One of the little girls was over at our apartment and was hungry; in that moment, I struggled with the fact that I have food, usually three times a day.
I remember a friend's story about two little boys. One of them said to the other “We are all One” and the other said “Yes, but why are we wearing different shoes?” Being with that little girl, I struggled with how different our circumstances were. We have very different shoes. I struggled with my own belief that we are all One.
I spent the night at an all-night kirtan, singing devotional songs, dancing, meditating, and sitting out in nature. Inside the main space, there was a group of about eight children sleeping on the floor. As I sat beside them to meditate, my heart flooded open. They are orphans. I cried to think of my little nephew and how much family and community he has around him. These orphans have didi ('didi' is like a nun) and the women who volunteer at the house. They have no other family than this. I cried to realise that there are plenty of children here in Port-au-Prince who have even less than this. These kids are fed and clothed and loved. When a child stirred or cried, someone from the group would go pick him or her up. I found it so beautiful to see this kind of care and community. I can't imagine how it would be to grow up without family around me, nor can I imagine how it would be to be rocked back to sleep by a caring stranger while people sang devotional songs around me.
I sat down beside one of my friends who was holding a little boy. She asked if I wanted to hold him and he stretched out his arms to me as she passed him to me. I held him, rocked him and danced with him. Somewhere in those moments with him, I was filled with a sense of Oneness again. There was something simple and powerful in being deeply present with him. Somehow, I think that my presence was a comfort to him and that his presence was a comfort to me. I could describe that moment as an expression of Love that went far beyond our differences in life circumstance. To me, we seemed to be wearing the same shoes in that moment. I'm so grateful for these moments of Grace here.
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