Home sweet home

It is good to be home. Still a little jet lagged and travel weary. I loved seeing my boys, the hugs were wonderful. I have gone through my pictures and posted a web album that I hope to link to the blog shortly. It is all a bit surreal at this point. I find myself moving a little slower, a little more laid back. Looking at my day to day life and appreciating it a little more.

Privileges we take for granted like education, electricity, good roads, access to health care are privileges and come with a responsibility to ensure we use them to make our lives better and to help others where and when we can. Callum was whining about going to school today and I reminded him there were thousands of children who would take his place in an instant if they could.


I went there looking for some answers to my own life. I have felt so lost in it, walking through it but not living it. What I saw there were people who acknowledged their past, but still managed to live in the present. A deep faith, belief that they will continue to rise again as many times as it takes to get through whatever adversity they face. Darkness and light sharply play across Sierra Leone.

I asked Thomas what he most missed when he was away from Africa and he said 'The laughter'. I get that; despite all the hardship, physical labour of day to day life there, there is always laughter. Women walking carrying punishing loads on their heads, chatting away. Men riding on the top of a poda poda, hamming it up for passing vehicles. Smiles, waves, greetings that go on and on. Even when we can't speak the same language, we see each others eyes, we connect and know for an instant we were seen as another human being on a journey here and now.

I guess except for posting the photo album to the blog, this will be the end of my journey here. I have a lot of work to do before I go back to Sierra Leone: letters to write, trying to locate donations of medical supplies and medication for cdpeace, a container to fill with medical, school, and building supplies, a letter to Toyota Canada telling them about what great work their trucks are doing in Sierra Leone, and talks to give to spread the word about cdpeace and Sierra Leone to as wide an audience as I can. You never know who may be listening, how they will be moved, and what good might come of it. After all, this all started with Dr Thomas Mark Turay coming to Parkview Public School.........

Safe journey.