Carlos

As we have been going to Lima every other year for the past 10 years or so, we have sort of settled into a routine. We now kind of know the routine and we know the area.  Barranco and Miraflores are the districts where my mom and stepfather live. They run along a beautiful coastal bluff walkway or malecon. My walk takes me along the malecon overlooking the Pacific. It is a mix of runners, cyclists, leisurely, and power-walkers. When I first was going there, there was a man who just started talking to me in Spanish as I was on one of my walks. He struck me as kind of nuts and being in a foreign country, I quickly moved on. Then my stepfather told me "O that is just Carlos". Carlos is maybe more eccentric than nuts. Apparently he speaks poetry and other pithy things. So in the past few times to Lima, I have been just saying "Hola Carlos". This year, I recognized him saying to me "Hola Mi Buen Amigo" or "Hello My Good Friend".

Carlos from Dan Quigg on Vimeo.

The Holy Spirit pricked my conscience to remind me how terrible it is when we form snap judgments of people. Each person is made uniquely in God's own image and I believe that each varied personality reflects who God is. That is why Jesus made such a big deal out of human relationships. They are a reflection of God's relationship with us. Those personalities by the way stay with us through eternity - the best of our personalities I mean. Eternity will bring out the best of us while subtracting the worst of us. I am hopeful I will see Carlos there.