All's Well on the Home Front

The strike today was attended by 50,000 persons, no riots, no border skirmishes, no resurrected war, no evacuation for now. It was business as usual.

I saw an elderly gentleman with a testicular abcess and cystitis, an 85 year old woman with Parkinsons with a nasty vascular wound, another 86 year old woman we will send for hip replacement, a spry 89 year old, quite frankly with nothing at all wrong, except she is poor and her home is despicable even after MSF has repaired plumbing and windows........and on and on

I did receive news from the Paris desk, that we will be closing this mission, and probably in the next few months. No rationale, just orders to put the transition plan together, and execute. I can do that.

I want to share with you what a patient said, just two days ago. I was planning on sending this last night, but changed to yesterdays news instead. I think it is even more remarkable today.

"The world will be healed by beauty"

That is what she said, this elderly, blind woman, at least that’s what the translator said she said.

She didn’t say by love or compassion, not cooperation or negotiation, vim nor vigor. She didn’t say prosperity or peace, power or prayer, not beneficence or balance. Not oration or inspiration.

“The world will be healed by beauty”

But then what is beauty if it is not all of these things? And more.

Today I will think of all the ways beauty manifests in my world, seen and unseen.

Will you join me?

And so, I close tonight grateful for your candles, prayers, beautiful words and the drawing little Dylan did for me with his toy truck dipped in paint and driven across his colored paper as his way of connecting to me and a symbol of his love, all of these gestures of love and hope and just plain goodness were felt all day.

Wow!!!!!!!!