Be the Cause

South Africa or BUST…

Only a few hours remain until 17 of us settle comfortably into our Delta Air coach seats. My excitement, currently displayed in the shape of anxiety, is rising to the surface. It may have something to do with the fact that I must still pack, or it may well be the coffee/ donut breakfast. Strange as it may be, these nerves do not worry me; a more powerful feeling of calm is shading over this day.

Today I sit in a warm artificially heated room, still complaining quietly about the slight chill…what a luxury this is. It is a conscious effort to move this thought aside. I am eager to let this experience change me. I told myself I would post something, anything onto this blog site before this journey began. So here it is…nothing overwhelming, nothing any more inspirational than the last, and most definetly, nothing well prepared and thought out. My intent is simply to display my thoughts at this very moment; somehow capture this time in my life in print. The thoughts that are flooding my mind right now are basically centered around the logistics (sad but honest) of the luggage, the process at the airport tonight and our safe landing in Capetown. The concern for those three who will continue their journey into the northern region after we return to Los Angeles is also at the top of my mind; their safety in that leg of the trip will be on my mind throughout our two weeks together.

I will end here by asking each one of you to keep the 17 of us in your thoughts and prayers, in whichever form it is which soothes you. I am not sure what is to come, but am sure it will be an amazing experience in regards to the magnificence of the land itself, the personal emotional journey and the deepened relationships within us travellors. Four words before I head off to run frantic last minute errands—South Africa or BUST!

more updates soon…

I Live in CA but I Touched a Soul in South Africa

I would like to send out a very grateful thank you to everyone who attended our compassion cell last nite. It was 6:15 p.m. and I was wondering if anyone was coming? So far only the SA travelers and a few volunteers had shown up. But it was one amazing nite. Slowly, a steady flow of people came. I remember the visual image of Shaheda’s living room, in which one corner we had a few bags of donations, some overflowing with stuffed animals.

By the time we had completed our talk, there were so many people in the house that the door would not even open due to all the shoes blocking it! Even as we thought we were wrapping up the night, more people came.

The moment that made my heart sank.. towards the end of the night I walked into Shaheda’s living room and there were donations everywhere!!!! I stood in the middle overwhelmed by the sight. We had so many the I was actually worried that we may not be able to take it all!

So most of today instead of packing and getting my personal self ready for this trip, I spent the day trying to coordinate how we could take all this stuff. Who’s bag is empty?? As stressed as I am, I smile. For this ironic moment of stress is easily comforted by the vision of people walking through the door with bags of clothes. As cold and rainy as it was, they all came.

All of you have been in my thoughts today. Please thank all the family members who took the time out to put a drop in the bucket to fill the glass.

Lots of Love,

Karuna

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