24th November 2009 – Happy Thanksgiving

This is such a nice holiday, when we especially remember to be grateful for all our blessings. If you’re like me, the list is long and filled with blessings galore. Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Our rain is having a rest but the clouds are a bit heavier today, the sun is beastly hot, the wind is slight – all signs that it will probably be raining again soon. There is a field that I walk by every day that has corn up about four or five inches and the farmer has already weeded it. Now it certainly needs rain again. But the ground is green all over, such a difference from just a couple weeks ago. And the baobab trees are all in leaf, and that is also a big difference. There are a lot of baobab trees around, and some magnificent ones. They have been absolutely bare of leaves but now are greened out really nicely.

Tomorrow is my last day of teaching, then I give an exam and the school year is over for 2009. I’ve enjoyed those kids very much and they’ve certainly kept me on high alert. There’s never a dull moment with them, and they never cease to amaze me with their good spirits and high energy. They are almost an equal number of girls and boys, and each group has its distinction. Most of the girls are dressed much neater than the boys, and there are a couple of boys who obviously come from very challenging households. One’s shirt is really thin and is split all the way down the back; he keeps it together with a huge safety pin. Another wears shoes but you can count all his toes, the shoes are so worn out. And the little they have they share. One day I was walking with a small group, and they had each just been given a little square of bubble gum by a teacher. One of the boys very simply tore his piece of gum in half and gave me a half. I know that bubble gum and candy are real treats for those kids and to have Joseph share was very touching. It’s always good to have an example of sharing, especially as the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays approach.

Anybody interested in a longer account of the Final Vows ceremony that I talked about last week can read it on the Maryknoll website: www.maryknollsisters.org You can look for this one and others that I've written or about my work as well. There are other interesting things on this site also .... Yes, really, it's not all about me!