Today is laundry day, among other things. We spent most of the day typing up reports and writing up interviews. In the morning, something happened that helped me understand many of the failures I have experienced in a new light. I feel hopeful that change can happen, now that I see the pattern. It is one common to many women, as we have been taught to ignore our own needs and take care of others'. This doesn't work very well, as the compassion necessary to take care of others comes from the felt recognition of our own needs. I'm committed to changing that pattern in my own life and helping others change it (if they wish) in theirs.
So many of the people we have interviewed this week have shown me how beautiful life can be, even in the face of poverty, when there is hope. What a gift this is, this hope that blossoms from mud and ordure! The fact that change can come, even so late in one's life, is powerfully inspiring. Perhaps there are still things I can contribute, still gifts I can give. There is a wide space opening out to me. I am grateful. And if failure and pain was what it took to get me here, they are worth it.
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