keepin' it real

security guards in Accra

i appreciate knowing people who wake before dawn, travel to work without comfort, earn so little they can barely survive, and smile with radiance no matter how tired, hungry or hot they are..

an Ewe neighbor who spends most of her day outside of her house cleaning, cooking & caring for her children

i enjoy being with women who sweep away ants and debris from their outside living area everyday before cooking outside on dirt floors; who know how to manage a baby on their backs while carrying a heavy basin of water on their heads; who are not embarrassed to nurse in front of others; who listen to their transistor radio while washing, cooking and hanging out; and who manage amazingly well while their husband is gone most of the time..

Madiba..a radiant and magnanimous soul

i admire people who become radiantly acquiescent through experiencing tremendous difficulties, who turn away from temptations of this world because they love God more than themselves, and who have suffered through the atrocities of war, injustice and oppression..

..these souls keep me real, humbled, grateful and in awe of the human spirit..