March 31, 2014: Faith in the Human Spirit Renewed

I have said many times that one of the factors the brings me back to Costa Rica is the kindness and simplicity of the people here, both native and ex-pat. We have only been here less than 2 months, and aside from the friendships we have made in our past travels, we have made friends with so many more in this short time. The thing that amazes me is the genuine nature of the people here, there are no pretenses. Our neighbors, Oskar and Berna, native Ticas, will just knock on the door and invite us to dinner at the pavilion on the spur of the moment, and before you know it, you have spent an entire evening with a dozen people chatting the night away. Pool time in the afternoon involves hanging on the side of the pool cooling off and chatting with the likes of Jim and Lisa, Carlotta and Bill, Sheila and Bob, Fabiana, Tony, and most of all, Jill and Barry, along with their visiting daughter, Amy and their darling granddaughter, Charley.

We have really enjoyed our time with Jill and Barry who are from Los Angeles, but originally from Michigan. They are such a pleasant couple and the addition of their family here have made for such good times by the pool. Jill thought nothing of calling Jackie and me when she inadvertently locked her keys in the car, and we did not give it a second thought to come to her aid. Unfortunately, during a day trip to Nicaragua with Amy, Barry lost his balance and fell, bruising his hip and back, and when he returned to the condo he was having difficulty maintaining his balance. Long story short: Jill thought it best to return to L.A. to visit their doctor for a diagnosis. During the couple of days while planning their trip, Jackie and I helped them as best we could to make their planning less stressful, and Jill thought nothing of giving us her condo and car keys to make sure that everything was okay during their leave.

Now here are people who have known us for only weeks, but they entrust us during their time of need, and we have no qualms ensuring that everything is taken care of for them during their hiatus. This is the core of the true human spirit and it is so refreshing to see it return to my life. We only wish the best for Barry and want to see Jill and him return as soon as possible.