a journal of discovery, conviction, and walking with the poor and orphaned of Rwanda
Saturday, May 30, 2009
A Sweet Gift
Her name is Janet. I met her in a very remote village. She had nothing, except the heavy hooded coat she wore so proudly on a hot day, and two flowers, and an arresting smile. She freely gave the flowers and the smile to me, asking nothing in return. She disarmed me and placed me under her arrest.
I am reluctant to do the Bio thing. Nothing "about me" should be the focus here, except as this open journal may resonate with (or provoke) your own thoughts. But I offer this much: After 30 years as an attorney, I am now a typical Halftimer who is determined to move beyond success to significance. Inspired and convicted by three sons (Tommy, Nathan & Wesley) who live passionate and adventurous lives, I am now privileged to participate in the exciting social changes and development occurring in Rwanda and elsewhere in Africa, hoping to empower the desperately poor. But I must be very clear on this: I am just your average coward. Suffering and sacrifice are very foreign concepts to me. However, I now believe that life comfortably ensconced in a safe cocoon misses out on too much of what might be learned, experienced, and shared with others in the Majority World, many of whom are crying out in desperate need, and some of whom beam with smiles and contentment such as I have seldom seen. I want to know them and their lives.