The island of Paros;

an ordinary, real life island,

inhabited by real life, working people;
an island that despite its ordinariness

still managed to be extraordinarily beautiful.

 

The trip included a visit to an abandoned marble quarry,

the original source of the islands wealth 

and centuries of stone used for sculptures throughout the region..

As we walked through the town of Lefkes,

I noticed a Yia yia (grandmother) with her grandson;

a grandson who looked to be the same age as my Sam.

I walked over and asked if she spoke English.

She replied that she did, a little.

But that was more than enough for us to convey how universal 

the love of a grandmother is for her grandchild.

She said he came to the island 4 times a month -

and then "her world stopped and revolved solely around him".

Her face beamed as she spoke of him

As we talked further, I realized how accurate I had been in thinking Yannis 

was the same age as Sam.

They share the same birth date.
Both of us were teary when the conversation stopped,
acknowledging that being with a grandchild is one of life's biggest joys.

When you're on a small island, everywhere you look at sunset is beautiful.

especially when shared with new friends.