Orange Splots

Note: This post has a lot about recent events in the US/arising from the US and if you don't wish to read it, there are plenty of photos to enjoy.

What a week. I follow current events in the US periodically and it is challenging to watch. Big floods, big bills. After three summers working in an 

overnight camp, I have seen firsthand the impact that camp has not only on the campers attending but on the young people that support them. The tragedy in Texas has brought me to reflect once more on the importance of community and making space for one another to grieve. I am grateful for all of you lovely people. 

Bloemfontein doesn't feel so new anymore. I have a general sense of the geography here and have seen many more places. Another American volunteer got here on Thursday. We went to a local art museum with a strict n0 selfie policy. I appreciated the low tech afternoon: looking at 40 years of work from one artist, sliding through a mosaic slide, and catching a glimpse of some mischievous rock rabbits. The animals are called rock rabbits because they look like rocks.

I have found more ways to use my hands this week. Over the weekend Joan brought me along to arrange flowers at the Cathedral - I'm looking forward to joining the choir there next week. I've been working on plans for a fundraising soireé and meeting with people about the sensory garden (see my last post for more details on that). I also put some leftover paint toward refreshing the numbers on the hopscotch course. After starting with a large brush, Sunflower's gardener/handyman/tailor extraordinaire brought me a more suitable tool for the task.

All of these adventures have been rewarding in their own ways, but I have found lots more learning to be had in visiting the community. Sunflower's community nurse has been working with families whose children need long term care for as long as Sunflower House has been open--27 years at this point. I am amazed by her ability to keep track of so many families and to find out precisely what they need. I met a young child who needs to stay at home most of the time; he spoke three different languages during my visit and joined me in a game of race cars on the floor. Many others are doing incredible things while living with HIV: writing beautiful poems, giving back to their communities, and growing into engaged adults.

The story below comes from Gabe Fleisher. He provides lots of factual reporting about the US government and has been doing so via email since he was 10 years old. I have been reading the newsletter since my senior year of high school. "Which Lives Are Worth Saving?" came to my inbox yesterday and tells a story I have heard many times over the past few weeks. USAID cuts threaten the availability of antiretroviral drugs for millions of people. Here in South Africa there are 7 million people living with HIV 1 million of whom are now at imminent risk of losing treatment. It is a bleak picture, but it is important to remember the profound consequences that changes in the US have around the world. 

There is plenty of heavy stuff going on in the world and lots that I'm thankful for. I'm sending love to folks back home basking in the colors of the Oregon Country Fair this weekend. Keep in touch!

Warm wishes,

Lillie

P.S. Some of you liked the last song so I'll add one when I can. I've seen a lot of cows in the last few days; this one goes out to them and Hugh Masekela--a prolific South African trumpeter if you haven't heard his music.