Anticipation...

The needles...



The packing...

And so it begins (or at least began a couple of weeks back)...


It has been a busy start to the summer - moving schools, writing projects, interviews, moving homes... and with the flurry of activity there has been very little time to think about the journey that is to come. With little less than a week away, my trip to Haiti is beginning to seem much more "real" than it has even with the shots, the emails about packing lists, the collection of "stuff" and donations... Now it is time to truly acknowledge the experience that awaits.

Perhaps the greatest irony about the timing and recent events with Freddy's health is the awareness of how much "stuff" we have and believe we need in order to live our lives and the complete lack of stuff I will witness the Haitian people surviving on. During this trip I will see how little is needed to survive - the rest truly is gravy. Hopefully what we contribute will help them more than just survive but in a small way thrive.

The children will be the hardest... coming from a school with so many opportunities available to the kids will be a huge contrast to one where "opportunity" is measured so differently. Perhaps "serendipity" had some play - the money the kids from the school raised will go towards building the library of the school and Jerome is the patron saint of librarians...

And so I will end this post... have some "home packing" to do, a dog to walk and a body to rest... I hope that whoever reads this blog "enjoys" the journey to Jacmel and sees hope and not just hardship...