Loneliness

I'm learning that there are days when this job can be lonely. Days when you're hot and tired, and it seems that you are the only one in the whole wide world who knows. I'm tired today after waking up at 4:00am to catch our plane to Beira, which makes me a little sullen and missing the folks in my life who just get it. I'm living into this feeling and realizing that this is just a small window into the lives of the widows I visited at Hanhane and the children I met at the Carolyn Belshe Orphanage. We all long to know and to be known. We all feel lonely - perhaps some more than others.




As I sit and reflect by the beach tonight in Beira, I am filled with gratitude for those who truly know me and who are truly known by me. It's this small circle of individuals who recharge my battery, provide inspiration, send prayers, spend time, and give generously of themselves to me. I'm grateful because not everyone has these kinds of people to hug and kiss on (sometimes virtually, from across an ocean). This week I have met many individuals who have lost these kinds of people in various ways. This small, insignificant sliver of solidarity I'm experiencing is sobering, centering, and gratitude-inducing.