Silence

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Today is the celebration of the town’s patron saint “Our Lady of Miracles” Nuestra Senora de los Milagros.  I went out again to watch the procession of cars and people all dressed up for the celebration.  It was beautiful to watch practically everyone in town and in nearby ranches join together in prayer and in faith.  I can’t say enough about the journey my faith has taken but I always appreciate watching others believe in theirs so strongly.  There are streets filled with rows and rows of vendors all preparing for the night’s events.  One of my aunts was nice enough to take me out on the town and we went to the town square where we watched the line up of performers they city had gathered to celebrate the annual grape and cactus fruit festival.  We watched the children play on the rides and watched as families gathered to watch the castle of fireworks unfold and light up the night sky.  It’s hard to celebrate things when you are going through this immigration process every joy and laughter is one who isn’t being shared with the people you love and it makes things very hard to enjoy.  As we walk through the crowds of people we can’t help but notice the whispers among the crowd.  Things are a little eerie and something doesn’t seem quite right.  My aunt stops to ask a friend nearby what that strange feeling in the air is, with more whispers she informs us that during the procession earlier in the day there had been a shooting on the main road and that several people were killed.  The rumor was that it was one of the local cartels v. the police.  No other particulars are given, we buy a hot dog, some ice cream and call it an early night.  If grandmother has heard the news she is surely worried and there is no reason to worry and almost 90 year old woman.  I am home by 9 pm and in bed shortly after only to be ready to start another day away from home.