One of my English students is Dr. Eduardo Leao. Turns out he is the great-grandson of a Mrs. Leao who was good buddies and a right-hand woman with my great-grandfathter.

Today I was invited to his family's farm. I was treated like a queen as we roamed the mango groves, walked through the bamboo forest, played in a beautiful, cascading waterfall, ate acerolas (a small, red Brazilain fruit) straight from the tree and dinned in high fashion. I met Eduardo's mother and grandfather, Joan Leao, a childhood friend of my grandfather.

The sun shown through the spiky palm leaves at just the perfect angle all day. There was a lot of laughter and a strong feeling of connection and appreciation.