Our summer has started off incredibly hot here jumping from 60 degrees one week to the upper 90′s the next. Last night as it began to cool off I decided to go pull the weeds out of the flower beds behind our house. As I sat there “playing in the dirt” my thoughts started to wander to Haiti. This Sunday will be 6 months since the trip that changed my life in so many ways.
I recently sat down with a new friend for lunch and she told me about her trip to Haiti pre-earthquake. She said she felt out of place there and had a hard time adjusting to it all. The experience was so different for me. When stepping off the airplane it almost felt like home or that it could be home. Every part of that trip completely nourished my soul.
Even in the rubble people were warm and inviting. They wanted to share their stories and seemed truly grateful that we were there with them. The sweet children at the orphanage made my heart swell with emotion.
One of the things that I miss the most about being in Haiti was doing. We were constantly doing something, from sunrise to sunset. When the sun sets you can still stay up for hours under the stars talking and enjoying the company around you. There is nothing inside the buildings there that lulls you in, not even air conditioning.
Sometimes I think we forget how great it is… to do, to act, to give because we spend too much time and resources managing our stuff. Or perhaps we are too scared to venture out of our comfort zone to try something new. Whatever is holding you back it is time to let go… I am so gad that I did.
