An Adventure in Living and Loving

In an effort to write one last "post" about my time in Honduras I decided to take a nontraditional path, poetry.

During the end of January I went on retreat with 6 of my fellow returning volunteers in DC to process our re-entry into US society.  One day we were asked to share our experience in 20 minutes.  I decided to share my tale via a poem.  There are not enough words or paragraphs in the world to tell the whole tale of my time there (even after 100 posts on this blog, I feel my tale could go on for a 100 more, but I won't bore you anymore!), but this poem seems to carry the essence of my journey.  It also happens to share the name of my blog :)

I hope you enjoy, and welcome your comments/ questions/ and snaps...

“An Adventure in Living and Loving”

Four years past,

A call to serve burns inside,

Invitation offered,

A yes! in reply;

Finca del Niño,

11 interconnected homes on the Northern coast of Honduras,

Sharing two sites, one clinic, one bodega, one school, one chapel,

United by a single mission based in God’s great love,

Franciscan Sisters, Honduran Parents and Tías, a Venezuelan Director, and local employees,

Work together with the international volunteers,

To serve, care, and protect,

For our forty-five amazing children and teens;

Year one, serve as special education teacher, swim instructor, and ballet teacher,

Also then as substitute for all, middle school math teacher, special friend time three (plus),

Year two, move to Ceiba to become caretaker of teenage girls,

Starting a cookie business in the process;

Long days and struggles,

Are met with joyous moments of grace,

Magdalena’s school fits diminish,

As her confidence level and love for reading increase,

Marina, Nolvia, and Nelly’s eye rolling remains constant,

As Twilight, apple bread, and Maria Goretti bring us closer together,

The struggles never cease,

While the joys and graces never fail to inspire and fuel my heart,

A twenty-eight month adventure in living and loving,

In gratitude for God’s great love,

In gratitude for the opportunity to serve this mission,

Forever bonded in heart and prayer.