Wow! It's already been one week since I arrived to my favorite place in the whole world. Where
the roads are covered in red dirt, the matooke grows everywhere, chapattis are
sold at every corner and I don’t wear shoes half the time I’m here… Uganda, the
place that has my heart. I’ve heard the phrase “Home is where the Heart is” my
whole life. I never fully understood it until just last Saturday though. As we
neared the rolling hills and beautiful forests of Fort Portal that phrase came
into my mind and all I could think was, “Wow, I get it!” I feel at home, just
like I feel in my own room back in small town, middle of nowhere, Kansas.
Jet lag kicked by butt the first few days. Sleep would come
about 3-4am, then, it would be wakey wakey time! What made it easy to get out
of bed was the little alarm clocks outside my window, yes, outside my window –
not your typical alarm clock either – a little boy full of energy who is trying
to keep baby Zoe entertained why everyone sleeps…or doesn’t sleep…”Waaaake
up…waaaake up its time for everyone to waaaaake up… *hushed tones* Zoe, knock
on Auntie Kaylas window *knock, knock, knock* AUNTIE KAYLA ITS TIME TO WAKE UP!” haha I’m pretty sure
that has to start your day off right.
Something I’m learning is you can’t capture the pure joy of
a moment in a picture, because, you have to stop, grab the phone, turn it on,
unlock it, find the camera app, take a picture, and by then, the moment is
gone. Believe me, I’ve tried. A picture doesn’t capture the legit dance
parties like the one we had tonight well. Too blurry – just like my
memories during the time of trying to take the photo, blurry! I’m learning to just be present. Take in the
smiles and hugs; remember the little laughs and the crazy dance moves. Ah, Rose
has her own signature move now…its kind of a cross between a bird trying to fly
and an Irish jig. Yeah, just try to figure that one out and it still looked
cooler than any of mine. My hips don’t lie when it comes to dancing, I missed
out on every. single. dancing. gene. possible. Sorry, back to what I’m learning…
Just enjoy the moment and be present.
Pictures can be deleted but the smiles and
laughter embedded in your heart can’t be erased. Today was by far one of the best days here yet
and in the words of sweet Rose “Today was a good day”
