen anything so breath taking in all your life? Look at that cascading waterfall, over there at the eastern side of the valley! They say that if you drink from the waters as they fall to the valley below, you will become part of the valley and feel the serenity of the rain forest that lies there. Mmmmm, smell the pineapples, don't they just tempt you for a taste? Well just relax fellas, we will stop in the little market and have a taste, okay?............. Lets go guys, for there is so much to see today. Did you know that this is actually a volcano? Yep, it is, but don't worry, I think the gods will be kind to us as they have to the people of this valley for a thousand years. This road gets quite bad going down, so be careful. Okay, make a left here and it will take us into the village and right to the market. there you go guys, enjoy yourselves for awhile I will meet you at the van in an hour, I have something I need to do. As I walk along the dirt roads, I notice the rain puddled in the holes along the way, young bare chested boys kicking a can along side me just giggling and having a great time It makes me smile as I notice things becoming very familiar to me as I continue on As I turn the corner I spot my goal. There in a field sits a small hut, the sides are made of aluminum sheets, all different sizes and shapes that must have been handed from house to house over many years. The roof was thatched palm leaves and the floor was dirt. As I walked closer, my pace seemed to quicken slightly with the thought of meeting an old friend that I had not seen in a few years. Ahhh there in front of the house sat a little girl, could that be the same little girl I knew and fell in love with a few years ago? But she has grown so big. Well it has been five years, as I think back. Ahhhhh, thats her all right, one can never forget a smile that appears to have Christmas morning written all over it. HAHAHAHA I start laughing out loud as she sees me and recognizes who I am. I want to yell her name, but at that moment of excitement, for the life of me, I can't remember it. But she surely remembers mine and comes running, with such a bounce in her stride, it makes me leap with joy as well. JIM JIM JIM!!!! as she can hardly contain her excitement. In full stride, she leaps and I catch her in mid air and spin her wildly like an out of control merry-go-round. We fall to the ground, laughing like school kids on the last day of school before summer break........... All of a sudden I hear another familiar voice, much deeper than the little girls, but nonetheless familiar, I look to the sky and thank God that her mother is still alive. The last time I was here she was not in very good spirits nor health and it took all the willpower I had to leave that day. But something just told me that all would be fine and I had no right to meddle in what was to be. But it sure sounded wonderful to hear her call out to me. I searched through the hazy high grass that was now over my head due to not having the strength or the yearning to stop rolling in it with my little angel. As I came to my knees I saw my old friend. She was now much older looking than me, even though I was five years older. You could see the hard life in her eyes and on her face that she has had to deal with, raising a little girl in such harsh conditions. Tears were rolling down my face but I wiped then away quickly, before my angel could see my sorrow, for this was to be a happy day, and I would hold back whatever pain I had in my heart to make it so for my little angel. I picked her up and carried her toward her moma. Wow this little girl is quite a bit heavier than she was before, but still cute as a button, so I didn't mind the extra weight, knowing soon I must leave and I wanted to share every moment with her.......... As I closed in on Blanca, I remembered back to the days in Panama City, The nites that I would wake up in a cold sweat, thinking about her beauty, as we danced the Agua Dance, during Carnival on the streets of the city. All that beauty has gone now, but she still had those eyes. The size of half dollars and as dark as a moonless sky. The closer I got to her, the more I could see myself in them. They just gave you no option but to stare with open mouth. I paused to greet her with a smile and silence fell over the entire valley. Only the bells on the bhrama bulls, walking slowly in the field filled the air, and as I looked there, I saw a background that I never imagined possible. Wild cow lilies filled the picture sent to my eyes, and just then I remembered my angels name. Liliana! That's it, Liliana, my little flower. I kissed her on the cheek, smiling as we rubbed noses......... Blanca was a supervisor of a large pharmacy in the city but when her father died, and she could do nothing to help his suffering, she vowed to spend the rest of her life helping the common people of her country. So with that in mind, she quit her job and traveled to El Valle. The place of her father's birth and the place she would go with her father, as a child. I think she knew her destiny all along, though we never talked about it. But the first time I met her, she brought me to this wonderful place, and I could see how it put a incredible gleam in her eyes. This was her home, and I see now, will always be. She still lives there, I am guessing, and helping the poor people in the tiny village on a barter system. You see, money never seemed to matter to her. It was always her giving, unselfish heart that was the key to her happiness. And to look at her now, you can still see it in her aura......... I sat down with my Liliana and etched a tic tac toe board in the dirt and she smiled. I had taught her how to play years before and she still remembered. Of course, then I would let her win to keep her interest. But now I would try me best to keep her from doing so. After a few games and a glass of cool mountain water, which by the way, is the purest in the world, I stood up and announced, it was time to leave. We all sighed but knew that I would return someday and see them again. I could never go throughout my whole life and not see my angel again. I kissed Blanca farewell and took Liliana's hand and headed back to the market where my friends were waiting. They stood there with chapped lips from the acid of the sweet pineapples, juice flowing down there arms and a smile on there face. I knew my ride home would be full of stories they had experienced, for I could see in there eyes that El Valle had touched there souls as it did mine from the first day I was blessed to see it. I kissed my angel good-bye. She pouted as I told her I loved her and I would return soon. I felt a thump in my chest like never felt before. Like ten horses pulling me away, and ten horses wanting me to stay. But I knew it was not where I belonged, although part of my heart shall always remain in the confines of that rimmed valley, I knew I must go. And as we crested the mountiantop and El Valle disappeared from site, I cried, I cried a river of tears, but never once did I try to hide them. For that day I think I finally realized what was important in life. The chance to share all you are able to. The chance to be happy through others joy. I search for that in my life daily, it's there, I know it is. I see a glimpse of it in my friends eyes from time to time, when I bring them joy, and that is what seems to get me through the hard days. Can I find total happiness? I hope so. I dream of it all the time. It's there, and what I yearn, I shall find. Why? Because I am a winner......