Reflection and Goodbye

Tuesday, January 12, 2010, 5:00 p.m.
34 seconds that changed so many lives. 34 seconds is all it took to change everything. Haiti has a hold on my heart. I’ve grown to learn the language, adapt to the culture and fall in love with her people. Pictures flash through my mind. Sabboule, Nicolas, Denise, Jocemine, Anoud, Dana, Pawel, America, Ari, the list goes on and on. My heart aches for them. When will I see them again? Changes, changes, changes. Feelings and emotions. I miss our simple life. What now Lord? I ponder. He gives me peace. He has the whole world in His hands. He has a plan. A perfect plan for everything. We need to trust Him moment by moment and day by day.

I close my eyes and reflect on the two and half weeks gone by. Time flies. Traveling to Ft. Pierce, our time there, and then on to Toronto. The love, care and generosity we received from everyone along our way. God is indeed good. After several days in Ontario back to our home town Chilliwack, British Columbia. Family, friends, the familiarity of our previous lives. Presentations, interviews, sharing our stories time and again. Keeping in touch with friends and coworkers in Haiti. A time to rest and recuperate.

Now today, it’s time to say goodbye. Jason is going back. Excitedly he packs his suitcases and carries the boxes of dried soup mix and apple chips donated and manufactured by the Gleaners, to the car. My heart is torn once again. I would so love to go back with him, to hug Denise and hold her children in my arms, to see Haiti for myself once again. To visit Dana and check on the feeding program children and the orphanage kids. To make sure the little boys outside our gate still have enough food for their families to eat. Jason reassures me that he will do it for me. He will hug the children and hand out the food. He will go to the orphanage and check on everyone there. He will reassure Anoud and Denise and send them my love. Hearing his reassurance I start to feel better.

Jayden needs me now. My 2 and a half year old little boy needs his Mommy more than ever now that his Daddy is gone. He needs someone to explain to him that freezing temperatures are not “too hot.” That boots should be worn in the rain. That these people he doesn’t recognize are in fact his aunties and uncles and cousins, that in Canada you wear socks, and that bananas just don’t taste the same. That carpets are nice and soft, unlike our tile floors, and that fire places are hot. That car seats should be used at all times, and that wiggling out of them is not acceptable. That the real word for “Mimi’s” is cats, and that here people say “thank you” instead of “Mesi”. My role as mom of a cross-cultural child is challenging but also so rewarding. How precious it is to see my little boy walking with his great grandmother in the rain, wearing his new giraffe boots.




What a joy to see him start recognizing his cousins and asking for them by name. To see his love for his grandparents and the love and joy they find in him. God has blessed us and continues to direct our lives moment by moment, day by day. Once again I close my eyes and thank Him. He gives me contentment and peace as I face the unknown future. He has the whole world in His hands.