Transition

Monday 1 October 2007

The calendar has changed months today, and I feel like I have turned a page in my life as well. I’m sitting in my hotel room in London with the luxuries of a soft bed, a hot shower, tea and coffee at my fingertips. Back to a more familiar world, that of the wealthy. But I know that wealth is not found in the pocket, but in the heart. I have been blessed to spend two amazing weeks with wonderful people full of love. Their gifts to me are worth so much more than money or material goods – not disposable or fleeting, but gifts that will stay with me for a lifetime. I hope that I have shared that same kind of gift with them. Friendship is priceless.

Returning home, moving in time and space away from Africa, is an emotional transition. I sit and think about individuals, humanity, society, all the big issues that are easy to drown out when I’m home in my own little world. Now I face them outright. Somehow, I have to mentally try to resolve the inequalities of the world and find my place among them. It’s very difficult. There are chasms between people of different cultures, different races. I am privileged, while people that I love are struggling with daily hardship. I can’t make it better. Oh sure, I can help out in my little way, but real change is beyond my control.

In Zimbabwe, I became Amai Tumbuka, Mother of the Blossom, to my new young friends. I had not felt that I held a general maternal role before, but that feeling is now very strong. I’ve always been proud of being mother to my own wonderful boys. I guess at this stage in my life, being 46, it’s natural to begin stretching a mother’s arms beyond my own family. It’s a gift – and responsibility – of being a woman. Africa brings out that innate feeling. It is the motherland, after all.

In Zimbabwe, I stood out so vividly as a white person. I felt different than those around me, even though I also felt the same as a human being. It’s a strange feeling to be isolated by skin color, eye color, and other physical features. It’s humbling. But with African friends, I never felt that way. Personal connection changes everything.

In a few hours, I board my final flight home to Denver. I can’t wait to see Charley and the boys! It will be wonderful to be home. Back to work on Wednesday. Life will hit me full in the face! I’m sure I’ll be looking at photos and reliving those precious moments in Zimbabwe daily. And of course, I have MUCH to do now to begin editing Tumbuka. AUGH! So much amazing footage to sort through, organize, and craft into a film that speaks truly of that wonderful culture. I feel a huge responsibility to those who will be represented. It is a daunting task, but also an opportunity and a blessing that I’m so grateful for.