Extreme Makeover: Children's Home Edition

I love when I discover blessings in disguise. The times when you think things have gone wrong, only to find out its even better the wrong way. When you find out that there is no wrong way. That everyway is somehow a little right. These absolutely frequent and reoccurring incidences are constant reminders from above to let go and let [fill in the blank]. Fill in your higher moral belief. No matter what higher power you believe in. No matter what religious sect you belong to, or do not belong to, the belief in something bigger than us is a common thread that weaves mankind together. God, a higher power, karma, existence. Regardless of the label placed on the idea, they are all the same. The belief that there is more to life than just us, the size of a dust particle comparative to the universe that we live in. I am not one to believe in coincidence. I am the friend who harps like a broken record "everything happens for a reason" and I truly believe so. The moments that may be coated sourly; moments that may seem like mistakes, are all building blocks for the foundation of life. We learn unique lessons through our falls and missteps in lifes. Because no matter how gruesome, unsettling, or simply uncomfortable life can be sometimes, we are malleable. and the experiences we go through in life shape us and give us the unique characteristics that make us one in a 7 billion. We live, and we learn. and we build on our moments of weakness to build muscles able to recreate the leaps in our lives. We all start out as a the same block of clay. And we end a sculpture. Because there are a million ways to get to the same destination.

Life is actions taken through time.  Everything happens for a reason.

And the fact that the first time that Marigold has needed repairs severe enough to relocate all of the children in decades intersects with the time that Elin and I are in Jamaica is no mistake.

Its been a trip seeing our project in local newspapers. Its amazing how word of mouth can spread news as quick as wild fire. We have raised close to $3,000 USD. I have never raised so much money in my life, but then again I have never done anything quite like this before. And knowing that tens of people trusted us with an open ended monetary donation lights a fire in me that is inextinguishable. I want to thank every person from the bottom of my heart for your support. We had a vision coming into this journey, and because of the generous monetary donations we have received worldwide, that vision will come alive in technicolor before we leave here in 10 days. What a gift.

 And it has already begun to. The walls have begun to take a different shape and color. The walls have been primed and we are faced with a blank canvas. A space which before was filled, and now a vast expanse of white means a  cornucopia of opportunity. For with nothing, we can create everything.

I keep having flashbacks. and I miss the children dearly. Today while priming the bathroom, I saw small circular tubs, just large enough for a child's bottom. Children in a row. Sitting on the tubs. Urine. Doo-Doo. Washing their behinds. Quiet. And then I walked to the schoolroom, where we cleared the plants out for a garden to be planted (marigolds and sunflowers of course) where I saw three words in chalk next to the artwork on the building. "Saot, soot, sat" Raymond. Asking how to spell Saturday. S. A. No not O. What letter makes the "ah" noise. Try again. Good job!! Big smiles. Chalk taken by Jahrine. Playtime. Every corner and place at Marigold is stored with emotionally charged memories. Marigold without the kids is not Marigold. It feels like just a building filled with things. Filled with intangible memories.

But it of course is still the place the people know as a children's child care centre. And that is why Ronaldino's mother came looking for him for the first time in 3 years earlier this week. I looked at her through soft eyes, emotion welling up in my heart. I sat on the veranda and painted as I listened to her tell Miss Weiss about her three children, how bright they are in school and how she has come for a picture of Ronald. A picture to send the baby daddy to ask for money. The feelings brewing in my heart turned to fire. I reminded myself to seek to understand why. I exchanged a few short words with her, when on the verge of asking why Ronaldino does not live at home with his siblings, Ms. Nelson beat me to it. I was taken aback, overcome with pride, and joyed by Miss Nelson's bold remarks to this lady about being his mother and her responsibility to take him away from Marigold for a better life.

But until that happens, we work to make Marigold a better place. A place of color, of pictures, of murals. A place filled with love. We work with the staff to do things they want us to do. Like clearing out weeds and planting a garden. Like building shelves for the school room. Like buying them a fridge that works, and won't cost more to fix than to maintain. Like cleaning out the offices... 
The offices. are filled. with donations. Miss Davidson asked us to reorganize and sort through her office earlier this week. We were THRILLED to be able to clean out the space because she often told us how the clutter caused stress. So one by one we took out each item in the office until all that was left was her desk and a cabinet. I did not think it was possible to fit so much material in one space. We unloaded bag after bag after bag after bag of donations... clothes, dresses, shoes, toys, sheets, toothbrushes, more clothes, mosquito nets, blankets. All of the things identified by the workers as things they desperately needed at the start of our journey 7 weeks ago lay strewn in piles in front of us. White t-shirts for tye-dying: check. Crayons and markers: check. Tubs of books: check. Soap, lotion, toothpaste: check. I do not think I can even attempt to describe how I felt the moment it all hit me. The children are covered in mosquito bites, to the point that you think they may have a rare skin disease.. They only use 5 toothbrushes, even though they have enough for each child.. The things we thought happened because of a lack of resources, do not. I am not sure what it is about, but it is not because of things. The things are there. They are so close. So close yet so far. And as the things lay on a tarp sorted into piles, people sat in the middle of the piles folding out of bags and putting together pairs. And as Elin and Riley were getting a quick lunch, and as Miss Davidson was inside, and as I turned my back to try and find a matching pair, piles and shoes began to disappear. So I took a seat, peeled back my judgments, and remembered why I was here. And in whose honor I was working so hard for.

I keep coming back to something I wrote in my last blog. It captures perfectly how I feel about these kids. Feeling like I lost something that never belonged to me in the first place. But my heart belongs to these children. They all have a little piece with them. And each time we visit them at their new homes, I feel like I am put together in one piece again. To see Akheel light up and sprint from across the playground through the swarm of children to hug Elin's legs. To see Janeel sitting in her diaper, playing with a sticker pawned from Prince by her big brother. To see Bimbola, still in his yellow crocs, maneuvering through the crowd in his silver walker. Seeing them again is like pouring fuel in an empty tank. It keeps me going forward. Because I am not just painting a wall. I'm painting a playroom for Michael and Jackie. And I'm painting the sky that Lorraine can not see yet because she is just a newborn, but she can see it on the ceiling in the nursery, and she can see the stars.

We have been so grateful. People have been helping us paint, helping us clear out weeds, helping us clear out fences, clear out treehouses, clear our and reorganize offices. Feeding us lunch and snacks. People have been so helpful. Earlier this week, we walked into the backyard to see Miss Williams swinging. A sight never seen before because the swings have been broken during our time here. Apparently a group came in and fixed all the swings! Just yesterday in the middle of washing out paintbrushes I received a call from Island Grill. Wanting to donate lunch for our work day this Saturday. It has been a surreal experience.

Last night we went to the Trafalgar New Heights Rotary Club Installation Ceremony. It was breathtaking. We walked into a room filled with feathers, crystals, gowns, and good company. We were there to support them in their transition to a new board. To be there for them, and especially Tayana, a god send, as she hands over her presidency of the club which she has grown from 0 to 50 in two years. She has been an incredible light and support for Elin and I during our time here. We can not wait to work with them tomorrow during our work day at Marigold.

And now, the best for last! Today I had lunch with Abigail, the incoming president of the Interact Club at Campeon College. And we could not be happier to link Interact and Marigold together next year for a yearlong service project. Weekly lessons through art and craft by the interactors. Over the course of our time here we have been working on a craft book. 56 crafts and lessons that work with the environment, with accessible and cheap materials. Abigail and Miss Davidson will be working together next year to facilitate volunteers and to incorporate youth and raise awareness about Marigold. YAY!!!!!!!!!!!! It is absolutely incredible to know that there will still be art and crafts coloring Marigold even when we are thousands of miles away.

So I sit in a dark apartment, Riley and Elin at Ferry visiting Amoy and her goddaughter, the power out completely, writing about the last week. The humid Jamaican breeze through the windows serves as the only A.C. The cool sweat encapsulating my body is lulling me into a deep abyss. Sheer exhaustion from the last two weeks of physical work are finally catching up to my body.

keep it irie,

tkm