Grateful Hearts

"The grateful heart sits at a continuous feast"
-Proverbs
We left RDU at 6:00pm on Sunday and arrived in Kenya at 10:00pm on Monday. After some sweet hugs and hello's with friends we went off to sleep.  We woke up to the sunlight and familiar sounds of Nairobi and we are so happy to be back in our second home with our chosen family, the Africa Yoga Project.

Today we had a relaxing morning trying to acclimate and Jeff played with his pal, Penzi. 

Then we headed off for a traditional Kenyan lunch and to visit Fruitful School in Kibera. We visited Fruitful the two other times we've come to Kenya and each year we notice something new. We entered Kibera from a different vantage point and the view of tin roofed shacks went on forever. We were surrounded by people, noise, smells, trash, kids, and lots of hustle and bustle of what seems like chaos to us but is orderly and systematic to the folks who live there. 

When we got to fruitful we were told that the roof had caved in from a rain storm so the school which is also an orphanage expanded by one little room with tin walls and a concrete floor.  The children crammed into this tiny room and began their practice of yoga with our dear friend Rufus and our new friend Cate as their teachers.  

Each year I fall in love with one child, I mean I love all of them, but usually one just grabs my heart the moment that I lay eyes on them.  This year it is a sweet little girl who was decked out in a starry red, white, and blue bathing suit.  She was younger than the rest of the children and she wanted to practice yoga and be part of the group.  She began in the circle but after getting knocked about by the other kids because of her size, she came out of the circle and hung out with me for a bit.  

The sweetest moment was the sunlit savasana. There is something so special about this space. Light flowing in and flowing outward.  

It's awesome to feel at home, welcomed, to be recognized and to feel the support of all of the folks who contributed and continue to give to this transformative project. Thank you.

"Love is not a consolation. It is light."

-Simone Weil