We just wandered down from another evening spent on the roof. The night sky was clear, stars winking at us from their perch in the dark sky. The velvety air kissed our skin as we sat and talked about the events of the week. It was a good week, one filled with new faces and fresh experiences, revived perspective and renewed insight. Sharing experiences is a beautiful gift, and one that we revel in. I'm lucky to have a husband who wants to share this experience with me minute by minute, day in and day out. Nighttime is a good time to rehash, to let go, to laugh easily under a blanket of midnight blue sprinkled with points of light.
Patrick took a mysterious leave from work in the afternoon. Tonight he surprised me with our first piece of Haitian art work, a design created out of pounded metal, some of my favorite art here. He picked a piece that brought me instantly to tears. If Haiti can remind me of home, this artist did so. Patrick picked a scene of a sunflower field... sunflowers as tall as the humans... birds flying among the plants. A couple is walking towards each other between the sunflowers, the woman's braids blowing in the wind.. a wind strong enough that it could be from Kansas. The whole pictures is a reflection of what I love about home: the sunflowers, the wind, the meadowlarks. As tears streamed down my face, I recognized how homesick I've become, missing the familiar, the safe, the easy of being in a place that every molecule of your body and soul knows.
It is good to go away from home, because you love home more than you thought possible. No matter how long we stay in Haiti, I'll be a Kansas country girl through and through. I"ll love nature, green earth, the night sky and fresh breezes that stir my soul and bring me closer to the Spirit that pervades every place.
We leave not to turn our backs on the place we come from, but to understand the world better. We leave and fall in love with our beginnings in new ways. We seek new lands to expand our horizons, but always, we are rooted in the place we were born, made strong by the nurturing of our youth, grounded in ever-reaching image of home.
Patrick! There were SO many metal pieces to choose from, yet you found THE perfect one -- a truly daunting task. Hats off to a true romantic, and to two absolutely amazing people! Thank you both for daring to do what we can only dream.
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