A hand of thanks!

   I have fallen in love with Africa, with the continent and the country of Janita's birth, South Africa.  The wide open desert in the center of the country is peppered with hills shaped like hats that workers in rice paddies are seen wearing.  It is as if huge piles of gravel were poured out of the sky to make wonderful, pointed mounds of sand, soil and rock.  In springtime, in the western region of Namaqualand, this desert bursts out in carpets of color.  Flowers emerge from every rock crevice! The sky is enormous, if that is possible to say.  Ringing the coastline are huge mountains that separate the dry areas from the oceans.  There are two oceans, the Indian and the Atlantic, that crash together at Cape Agulhas just south of Capetown.

     Next week I am off to join my spouse.  This will be my fourth time visiting her family and immersing myself in the beauty, charm and reality of this country.  It is a country with a complicated history that generates lots of enthusiastic responses from those I speak to about it.  I also experience a combination of fascination, wanting to add it to the bucket list and anxiety.  The anxiety, I think, comes from the country's history of apartheid and the unknown of Africa as a continent. Undoubtedly more.
    On our trips we have gone to wine farms, walked beaches, drove over dozens of mountain passes and so much more.  We have seen a lot of wildlife, BIG and small.  We have been tourists most of the time, enjoying time with family during the holidays.

   This trip is different.  Our intent is different.  The desire to be in South Africa in a different way swelled in us over the past year and now we can put thought into action.  We have "packed with a purpose" and are  bringing a huge suitcase of donated clothes, stuffed animals and art supplies to a small village connected to one of the game lodges.  Over the last year, Janita and I have been talking about the importance of community for our health, for the planet's health.  Out of this grew our daily practice of gratitude, naming a handful of things each day that we are grateful for.  Doing this simple practice has connected me more deeply to the people I am in contact with every day.  I made a commitment to change, rooted in the understanding of the interconnectedness of all beings.  This suitcase, filled by our generous and kind coworkers, will be one more gesture of gratitude for the children of the Molotedi Village Creche.  Pack for a Purpose:Our mission is to positively impact communities around the world by assisting travelers who want to bring meaningful contributions to the destinations they visit.  http://www.packforapurpose.org