This is our friend Rita and her penguin. She’s the little one in the picture on the left; on the right, she’s with her daughter, Maria Pía, in our house.

Rita grew up in Argentina; she and her husband moved to Spain to work in the coffee shop of our friends Chino and Pía. A few weeks ago her father came for a visit, and told me an interesting story–when Rita was very young, the family had a pet penguin. The penguin had been rescued from an oil spill and given to them by a friend. “He was like a dog,” says Rita’s father. “He would beg food from the table and come to us when he was called.” The penguin made it through the hot Argentina summer, but his tenure as the family pet was cut short after six months when he injudiciously snacked on a less-than-fresh fish he found by the river.

None of which has anything to do with Rita’s work on memorizing Psalm 119, but the penguin story fascinates me and I had to tell you about it. I keep thinking about how suitable a penguin would be for a pet in Michigan–the ice fishing, the sledding. . . Well, now you know what to get me for Christmas.

Rita is memorizing Ps. 119 and trying to teach it as well to her children, Tomy and Pía. She’s attacked the project with a lot of enthusiasm, which is good to see. We’re looking forward to seeing how the word of God transforms Rita and her family.