We lived in the nature preserve with the community and the Ausinheilers in Panama for about two months. Zev, without him knowing, was one of the most influential souls we have met. He was always found in arms,  happily breastfeeding or involving people into his projects, discoveries, and games. We instantly fell in love with him and his easy-loving attitude to everything and everyone. With me, I remember him being “Stoked” on tomatoes from the garden, his new word: “agua", the golden spider we would say goodnight to in the kitchen, and the bottle caps that magically entertained him for hours. For us, we will forever carry his teachings of unconditional love, pure joy, and an incredible sense of freedom- even as an almost two-year-old, we have so much to thank him for. A lot of this is his essence, but a great majority of his loving and free expression had to do with his ever-loving parents. Watching him fearlessly explore his new environment with Jessica and Bryan was always amazing to witness. We remember Bryan launching him in the air and as both of their faces would lit up. One time I was looking for Jessica and she was holding naked Zev by the hand climbing up rocks in the river, it was entrancing to see her balance between attentive and letting him explore. I remember her saying “It is a few moments that I get just one-on-one with them” and I remember that being a very special moment to witness. And of course, Zia, who took care of him, and showed him her world…Forever will he be missed, forever will he be loved. 

With all our hearts, 

Mariana and Dylan