Siesta Beach Sunset 2011

Without the sun in the sky the last few days the fire in me has been low. Being in tuned with nature has its ups and downs. Dreary, cold and rainy weather is a downer for my spirits. An ideological conflict on a peace issue with a good friend does not help either.

Out of this dark came a note from a friend I made in Haiti. He runs a peace program for youth in Cite Soleil, an extremely impoverished and densely populated community located in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area in Haiti. Although he has done well as translator he still returns to Cite Soleil to work with the youth. There is no ideological issue with this friend, who is grounded in the realities of teaching peace to youth, who live in one of the poorest communities in the world. His smile and words lifted by spirits. (More on Haiti experience at Haiti, Return to Slavery or Freedom.

With this rain and darkness the last three days I have been feeling extremely tired and struggling, perhaps like the still blooming rose bush in my rain garden in front of the house.

Today is my wife’s birthday. She is the joy of my life and keeps me going when I am down and grounded when I am up.

Today I drove a friend, with a brain disease, to see his mother in a home who suffers from another brain disease, Alzheimer’s. His mother cannot speak much and answers all questions with a yes. However, she has a smile for us and we can still make her smile. I do not know how much she remembers me or even her son, but I do know her smile lights up her face and our spirits.

I guess what I am saying is that even in dark and dreary times there is always something to light up our spirits and keep us going.

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