Irie Blossomed

This summer was magical. Truly inspiring and magical. Magical in both connotations of the word. Magical in the sense that things happened in Jamaica that I do not think I will be able to put my finger on or ever begin to give justice through description. Magical in that this summer I learned. Magical in that this summer there were blossoms. Leisha learned how to talk. Danielle learned how to spell her name right every time. Joshua came out of his shell and played. The teachers reached out and partnered with us. I developed a new appreciation for learning. And Elin developed a love for running. We were stitched into the knitted web of love that already existed at Marigold. This summer, there were blossoms.

I am still in awe about how quickly the two months went by. In awe and inspired at how our project started as an idea shared between Elin and I in Tennessee, and ended as a project of communities worldwide. We opened the door to Marigold, and the community rushed in.

After the work day we found ourselves at a loss for words. It was surreal. People were EVERYWHERE, doing things. Painting walls we never thought “needed” painting. Pulling up weeds to plant fresh seeds, cleaning out cluttered areas, sanding down and painting cribs. It was a magical day that will be forever tattooed in my memory. When Elin and I walked in to Marigold the Monday after, we started uncontrollably laughing. Dumbfounded because we could no longer recognize the place where we spent 5 weeks bouncing, playing, and teaching 40 beautiful children. The new paint and murals danced along the walls creating a warm enveloping environment. win! All that was left to do was scrub the floors of low sheen Miss Marigold and Sunshine. So for a few days we scraped the floors until they shone like we imagined the faces of the new children who will reside in Marigold starting in August.

And as we scraped, talented friends donated their time to paint even more murals on the walls. And donated vinyl murals from the Creative Unit began to dot the walls of the veranda, bedrooms, and main room. And Patrick, the most resourceful talented carpenter, refitted discarded wood from the roof and used it to repair and steady broken cribs and bunk beds. The ceiling fans were installed, permanently in the nursery and bedrooms.

And over the next week, miraculously more things will be happening even though Elin and I are across the world. A new table for clothes will be built outside to replace the dangerous sharp zinc table that lays in the middle of the playground. Rubber covers will bumper the space between the floor and the sharp metal chairs, creating a much quieter environment when kids get in and out of their seats. Questionable rusted playground equipment will be taken away so that the kids can have more running space. Shelves and cubbies will be built in the school room… allowing the teachers to do more with the space they have. The soft spot in the tree house will be repaired so it can be used as a treehouse instead of as a storage house. And the tyke cars that look like part of the garbage pile will join the garbage so that the kids are riding around on 4 wheels instead of 1 or 2. Growing minds generously offered to import playground tykes, swings, and soccer sets from Miami and deliver them to Marigold for the kids to play on. And a large refrigerator will be purchased in order to help with food storage and preserving food. And we have two wonderful women committed to ending to diaper shortage at the home. They have pledged to find a way to fund an extra 60 diaper packs per month to remove the reason for the limited amounts of water and juice that the children are fed. And lastly, we have Abigail. Who will work with Ms. Davidson and the High School Interact Club of Campeon College to start a yearlong service project at Marigold doing crafts and short lessons.

And we are still raising money!!! As of yesterday, I checked our Paypal inbox to see that strangers from both of our communities have stumbled across our blog and have donated to our cause. Need I say more? This is an astonishing testament to the power of the media, of word of mouth, and of community.

I leave Jamaica feeling full. full of energy, full of vigor, of passion, of life. To share about my experiences at Marigold with people who I cross paths with. To share about my experiences at Marigold with people of influence in Jamaica who are in a position to cause a fundamental shift. All coming from a place of the deepest and humblest respect for the people dedicated to these abandoned and threatened souls.



☮♥☯

tkm

I'll bereturning to Jamaica from December 21st until January 4th, and I absolutely cannot wait to see the children again. Counting down the days....