I’ve been short on inspiration for a few weeks. Nothing to be worried about; the accurate diagnosis being the heat of this time of year. Then, on Sunday, May 16, the World Day of Light was celebrated, and as if by magic, and appropriate to the cliché, “I saw the light!”
Organizing the elections for staff delegates always worries me. I’m not quite sure why, as I’ve organized quite a few without significant complications. Perhaps it is because the process involves a timetable of formalities, with meticulous deadlines to meet, or because of the difficulty of finding the candidates themselves. Yet, despite my fears, we have new staff delegates!
“Dans la causerie du dimanche, nous avons appris aux enfants qu’ils doivent tous apprendre à vivre ensemble, comme des frères, et favoriser la compréhension et l’amitié entre toutes les nations et tous les groupes raciaux ou religieux, sinon nous allons mourir ensemble comme des idiots” (“In the Sunday talk, we explained to the children that they must all learn to live together, as brothers, fostering understanding and friendship between all nations and all racial and religious groups, otherwise we will die together like fools”). So describes a report by Jacques, who leads the street children program, about one of the formative talks we gave.
I can think of many ways to begin 2021. A little bit of “Philomena” in Burkina would no doubt be one of them. Yet, the best of all is the blessing of three new classrooms in the “Valencia” nursery school, which allow us to serve more children, increasing our capacity from 300 to 450.
Dear Tío Pepe,
Now you’re really going to have to make an impact – from heaven!