It is never too late.

Having spent the past week rediscovering the city I grew up in, I revisited one of my previous homes. What immediately caught my eye was a lemon tree that we had planted a while before we moved to Canada. I smiled at the fact that I now look up to the tree instread of down to it. The lucious lemons hanging from the branches spoke to me of the legacy it is possible to leave. This to me, was a reminder of my commitment to live my life to plant trees under whose shade I never expect to sit.

On Tuesday, as part of my internship I travelled to one site of the programs that the organization I am working with - Tsebo Education Network (TEN) provides. I spent an afternoon becoming familiar with the challenges faced by learners who are preparing to re-write their Grade 12 exit exams. I was inspired by the perserverance of these women and men - some who haven't been in school for 30 years, yet are determined to get their high school diploma. Despite language, social, economic and familial obstacles they are persistent in their pursuit of an education. In this program, TEN provides teachers to tutor these learners in sessions to prepare for their exams.
I am going to be spending the next few weeks and days visiting more sites to gain a deeper understanding of the programs that TEN provides and how I can best add value. After that, I will be developing cross-curricular literacy material to be implemented as part of these programs. Increasing the literacy levels of the students is crucial to their success!

Take this day.

Take this day. That is the song of my heart at the moment.
I mean take this moment, taking what I have in my hands.  I mean focussing on what I have, not what I have not.
Take this day. Take what is in eye sight, what is in ear shot. Take the taste that is being savoured by my tongue.
Take this model plane darting around in front of the sun, setting delicately over the forest and the still waters of the pond.
Take this assignment that I have still not finished, take this oppertunity to express myself - to deepen my understanding.
Take these few words, a moment between friends. Take the sugar and the spice.
Take this last week before I board the plane to my next adventure. Take my last week at the University of Toronto (after these 5 years), the last week at teacher's college. Take this last week with new found friends.
Take next Wednesday's day, when I step foot on the soil that grew me.
Take the next six weeks as I get to enjoy rediscovering South Africa, teaching literacy, fighting for education and Kyle's wedding.
Wait! Take THIS day.

The bits in between

I have the privilege of spending moments of time in the most delightful of places, with the most precious of people. Sometimes I see things that make my heart soar (this happens very often) and sometimes I see things that make my heart want to cry. I don't spend all my time seeing. Once I have seen something, I can't pretend that I haven't. I am determined to find ways to innitiate change so that situations that make my heart cry, become those that make my heart soar. Innitiating change doesn't always mean moving mountains. Sometimes it means having faith as small as a mustard seed.
I am aware that I'm not the beginning of this postitive change, neither will I be the end. There are always those that came before me and there will be those that come after. So, I get to be a part of some stages between the start and finish.
Even more so, I am  most certainly not the One that actually makes the change happen. Sometimes I am the one who pours a little water on some seedlings. Othertimes my job might be putting up a fence so they have a safe space to grow. I am a seedling too, sometimes I am the seedling being drenched in terrential rains.
I will use this space to record some of the highlights along the way.  The gardens I'm in, the seedlings I come across, the waterings I get, the growth I see.