When I was a little girl, I was terrified to hit the piñata at my best friend’s birthday party. It wasn’t the actual piñata that I was scared of, but the jeers of her friends and family in Spanish. I didn’t know what they were saying, so the encouraging shouts of “arriba!” and “dale!” were disarming. Oftentimes my parents and I were the only English speakers there. Growing up in Southern California, I was surrounded by Spanish but I didn’t officially start my journey as an emerging bilingual until I was in high school. My dad’s best friend was Mexican, so it was only natural that his daughter became my best friend, too. Even though she was born in Mexico, she lived her entire life in the US, only traveling to Mexico for family vacations. Since she spoke English fluently, it was the language of our friendship.  In high school I took my first Spanish classes and I was motivated by mission trips and service trips to Mexico to learn the language. A conscientious and diligent student, I

We had a Bible bath tonight.   Since it is my New Years resolution to read the Bible cover to cover in 2022, I try and read some every night, even just a few chapters if that’s all I had time for. My coronacation helped me get a head start, and I’m making good progress toward my goal, as I began 1 Kings tonight.  After missing a few nights in a row, I didn’t want to miss tonight, so I decided to read my Bible as my children bathed. I’be thought about it but never done that before, because I’ve always been to worried that their splashing might damage my grandmother’s Bible.  But tonight I took a chance and I read it aloud to them, and it was the most tranquil bath time we’ve ever had. I knew they were listening, but I wasn’t sure if they were into it or not. After a chapter, I asked if they wanted me to keep reading aloud and Maya said, “Yes, Mami, I like it.”  So I sat there and read to them 1 Kings 1-5. If you know your Bible stories, you’ll know that includes the record of the fist w