For Such a Time as This: You Know

I know two posts in two days is a little much, but I couldn't help myself. Selina and Shamim’s memorial was beautiful; Pastor Terry (from the missionary church we go to) led with prayer, verses, words of encouragement and we listened to a few songs that Emily had chosen before planting the two trees, giving anyone who wanted the opportunity to place a handful of dirt back into the ground where the trees were planted. It was the perfect way to celebrate their short lives.

A bit before the we started, I got an email from a friend of my family who had read a poem that I’d written a couple weeks back during the more difficult portion of my stay here; my dad had shown it to her. It hadn’t occurred to me until that moment how very relevant it was given all that happened so I asked Emily if she wouldn’t mind me sharing it at the memorial. She looked over it and immediately replied with tears in her eyes, “You have to read this.” So, through tears of my own, I did.

You Know

What trials be the best for me,

What weakness shows in vain defeat,

What feelings, strong, my heart does keep

And all the fears that cripple me,

You know.

When hardship veils a deeper reason,

When sorrow finds me for a season.

When all I crave is understanding;

A sense of purpose to define me.

You know.

What pain is found in life, in death;

The loss of love, a final breath.

What sorrow felt in all this passing,

When grief seems long and everlasting,

You know.

When grace is shown where non-deserving,

Where love is shown in humble serving.

When sight is found where once was blindness,

When light is found, and warmth in kindness,

You know.

What mercy do you hold for me,

What awesome love, what sweet relief;

What peace you give when one gives pause

To glorify your name because

You know.

A morning walk just outside the gate.

George and I went to Bujagali Falls this morning as apparently, as of tomorrow, given the new dam they’ve just built, they will be “no more” and she wanted to see it before that happened. Given the rather regular thunder and rain storms we’ve been having almost every afternoon and the fact that we’d be taking bodas, we thought it best not to wait until nap time and instead left at about 10am. The falls were beautiful and we had a lovely lunch at The Black Lantern overlooking the river before hopping back on a couple bodas…we got home just 15 minutes before this…