Thanksgiving Day in Memphis. Cleaning up the house so we can have a big group for dinner. All my closest friends in the world; all have shared the Haiti experience with me either by going on a trip or taking care of those who do, raising money for the school, spreading the word about our ministry.
As I clean up, I realize that Haiti has infiltrated every room in my house. Scattered items include the still cluttered suitcase on my kitchen floor:
empty water bottle (THAT goes into the dishwasher to be boiled clean)
bug repellent wipes used and unused
Package from Sister Mary Margaret she sent home with me to mail for her (no reliable postal service in Haiti)
Letter from Madame Marc Leon to mail to her friend Solange in Connecticut
Thank you notes from Dieumene and Marilene to Jennifer, for the care packages she sent to them in my suitcase. You see the Haiti US delivery service via suitcase works in both directions.
Crumpled and soiled Sunday bulletin from Holy Trinity Cathedral
Broken piece of tile found in Holy Trinity's courtyard
Hammered tin crosses
Otoscope parts, pregnancy test kits, urinalysis strips and hemocue cuvettes. A few tongue depressors (throw those out!)
Scraps of paper with email addresses of new friends in Haiti
Through other rooms in my house I find Ann Pale Kreyol CDs (Let's learn Kreyol)
Old newspaper articles about Sean Penn in Haiti
Childrens books in English, waiting to be translated into French so we can give them to the school library
Empty boxes for Canon Printer cartridges, I took the cartridges to Pere Sadoni this last trip
Pieces of friendships at St Vincents, which seems both near and far away this morning. I miss my team members; we spend an intense week together and then scatter to our American lives. As I hear
Bob Dylan's old song on Pandora this morning of course it reminds me of Haiti and I had to take a moment apart from dinner preparations. To remember St Vincents and be thankful for Haiti in my life.
Susan Nelson
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