In Praise of Older Women

 I feel sorry for young people as they might never get to see the wonderful sisters I have known who dedicate their life to the poor and the education of children.  We are losing some of the best ones, because the generation older than me or the half generation older than me, have been some extraordinary sisters.  For whatever reason, we have not seen younger people take on this cause.

I purposely stay at Palm Gardens which is part of the Comboni Sisters grounds.  Maybe just a small bit of my lodging money will go to keep their programs intact.  90% of you that have had souvenirs from me got them from a shop called Wawoto Kacel.  Women brutalized by the LRA and shunned by their villages have found their home here.  Wawoto Kacel meets together we walk.

The other day at breakfast i met a sister, Sister Dorina and she encouraged me to visit their school. The school is entirely made up of students who were street kids and lived distressing, violent lives.  I now  have pictures so please look to your right and see how small these  wonderful kids are.

All the children of the school rose together in led by an able eleven year old? Choir master sang me a wonderful josh Groban tune.  One of them told me he wanted to be a pilot. I encouraged them to hold on to their dreams and working hard in school, is one way to achieve them.  As part of the tour, they showed me the dormitory where every bed was perfectly made and all of the clothes neatly folded and put away.  When we left Sister Dorina took the hand of a small boy and they walked and talked together on the way back to Palm Gardens.  We were soon joined by five of the others, older kids, who had a basket to pick up the mangoes. I was too slow with my camera to capture sister and the young boy, but I will never forget that image.  A young child who until recently  probably had nothing, now has the hand of a kind and very understanding " grandmother".