Roots of Love

“Love is our true destiny. We do not find the meaning of life by ourselves alone-we find it with another.” -Thomas Merton

The super market I shop at has a lovely entrance with great palm trees in front of it. I was admiring the greenery last week and a guard explained that in the construction of the market the roots of the trees were very deep and large, instead of uprooting the family of palms they built around them and over the roots. Although the trees appear to be separate and individual at first glance, just below my feet their roots are intertwined and are one.

When we honor our roots, and allow ourselves to be loved and supported we are able to stand tall and walk along our path.

We are all connected by love.

Without my beautiful family and friends I would have blown away by the first wind that blew through my branches. I am able to feel the winds of change and confusion while maintaining my connection to the earth and with the love that connects me to my family, even though we are an ocean apart. So this entry is one of thanks, and appreciation for my roots, and my deep honor for the people in my life. Thank you all for sustaining me and helping me to walk upright and strong. We are all connected and should draw upon that strength whenever we feel the winds challenging us.

Today let us see beyond the superficial boundries that define us as individuals and recognize our roots of love.

the eyes of innocence

Why are we conditioned to be unsatisfied with everything in life? Especially ourselves? We create the most elaborate stories to perpetuate the myth of someone who we are not because sometimes it is easier not to know, to close your eyes and to walk away. But for how long can we fuel the fire of illusion before the Earth opens up and swallows us whole?

Allow me to explain myself.

Exhausted hospital beds supporting small sick bodies. Four month old lungs ridden with tuberculosis and pneumonia. Bones coverd in skin. Quite mothers fanning their children; keeping the flies away and fever down. Innocent eyes. Oxygen tubes taped haphazerdly to tiny faces and wrists. Barren hospital walls and empty shelves, no supplies. Innocent eyes with such saddness behind them. Children who have been raped. Babies posiend by mothers breastmilk. The smell of death lingering. Heat and coakroaches. Blood thats kills. Positive and negative. Faith. Acceptance. Survival. Struggle. Seconds. Children alone in a hospital lying listlessly, waiting. Holding babies who were born without a chance of growing.

I do not want to fill up my head with nonsense anymore. No more insincerity please. There is absoultly no time for small harbours when the ocean awaits.

forces of nature

I have felt the rains down in Africa. Thank you Toto's Africa!

Wild and electrifying storms of intensity that stop you in your mental tracks because any other thoughts are put on pause for one to be captivated by the driving force of nature. Rainy season has arrived, and with great furry does it unleash the heavens to the earth. The thunder is gigantic, the lightening illuminates the sky and the rain infiltrates the fabric of air. The rain is preempted by the darkening of the clouds and a chill in the air, and then BANG the thunder, the wind, the hail!! Its incredible, and all you can do is wait for the heavy rain to stop so you can carry on with your business. After the storm the clouds break and the sun shines hot again, so you better walk quickly before the next apocalyptic rain storm comes. It is so exhilarating, but I am told after a month of this the novelty will wear off and having wrinkly water logged feet will become a real bother. Until then I am relishing in nature and know the meaning of a proper rain storm!


Let us be Bright and Loud like the lightening and thunder in the skies:)

too late?

Hello my friends.

If the only thing I can tell you today is this, I believe it will be sufficient for you to comprehend how amazing it is to be experiencing this Zambian culture.

Life is short, life is cheap. Enjoy it.

Say hello to everyone you meet because you may never see them again.

Embrace every emotion, no matter how high, or low, or just mediocre you perceive it to be. It is real, and if you are reading these words, or hearing rain falling on your roof, or ignoring the absolute annoyance of a co-worker then you are here.

You are alive. What else is there? Who knows where you will be in 2 days, 2 months, or 2 years.

I see street children, and they gaze into my soul and immediately access a part of my being that I never knew existed. They are hungry, dirty, homeless, and I am sure other adjectives apply that I just do not want to include here now. They stop time with those eyes of desperation. What am I to do? Give them a couple of dollars? To you that sounds reasonable, but for the majority of people living in Zambia an estimated 70% of the population live on less than 1 Canadian dollar a day. A few dollars is a horrible lottery that I can not consciously give to anyone because what will they do when that money runs out? Where will they go, what will they eat? Will they eat?

And then I leave, I walk away from these situations daily feeling absolutely helpless in the grand scheme of life; I wish to give everyone the cloths off my back and every cent to name. It would all be in vain, these problems are not a temporary fix.

So I sit and I think, and try to comprehend.

We must be all that we can be.

Nothing more.