St. Jude's -- 2 Years Later

We had a nice party this weekend, and I was entirely focused on getting the beer and trYing to make it cold, but through this frenzy I was also aware that the entire crew would be visiting St. Jude's on Sunday. If you are not aware of that tragic day, you can go back to 2010 and read the hardest post I have ever written, but the story of a young boy's life who ended on a beautiful day still makes me sad.----------------------------- The Catholic Mass at Gulu High is now at 8 a.m., in order to get there on time, we would have to wake up very early. When I woke up, it was raining and the temptation to stay in bed was there for a brief moment, but I remember how lost I had felt when I had made that wrong decision two years ago. The rain kept some of the students away, but there was a lively crew of young people. And the young girls curtsied when they greeted me with a warm hello. I was joined at Mass, by Arianne, a math teacher from Laramie, Wyoming. She has a sharp wit, and the pragmatism of someone who solves problems for a living. The music and songs from the students were amazing and it is still special to hear the ulations (war chants) amidst a song of praise. A great way to start the day, and on the way home I stopped at an East Africa betting parlor (something new this year) and placed a bet on Spain in the big football match tonight.---------- A good breakfast with lots of potatoes, eggs, and sausages, and home to St. Jude's. I was a little silent and apprehensive about the place, but we were soon there. Geoffrey found me almost immediately and he became the recipient of the Flying Screeching Monkey supplied by Tom Magee. Scroll down for 2007 and 2008 pictures of Geoffrey. As more children ventured out to play, it started to seem normal. Filda the former head of the place is no longer there, but I talked to a couple of women who remembered me. There were two boys speaking in Lwo and miming that I was the one who pulled Samuel out of the well. It was a little tough when two of the moms told me they remembered and I thanked them as I fought back tears. Later one of these women brought the woman who watched over Samuel and the three of us talked about how little Samuel was an Angel and he was looking down on us right now. There was definitely one Angel at st. Jude's today. Ashley walked up to me with a small Hibiscus and placed it behind my ear. I have just met Ashley, but she has a smile and a laugh in her conversations that makes everyone around her wanting to her her more. She had us all laughing and smiling last night and told several great stories. And so that is how I will remember St. Jude's today, I can still see Samuel lifeless in front of me, I can still remember the awfulness and the frustration of that day, but a small act of kindness is all it takes to remember love. Love does conquer all, and when we lose someone so precious to us, or someone we only held onto for a brief moment in a long hour, we fall back to love. It is only through loving each other that we shine as God intended. When the two women smiled sadly at me and remembered, I felt loved. When Josh patted me on the back as we walked away from the capped hole, I felt loved. When Ashley reached out to me to give me a flower, I felt loved ... And tonight right before I close my eyes I am going to send all that love to my little Angel--Samuel.