A long 2 weeks

I have returned from Jamaica - but was unable to post this before I left Jamaica. I am so happy to be home again! Enjoy reading.

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It has been a long 2 weeks in Jamaica for me - I've spent time at the local school and 5 days at the Infirmary.

I can't say that I am sad to be leaving Jamaica this time, certainly not as sad as I was back in November. Some of my earlier posts have reflected my frustration and I would say that much of the time here I have been fighting frustration and also fighting myself in ways.

At the end of our time at the infirmary I realized that all the things I had seen and the stories I had heard, had changed my perspective about the residents, staff, and management at the infirmary. And I must admit that at this point I really need a break from thinking about any of them.

In many ways, the truth about my love for those people and the infirmary as a place has been put to the test. I know that in all relationships the feelings can "fade" and one true test is the passage of time. Will I choose to continue loving or will I succumb to my disappointment in others?

I suppose that I have succumbed to disappointment momentarily but I know that what I believe stands firm - those at the infirmary (staff and residents alike) are humans who deserve love and to know a life of peace and grace. For the time being I am part of a larger group who extends love, peace and grace to those who work and live at the infirmary.

I realized by last Friday that the infirmary was a puzzle to me. The staff have a series of puzzle pieces, the leadership has some puzzle pieces, and the residents have many puzzles pieces that all fit together in some shape that I can't quite make out. In fact, I wonder if they all have pieces to the same puzzle at times.

All the pieces must fit together, it's just difficult to see what the puzzle, once assembled, is showing me. I don't know yet and I think it will take some time before I do. It seems like I can see some of the picture, but I'm not yet confident that the view I have is correct.
After leaving the infirmary and saying goodbye to our team on Sunday, I have been spending my nights at the home of Winsome Rose, a lovely woman who is heavily involved in the Won by One ministry and serves on their board of directors.

Every night I have grown to enjoy her company more and more. Around me, she is quiet for the most part and she graciously puts up with my many questions.

"What foods do Jamaicans dislike that Americans love?"
black olives

"What do you call Junebugs?"
guungu bugs

"Who are your friends in Harmons?"
none - she has many many cousins and extended family here, so she doesn't really have friends in Harmons, just family.

"When was your first trip to the States?"
2004 (which was also when she took her first plane ride)

(This was as far as I got in my post before I flew home...but I have finished the post below)
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Before I departed, Winsome gave me a big hug and told me to call her when I got home. I called her and she said how much she had missed me the previous night. It seems she must have missed sitting on the veranda with me and my endless questions. I think that I can safely say that Winsome is my friend and she will continue to be. At last a puzzle that seems easy to piece together.