Nakupenda

Happiness, misfortune, and the art of tranquility. All intertwined like a Hadzabe bracelet. Having happiness brings great depth to who you are as a person, and who you become. Maintaining a contagious smile, even when your life is dependent on everyone and everything around you. Holding you to the circumstances you were born with, until you learn to break free.

On Friday, July 22^nd I met a woman who held my heart in her hands. Her name Lillian, 37 years old, and blind. She was unable to see the world through the eyes of a human, but she saw through the windows in her beautiful soul. She trusted a man eleven years ago; who got her pregnant with Ebenezer, soon after he was brought to this world, the father took him. Two years passed, Enoch, her second born, also being snatched away by his father. Not until 2015, did Lillian get them back. Without her presence for eleven years, they only did slave work for their father. When Lillian heard one of her children had been severely kicked in the head by a cow, Lillian decided she would have them visit her, then refuse to return them to their father. She cooks, cleans, and cares for herself and her children. Her story can only continue, and her pain will never be mine, but will remain within my memories. 

To say is one thing, to hear is another. When someone says “I Love You” you respond kindly back, “I Love You Too”. In all of reality, you may not even mean it. You say it to be heard, not said. Then when someone who is underprivileged and has known you for less than 24 hours, tells you, “I Love You”, your heart stops from the shock and power of those words. You look through their misfortune, to see their love. Feeling their gaze on you, awaiting your response, eagerly… Nakupenda {I Love You}.