a prophetic voice-

Memories…my mind is flooded with memories…swirling, flowing, swept along by the current, tossed here and there…first this one rising to the surface, then that one…this one bright with reds and purples, that one shaded with varying tones of green…each one precious, individual, reminding me of the three glorious weeks of travel which graced my life this May, 2013, reminding me of the wonderful people who populated those weeks, creating a rich and varied pallet of faces and personalities. It is the people who stay with me most. Oh, the places were amazing…beautiful and varied and incredibly rich in textures and images. But the people! When I close my eyes, it is the faces I see, the voices I hear…and they fill me with joy. Faces…youthful and elderly…of so many different shades…with expressions both strong and soft, both courageous and vulnerable, both joy-filled and touched by tragedy. Faces…when I close my eyes I see them all… Simon…a dear Rwandan friend, just turned thirty…a gen...

Several years ago, a prominent writing couple, Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, wrote a book entitled Half the Sky,  in which they made the statement that women hold up half the sky, meaning that, in spite of having less power in most countries, in spite of the gender bias and misogyny which exists in so many places, in spite of unequal pay for equal work, in spite of often-incredible violence against them, women are consistently the ones who keep things going...the ones who are responsible for family survival...the ones who make it possible for life to go on. Yesterday, I was privileged to meet with twelve women who are indeed holding up their share of the sky...women who, in their fifties and sixties and seventies, are determinedly working hard and creating a community of support in which they are being able to care for their AIDS-orphaned grandchildren with wisdom and courage and strength. The Ebenezer Nyanya grandmothers of Mount Kenya are phenomenal women and the way...

In only 4 more days, I head to East Africa, so I'll be taking a hiatus from this blog in order to keep up with my other blog, lindasreturntoafrica.blogspot.com   I hope you'll consider following my travels, work, learning, and service there. If you have been following these musing of mine, you have some idea of the kind of postings you'll find there, as I travel with and for The Nyanya Project, a non-profit based in Winston-Salem, NC, which works with African grandmothers who are caring for their AIDS-orphaned grandchildren. As a grandmother myself, I find it difficult to picture my being the sole support of my grands, as much as I adore them. Being with them is wonderful but takes its toll physically in a way being with my children never did...because I was 40 years younger!!! But these incredible women are supporting and caring for 2, 3, 4 or more of their grandchildren as a result of losing their own children to AIDS. They are courageous, strong, determined, and fai...

No Quiet Old Age for South Africa's Grannies Dear ones, to read this article which tells a great deal about why i am heavily involved with The Nyanya Project, a non-profit which helps grandmothers like these learn practical skills so they can support their grandchildren who have been orphaned by AIDS, simply click on the above link. And to learn more about The Nyanya Project, please go to our website: http://www.nyanyaproject.org/