Sorry, i have been really lazy as of late, so i will probably be brief. The boys showed up at the catering hall for Dinner yesterday. They looked good in their new shirts all in a line from shortest to tallest all up the road to school. The smaller boys got to sit inside the catering hall while the bigger ones got to sit outside under a tent. Each boy had a chocolate and cookies in front of him, but they weren't allowed to touch them until after the meal. Sr. Mimi finally gave in to letting them have the chocolate though because it was going to melt otherwise. Sr. Susan prayed so that everyone could hear her. There was something about that prayer that really touched me however. In her prayer, she prayed for everyone who was less fortunate than we. I had to stop and think for a second...there are less fortunate people than those at Bosco? I know it is the truth, but it is just hard to realize that even though these boys are at the bottom of the barrell here in Jamaica, there are still people who are less fortunate. These boys are lucky. I hope that they realize how lucky they are and that they choose to do right in their lives, because if they don't, it is honestly and truely a death sentence for them. Then all of the helpers (there were some Daughters of Mercy there as well) served the boys Sorrell. For some reason, Newt put a lot of Rum into the sorrell, but i guess that is okay. the kids are used to it. AFter each boy got Sorrell, we then served them their food. We started with the little boys and then went outside for the bigger ones. By the time we got outside, the little boys were finished. It was a treat for them because they were able to talk while they ate. That is rare for these boys because they are usually not allowed to talk while they eat. After all the boys were done, we served them dessert, which was a brownie with icing on the top. They all ate them almost as soon as they got them. Then they all lined up and went back to school. I hung around to help clean up. Then i helped Santa and Pam to get packed up and loaded up because they left to go to Negril until the 28th. My original plans were to leave with them, but the more i stayed here, the more i wanted to stay with the boys longer, and not go to the beach for 3 days. If i were here any longer than 2 weeks, i would have gone to the beach, but especially after what a great time i had Monday, i had to continue those great experiences. I know that if i went to the beach, i would have regretted not spending enough time with the boys once i got back to the states. After Santa left, I went back out on the playfield for a little bit. They called the boys to go bathe, so i came back to the house and chilled for a bit. I eventually made my way back up to watch TV with them. Once TV was over, i experienced something new...before the boys went to bed, they put their packages so that they could find them in the morning. Then each boy was frisked before going up to their dorms. It was as close to a strip search without actually stripping down. I could see why it was necessary because there was a whole pile of things found once all of the boys were done. It just made me realize more what Sr. Susan has been saying to me this whole trip: This place is NOT a boys home, it is a prison for juveniles. Granted, some of the boys are here for other reasons, but she said 70 percent or more of them are here because they are criminals and trouble makers. It has taken me many visits for that to actually sink in. I can't let these boys fool me, no matter how much i love them. I treasure every minute i spend with them, and i have to stop myself constantly and tell myself to take in every second i spend with them because i know that for every second i spend with them, i will miss them 100 times more when i am back home. I am lucky to be here and see these boys who have honestly changed my life forever and truely made me into the person I am today. I truely did have a Merry Christmas, and i really want to be able to come back again next year to have another Christmas. I encoruage those who read this to stop and think about their Christmas. Yeah, they probably got to spend it with their families, but think of all that went into that day that might not be very necessary. Take that and strip it down to the bare bone. Make it as simple as possible. That is what Christmas is like here. When that happens, I believe that Christmas has 100 percent more meaning because it isn't based on any thing more than love and charity. Just think about that. Merry Christmas.