We have phones. Phones that work in Panama! We can WhatsApp. We can Facebook on the go. We can text each other from our separate hotel rooms. We can get an Uber ride! I know these are superficial pleasures and privileges, but they are also lifelines right now for us.

I think Neil spent most of the first night video chatting with friends. He had carefully lined up all his friends to get WhatsApp, but his old phone couldn’t support the app. He had been patiently waiting for a new phone. Now he is set up with Mom’s old iPhone 6. He is truly living the life of luxury. It’s been a huge boost to his moral to be able to communicate and to “see” his friends.