Going Back

I leave today for Kenya, and I'm mostly ready. There's a major snow event predicted here in Seattle, so I'm hopeful that my plane will take off before the storm hits, and that I'll be warmly welcomed back in Cura before the end of the week!

As I prepare to leave my own children to go reconnect with the 50 more under our care, I can't help but reflect on the nature of this work that would command all of my waking hours if I let it. It requires attention to each dollar, prolific communication, inter-cultural sensitivity, philosophical examination and a significant financial commitment... not just for me, but for all of the incredible people who dedicate their personal and creative resources to making it all possible.

And it changes lives.

This collective labor of love has changed the lives of the 50 children in our Home, but it has also brought inexpensive, local medical care, a public library and computer lab, water and road projects, and educational materials and curriculum to the entire extended community, changing their lives for the better, as well.

It's changing lives here, too. As more people know about us, more volunteers dedicate themselves to understanding the world a bit better, giving of themselves a bit more... and they come to Cura and are hooked. They come back, ambassadors now and witnesses to the power of global citizenship.

I know I'm changed, too. I'm incredibly grateful that this can be part of my life's work and that I can offer this one small example to my children about what it means to serve others and be rewarded enormously in the process.

Let's get that plane de-iced!