S is for Spring break, Samba, Sugarloaf, & Sand — Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Joy is the echo of God's life in us. - Joseph Marmion
Spring break brought a chance to relax and enjoy the sights and to see my parents. Perfect. It also brought a chance to see the oh so famous, Rio de Janeiro. We were on the move: Sugarloaf, Samba, coconut milk on Ipanema beach, Christ the Redeemer, shuffling (literally, see the photo) through the imperial museum in Petropolis, Brasilian BBQ, fruit market, beach walks, and so much more. I hope you all enjoy the pictures. I will leave you with a prayer I took from the book Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning but I've seen some attributions via internet that claim the prayer was written by Joshua Abraham Heschel:
Dear Lord, grant me the grace of wonder.
Surprise me, amaze me, awe me in every crevice of your universe.
Delight me to see how your Christ plays in ten thousand places. . .to the Father through the features of men's [and women's] faces.
Each day enrapture me with your marvelous things without number.
I do not ask to see the reason for it all; I ask only to share the wonder of it all.
I'm continually filled with wonder in this big world and awe for the God who created it. It was joy to travel to Rio and to have my parents here. I loved sharing a bit about my life here in São Bernardo do Campo as well as heading of to the new adventure with them. Now I'm back on campus in São Bernardo do Campo, refreshed and, possibly, feeling a little the pressure of the end of the semester as it creeps closer. Here's to resting in the peace of Christ, marveling in the grandeur of the Creator and to 'doing' (be it dancing, struggling, building, creating, etc.) fueled by the holy fire of the Spirit.