To brighten the day

Sometimes things aren't so easy for a whole number of reasons.

Today I asked one of the kids who is HIV+ what helps her when she is down and this is what she said...

• Talking to someone, particularly someone who can give her advice
• Praying
• Doing things that makes her feel like everyone else, so she doesn't feel like she's different because of her disease

I'm in a Small Christian Community at my church, which is like a faith sharing group in the US. Here it's called a Jumuiya in Swahili. We usually meet for an hour on Monday nights with prayer, songs and reflection on a short Scripture reading. It's been good for me to connect with people outside of my work & challenges me to keep trying to learn more Swahili since the meeting is 95% in Swahili, even though all the members are at least bilingual, usually trilingual (Swahili, English and their mother-tongue, typically another local language). Last night instead of our regular meeting, we went to someone's home to comfort her since she lost her first and only child the day before. Sometimes being here is humbling.

So tonight I'm thinking of things that help me lighten the load when the situations I am trying to navigate or the stories I hear get too heavy to carry.

• Morning prayer in silence with the crows and birds outside
• Seeing things anew
• Cinnamon in my coffee
• Seedlings breaking forth in my mini-nursery
• Laughing
• Cooking
• Talking with friends and family from home
• A delightful email from someone I haven't heard from in a while
• One of the kids succeeding at school
• Guardians who manage to smile in spite of the struggle
• Someone understanding
• A good book (escapism i know!)
• Ripe avocado or mango
• Dark chocolate
• The multicolor lizards doing push-ups on the steps to our house
• The smell and sound of rain
• A cool breeze
  

Last week I helped with a Mission Symposium put on by the Maryknoll Fathers. It was really great to connect with others in this new family of mine!

I've been visiting schools to check on the progress of our students who are completing Std 8 this year. Here I am with Leah and Halima.

Today I was visited by Obama! This little guy was born the year President Obama was elected. I told him that he might be presidential material too...

A few faces that brighten my day...




Okay this one wasn't so much to brighten, more like frighten and enthrall at the same time. He was the uninvited guest to a dinner party last week.