No Effort is Wasted, No Gain Ever Reversed

It's been a few days since my last blog post.  Mainly because we've been traveling a little bit and didn't have internet access for a few days.  I'll start by sharing about my last day at Gracious School with the Skill in Action Team.  We showed up for day four of our service work and began to paint a second coat of paint on the outside and some trim. We finished painting inside, the work crew finished the installation of three toilets and we cleaned up the classrooms. It took all of us to complete these tasks and the school looks fantastic.  One thing that I am very aware of is that it takes time to build a team but the Skill in Action team showed up right away and knew how to work in a collaborative way. No drama, no complaints, no "I don't want to paint."  We worked very hard and I'm proud of the team.

The children were excited to see us and to be around us most of the day, as was the community.  It was interesting to interact with folks witnessing our work.  Some people in Huruma stopped as they walked by. Some started speaking Swahili to me and looked puzzled when I responded by saying, "I don't speak Swahili, I'm from the U.S."  Some children watched from their homes on the third floor looking down with curiosity and interest in what was happening to Gracious School.

At the end of the day Teacher Happiness celebrated us and our work. She had already done that earlier in the week but she wanted to show thanks again. She presented me with a beautiful fruit bowl, full of fruit. She told me the tradition is that when a child comes to visit their mother that they are gifted a chicken.  She didn't think a chicken would do for this occasion since I would have to fly it back to NC, so she gave me the fruit. She also presented me with fabric and wrapped it around me and told me to tell all the folks back home that I have a mother in Kenya.  I have always felt close to Teacher Happiness, she has lit up my world every time I have visited Kenya.  It was nice to have her re-affirm her love, care and maternal connection to me.  Before leaving North Carolina I had been feeling very devastated about racism and oppression. I still am, but I was seen in a way by Teacher Happiness that is rare in my experience at home.  She really saw me, accepted me, held me and for that, I am forever grateful.  It was healing to connect with her, the children, the team and I feel full and will bring some of this energy back with me to NC.  She presented Jeff with a musical gourd that is stunning. His gift of music has cultivated leadership in the children for the past four years.  It was very fitting for her to offer him the instrument and I know that every time he looks at it or picks it up to play, he will think of Gracious.

I've talked to the Skill in Action team about the ripple effects of their work.  We never know who we are impacting, we don't know who is watching us, seeing our work and being inspired in some way.  We just have to do the work.

The Bhagavad Gita offers us many lessons and a few that are very relevant to doing work and practicing non-attachment.

"No effort is wasted, no gain ever reversed. Even a little of this practice will shelter you from sorrow."

"Yoga is skill in action."

"Surrender the fruits of your actions."

Until next time Gracious School.  You always ask us not to forget and to share about you at home.  We never forget and we will share about you with many.

Ubuntu