Saturday, August 23, 2008

A Letter to Nicaragua



After reading the sorrow-full, soul-full words of my dearly loved friend, Jen Lemen, I want to write a letter to Nicaragua.
To Xiloa and Paradise and Masaya.
To Charlie and Paisy, to the mothers and their babies,
to the school teachers from the two one-room schools whose stories I listened to with tears flowing,
to the unemployed adults, the hopeful teenagers, and the countless children.

I want to tell them all that I dream of on their behalf.




I want to tell them how much I wish I could be there even now.
I want to assure them that they are never far from my thoughts.




I want them to know that my silence is simply due to physical distance.
My spirit walks with them and holds them all in my arms.
I want them to understand that I cannot,
I truly cannot think about them without crying.




And I want them to know that I love them.

But when I sit down to write the letter, I realize that I don't know their names.



I realize that I don't have addresses for them;
most of them don't have addresses.




So I type these words.
I write them in my journal.
They are etched in my heart, in my soul, in the tracks of my tears.

Dear ____________,
I miss you.
I love you.
I wish I could see you again.
Soon.

Be well.
Peace, Gail

4 comments:

Lori Duncan said...

Well said Gail, the people that you spent time with, you will never forget. YOu must not forget. Hope you are as wrecked as I am. Blessings Lori

Anonymous said...

My eyes are wet, too, just reading your blog. Bless you and your daughter and the 28 others for being available and making this mission trip.

Anonymous said...

I have a sign that reads "CAN OPEN: WORMS EVERYWHERE".

In our current life situations and experiences, I liken it more to:

HEART OPEN: LOVE EVERYWHERE.

The depth of what you feel and hope and dream and cry and wish and ache for is amazing. It is indeed the richness of life that so many for so long have gone without.

Now I believe we are waking up to a new level of being. Our hearts and souls are broken wide open. The first step towards healing...ourselves, each other, the planet.

Anonymous said...

Very moving Gail. Wow!