The last time...

...I wrote here, I was talking about how our life, according to the word of God is just a vapor. And it was proved to me one more time. That same day after I finished posting my entry, I found out that one of the employees that works with my brother had been seriously injured the day before. He was in a coma.
Before working where I am currently, I used to work with my brother. His partner and him have a small freight-forwarding company. Things haven't been easy but they've press on. So I know most of the employees (they are only a few, like 6) but this particular guy I didn't know because he came to work with them after I'd left.
He was Ricardo's cousin (Ricardo is my brother partner) and he was helping them in sales. He was (from what I have been told) in his mid-thirties, full of life, and eager to work...as Ricardo brought him from the country to the city to work. Ricardo once told me that he wanted his cousin to better himself and to be able to have a better future than in their town, so he gave him the opportunity to come and work with them.
On Friday night like around 8:00, he was getting home when a vehicle ran over him. I didn't know the particulars just that he was seriously injured and in a coma. Like an hour after I found out on Saturday, Ricardo called to say his cousin had died. I was like "God, no!". I didn't have the opportunity of meeting him, but still. It was very difficult for Ricardo. I am sure that on Thursday when he left work he never thought that he was not going to return on Monday. And to be runned over on Easter Friday when the city is practically deserted, practically everything is closed and drinking is prohibited.

If there is one sure thing on this life is death. I am glad that I am not afraid of it and that I know what will happen after it. But I can imagine the fear of those who don't. As a human I don't particularly want to die, I think there is still so much that I need to do and experience, but as a spiritual being I also know that my life is in God's hands and that whatever He chooses to do with me is for the best. Let that be...live here on this earth for a while longer or die and be in his presence for eternity. As Paul said in Philippians 1:21 "for to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain". So I will continue to pray for those who do not have the same hope I have.


Changing subjects, yesterday both me and my mom had appointments with our doctor. As always, and with my mom I mean always, we were late. You don't know how I hate being late, not that I have a mild aversion to it, not that I dislike it, I hate it. I can't understand how can't you plan in advance if you know you have to be at that specific place, at that specific time??? But it seems my mom never gets it. With her, we always end up leaving a few minutes before the actual appointment time. I hate that. We always end up getting into an argument and yesterday was no exception. I ended up more & less sulking all the way to the appointment and she is as "fresh as a lettuce" (this is a saying in spanish, I don't know if it means the same in english, but basically is that the person doesn't really care).

I guess I am kind of a planner. When I know I have to be someplace at a specific time, I do what I have to do, to be there before the actual time. I don't like running late and then having to hurry because of that. Not that it hasn't happened a few times, but they would be the exception not the rule. Besides it just takes me a few minutes to get ready. Even if it didn't, I would start earlier if I needed more time. But where it takes minutes for me, it takes hours for my mom ( at least 1 hour and a few minutes). Some things will never change. (Sigh...)
Everything went well at the appointment, I still have to have some tests, but as far as the doctor was concerned everything was ok.


Changing subjects again...yesterday there was an important game here in Panama, at least for us. Let me explain...Soccer has always been a very important sport in the European and Latin American cultures. As a Latin American country, Panama is no exception, but we've had very few opportunities of our team actually participating on any big event. As all sports here in Panama, I don't think it's for lack of people that can excel in sports, but because they never have the support needed from the country itself and the government. No good installations, no money, no nothing. Sportsmen here can't concentrate fully on the sport, they have to work at something else to be able to survive, because what they make as a sportsmen is pitiful. So as a result even if they are good, they are not excellent because they can't dedicate full time only to the sport. But we have improved and now our team is on what is called a hexagonal. It is a qualifying round for teams of this particular area, which includes North and Central America and the Caribbean. Six teams are trying to qualify for the 2006 Soccer World Cup in Germany. South America has it's own qualifying round. I think just getting to where our team has gotten so far is already an accomplishment. We never thought that we would be on a qualifying round for the World Cup, but there we are.
The six teams are Mexico, USA, Guatemala, Trinidad and Tobago, Costa Rica and Panama. The best teams are Mexico, USA and Costa Rica. Mexico and USA have a rivalry that is very strong, as they are the best of the area.
The first game of our team was with Guatemala, a tie of 1-1. The second one was with Costa Rica and they won 2-1. They were able to make the goal seconds before the game finished , it was frustrating. The third game was yesterday with Mexico, I have to confess that I thought we didn't have a chance. I mean, if we were not able to beat Guatemala and Costa Rica, it was going to be really hard to beat or at least get a tie with Mexico, since right now they are number one of the group. They had just come from beating one of the best USA (2-1). Mexico made the first goal yesterday but on the second half Panama tied the game. Around my home there were shouts everywhere, I can imagine at the stadium. It was really nice, for us is like a big thing. In reality I think that the teams that will pass to the next round are Mexico, USA and Costa Rica. But you never know what might happen, you can always hope. We still have games with USA and Trinidad and Tobago.