Countdown to Chemo. Stop #2

It has been just shy of 14 years since I first set foot in this country I have come to love as my own. I needed one last trip before chemo to see the people and places that are so dear to my heart.

Haiti does not need me. But I know with no doubt in my mind that I need Haiti.

Adding Haiti as one of my pre-chemo stops was a given, but I did not anticipate how powerful and productive this time together would be. My heart is full.

In her book, Good Enough, Kate Bowler writes, “Blessed are we, the responsible, who take a nonlinear path. Who, as the poet Wendell Berry says, ‘every day do something that won’t compute.’ Who know that right when life gets heavy or hard or too much, we must carve a path to delight. Who do something for no reason whatsoever but for joy.”

This week in Haiti has been pure delight.

I came here with the understanding that this might be my last trip to Haiti due to the potential physical limitations that are looming. But instead of acquiescing to that sentiment, I discovered I am more determined than ever to stay strong and do what I need to do to return to Haiti sooner than later.

Despite all of the difficulties and heartache this place brings, it is a part of my heart that I am certain I can not let go.