Before we were secret friends...

So, there is a bit of a back story about my amiga secreta.

About three years before the big secret friend party, there was a birthday party. And before the birthday party, there was time spent in Josefina's home.

My first stay at Josefina's home was during a Greasy and Grubby adventure. Back a few years, when Greasy and I were called by God to be a part of a spiritual movement in our sister community, when we showed up in El Salvador with the faith and promise that God would provide, Josefina and her four-generation family provided. They provided us with their beds, their food, their candlelight, their late-night conversation and their love -- all in a warm, tiny, dirt-floored, mouse-friendly home.

One night there were a birthday cake and mariachis and a surprise party for Josefina's daughter. After a short time of Greasy and Grubby playing with the mariachis, it was time to listen, and Josefina pulled me onto her lap and held on tight. This was my spot for the rest of the night.

So when the time for secret friend week came along, I chose Josefina. But really, as Greasy reminded me yesterday, Josefina chose me.

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