Birthdays have never really been a 'BIG' day for me. This one was no exception except that I wasn't alone this time. Nobody says we have to celebrate the way other people do, and even if my parents wanted, I would never accept it. I prefer being somewhere else with the people that matter the most. Even though I could never be with all who matter, those who know me good know that I never forget even if it seems so.
Yesterday started off with me waking up about an hour earlier than usual. When everyone was ready, my dad drove us over to town. As usual, he never lets us know what he's thinking until it is time to 'get the plan in action'. So when it was time for lunch he said he would take us to a restaurant. The only thing is, there are not many places to choose from in town so we decided to go to Olympic Grill. It was good enough although there are many ways I can think of in which they should improve their service. Nevertheless, we ate and by the time we got back home it was after 3 p.m.
On our way home we picked up cousin Melva since we all planned to go to Lubaantun at 5. We chilled for a while then we started getting ready. My curiosity was what led me to declare that I would get to the Maya Temple, no matter what. If dad didn't say he would take us, I would have walked it. Anyway, we were the first ones to get there so we had enough time to get some pix. They are far from looking professional but the happiness that shows is what counts. So we were there taking a few shots when all of a sudden I silenced them to listen if they could hear what I heard. They heard what sounded like a cat in the distance, but only me heard what sounded like voices. The last thing all of us heard was the sound of someone running. We know that no one lives in the area nor does anyone stay there after 5. For what, we looked at each other, I stood up, and we all ran to the entrance where Dad and the watchman were talking. Once we saw them, we stopped to feel our hearts beating.
Not long after that, the people we were waiting for arrived. We headed back to where we ran from and took part in the lighting of the Sacred Fire for the torch run. Although I didn't understand a word the Kekchi Man prayed, I knelt down and faced each of the four corners they prayed to. He burnt candles of four or five different colors for each corner but that was after he addressed each of them.
When he finished praying, he asked everyone to form a circle, kneel down and pray. It was a spiritual moment for me and I am glad I was insistent on going. Afterwards, the torch was lit and passed around the circle. We then headed home to pick up my mother and brother with the food. While coming down the hill, I slipped but I didn't get hurt. jajaja.... I wish I could have seen myself falling. I just sat there and laughed. . . and by the time my sister was taking a few steps toward me to help me up, I was already on my feet.
Once we got the food and a bathroom break, we headed out again. This time we were going to wait at the Columbia junction for the runners to appear, whom we planned on following to Blue Creek. We had a lot of time to wait so we had supper under a starlit sky. As always, there was a lot of talking and laughing. That is never absent!!! We got to Blue Creek around 10 or minutes after. Mrs. Esther Sho gave a short welcome address and they shot fireworks for each corner. They also lighted what looked like 15-20 feet of pop-shots strung in a tree. Afterwards, there was more firework display and that was when the camera's battery went dead. Because of that, I was unable to get pictures and a video of the the Fire Ball game. They actually played with a ball of fire!
Oh, and let me not forget the tamales and cacao drink that was shared with everyone. Overall, I loved yesterday just as I love today and tomorrow, but what makes it more special is the fact that it is the time when I start hearing from everyone I haven't heard from in a while.
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