grace

Ah, the days are long and so hot and hard.  and sweet.

We all sweat as we talk, kissing beaded cheek to beaded cheek, everyone reminding us how often they prayed, everyone asking about our health and the wedding and the baby and the move, everyone reminding us what a miracle that we have gone Lòt Bò--"to the other side"--and back again without great injury.  

And they are right.  I needed reminding.  It is a miracle.

Lemè has gotten too skinny, his happy eyes sunk in and tell-tale signs of him working hard all over the office.  Claudin has been working day and night on his house, and both Rose and Carmel lost their dear babies mid-pregnancy.  Lucner much preferred New York in June over New York in January, Fanfan wishes his wife had some good Christian friends in their new community, Elizay is worried he is losing his English, and Naomy is just back from the hospital with Chikungunya, which everyone.  EVERYONE. has had. 

I know it is only a matter of time before the ache in our knees and ache in our hands and ache in our bones sets in with fever.  Somehow, knowing it is Claudin, Naomy, Lemè with Chikungunya--not "Haiti"--makes me feel in good company.  If they did it, so can we. I wish I'd brought that jumbo bottle of Advil in addition to two hopeful bottles of bugspray.

Brandon stopped in just 'cause he knew we were back, Noel popped over with oranges just 'cause she knew we had no produce, and sweet sweet Micheline came unexpectedly in the door with all of the grace and peace that she is, and I couldn't even get to her before my children had her enveloped.  Community has come to find us again, though we be sweaty and the house be upside-down, and it is good.

Baby Christie bawled when I took her.  She doesn't remember me and doesn't know all of the many years I prayed for her.  Strange pale face in a world of well-known brown ones, but how much she has changed in only two months...how much more she suddenly looks like her mama.

Girls didn't want to visit Abel's son, Abdias, just on the other side of his own miracle, but I make them, just for a minute, and they find four new puppies, and when it is time to go, it is me again, making us.  He looks terrible, 8 days in the hospital and two blood transfusions later, but his smile is strong for it only being his first day home.

All I could see were Florina's eyes, ducking into their dark kitchen shack out back, smoke burning my eyes.  But hers light up and she is kissing and running for a chair in no time, because a chair means stay.  

Walking home, Lily picks up Asheline, then Ti-Ti, and Bèline has Sofie's hand and suddenly I'm bringing a chain of grinning girls home.  Sidewalk chalk and bubbles are the newest toys from America, and bananas make it familiar.  The big girls ride scooters and color while Sofie la-la-las nearby, happy to be both included and in her own little world at the same time.  

Live Simply

Sabbath Daily

Say No to say YES

Grace yourself

have been my mantra the last few days

The office and the jumbled overload of notes and papers and receipts and coins--all to be conquered quickly...Sofie, happy Pepper knocking her to the ground and bopping her front little tooth bloody and a bit loose...the books will cost too much for the students to buy if I order them, but we have no books if I do not...once again getting not nearly done what you'd think one could in one day...   all of it almost drove me to despair today.

Yet the Sabbath I found in every friend pointing me to our Faithful God...the many times I told myself NO to YES a person today...the simple moments of playing on the floor next to Maxi with Christie and the girls, of praying with Micheline as I've wanted to for 2 months...of watching Sofie rub Noel's arm all throughout lunch, the simple gift of community...

I will grace myself the rest.

Ah, the days are long and so hot and hard.  and sweet.