Cement in My Gum

Reflections by Mary Ann Damato

I have known Father Ted Brown and worked with him on various projects since 1988. This This experience in Mexico seems to bring me back to many other wonderful service projects, but this is the first time I can honestly say that I have had cement in my gum. As I was literally pulling down a wall(we have to take down a house before we put up the new one) I was contemplating what it would be like to tear down the Wall that is so very present in Tijuana.

Also it made me think of how important it is to tear down all walls between people.

Anyway, the cement in my gum could really be helpful in taking the tartar off my teeth. Yes, there was a lot of joking around on the site that included seven of us from the C.W Post team and twenty of the wonderful Mexican men and women who are a part of the Esperanza Family. Many were the same people who were with us yesterday at the fiesta that celebrated a young man named Uriel. It was his graduation from high school.

Last night they were swinging a stick at a pinata, in between dancing the cumbia and meringue. Today the same people were swinging hammers to bring a new abode to a deserving family.
In doing the work one couldn't help but notice the little family articles: a Winnie the Pooh picture here, an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe there. We kept working in the the Mexican sun because the loving energy that bounced off each of us made the hard work lighter, and the antics of Eduardo, our fearless leader, kept us entertained enough for us to forget how hot and tired we were.