It's still raining...

...and raining.

I never really knew I would miss sunlight so much...

How much longer will the rain last?  Someone today said 48 hours...but that's also what they were saying on Wednesday morning when we had the flood.

48 more hours...

I'm beginning to think this is like the "ocho mas" in the Spanish aerobics class I took in college.  Gritting my teeth to get to ocho, muscles burning, only to hear the instructor call out "ocho mas" and then again "ocho mas"...

So 48 more hours...or perhaps we don't really know.

One thing's for sure, though.  Eventually the rain has got to stop so dry season can begin.  Eventually this storm has got to fizzle out.

I can be thankful it's just a steady rain and not a downpour.

I can be thankful we have food and water and power.

I can be thankful the house isn't flooded anymore...

I can also be thankful our road is no longer filled with sticky, stinky mud.

I can be thankful for rainboots.

I can be thankful for friends and getting through things...

For cooperation and communities that work together to rebuild...

But patience wears down and people get tired.  Cleaning up and rebuilding take lots and lots of work.

And there are other inconveniences...

Laundry, for instance.  I was thankful to find the laundromat near my house didn't flood, though areas on both sides of them did.  The majority of Guatemalans either handwash their laundry or have just a washing machine.  This means that most people dry their clothes on a line either inside or outside the house.  When it's raining, however, some people cope by bringing their laundry to the laundromat where they have dryers.  When I stopped at the laundromat this morning, I was pleasantly surprised to find I will be able to get my clothes by tomorrow.  With all the people needing to dry things, I was expecting to have to wait much longer.  Other people cope in other ways.  I noticed the house across the street has laundry strung up under a covered shelter.  I'm not sure if this is a sign of hope or desperation...It's so humid outside,  I wonder if the clothes will ever dry at all.  On the other hand, eventually the clouds have  to part and the sun has to come out.

We really have a lot to be thankful for at this point.  And when the sun finally does come out, I think we'll have to have some kind of sun-celebration party.