Merry Christmas from Nepal!

Love and blessings to all of you for a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year!

I feel truly blessed to have every single one of you in my life--my heart is full today!  Last night (Christmas Eve) I found myself on the shore of Phewa Tal, singing Christmas carols by headlamp with a group of new friends.  It was surreal, and made me think of all of you back home.

I have always believed that life has a way of providing just what you need at the right time, and I am being strongly reminded of that today.  As many of you may know, one of my major hopes for this trip was to do some trekking--specifically, to trek the Annapurna Circuit, a 21-day loop around the Annapurna Conservation Area.  The way my volunteering schedule and the course of events have unfolded, it was looking less and less like I would be able to go on an extended trek at all.  But yesterday, at the very last possible moment I could have squeezed in the three-week trek I've been dreaming of for six months, some wonderful new friends materialized and offered to let me join them on the AC!  My mind is still reeling at how, when you set an intention and stay open to opportunities, everything works out--often not how you anticipate and usually better than you could have planned yourself.  I am feeling an incredible amount of awe and gratitude right now.

So I will be leaving in two days (Thursday the 27th) for a three-week journey through the heart of the Himalayas.  If everything works out, I will cross the highest pass in the world (17,700 feet), walk 190 miles, and make some incredible new friends along the way.  I will probably not have access to Internet so I will likely be out of touch until I return around mid-to-late January.  Please keep our little band of trekkers in your thoughts and pray for good weather and safe passage!

Lots of love to you all!  Merry Christmas and Happy 2013!