Waiting on my answer!

Welcome back! I’ve missed sharing with you, even though I really don’t usually know what part of my journey or thoughts I’m going to share. I try to let my heart, my spirit move me when I write so that it’s not contrived. That way you get the real thing! Fresh squeezed juice and not from concentrate! Oops, there I go again, the Victoria’s African Proverbs! Hahahahaha, I tickle myself with them!

I’m going pick up at the question I asked from my last post: What Would You Do? The question I was asking myself while I was waiting to have surgery on my right leg was: would I, should I return to Africa once I had recovered. 

The only thing I knew and know for sure is that I’m not a quitter! I think it’s a difficult thing to do, to quit. It’s easier to keep going than to give up, but then again when do you back away from something? When is enough, enough? Hmmm, Selah!

I thought I had left a program functioning in Africa only to find out that my frenemy had stolen the project. She told me some one was interesting in funding the project and to send her the proposal and guidelines. She didn’t know all the ins an outs of my C.A.R.E. Project even though she was there and I made her a part of it. What she actually did was take the proposal and started her own organization with my proposal and something I had started. She’s a trip! And I even found out later that she had been in my house here in Africa and took documents that gave the organization liberty to receive items here duty free because of It’s Nice To Be Nice’s charitable status. I tell you, some people. That’s OK; GOD will take care of all that.

The C.A.R.E. Project was started by me in 2004 when I met young girls here I supported in school. I’ve since closed the project and have turned my focus to adult females. The women here work so hard, more than the men. I mean hard at everything, farming, produce sellers, domestic workers, whatever! And so many of them are hungry for information and that’s what It’s Nice To Be Nice (INTBN) International supplies http://www.intbn.org. So I’m glad GOD made this change in focus for me. When the idea hit me it was like the light bulb you see in cartoons appeared over my head. I think I heard my spirit say, “That’s it, now you’ve got it”!

Even though the project was now out of my hands I knew that the families were still connected to me and would want to see me, but even more so for my family in the states. It just felt unfinished, this part of my journey in Africa that GOD had me on. But now with time on my hands and the ability to choose to go or not to go I didn’t know, but I knew. I hope you understand that. As I get older I’m less likely to do the things I did when I was younger. For instance, I don’t ride roller coasters or motorcycle anymore. I guess now it just seems to risky for me. Weird, huh!? Yet I’m still willing to travel here and there alone.

It was hard to say what I was going to do since there was so much I wanted to do. Shoot, I wanted to enjoy Chicago. I had missed so many things I enjoyed doing there with its diversity. Poetry sets, reggae, jazz and blues clubs, festivals, 63^rd Street Beach in the summer, whew, I could go on. And I really missed being able to travel frequently to the Caribbean especially Nassau, Bahamas! Oooooh weeee, Nassau was my spot! I had and have so many good friends that are like family there. I missed exploring a new island every year. Fun, excitement! I missed living in an apartment by the lake, geez!

What was I going to do! All I knew to do was pray and ask GOD if this is truly what you would have me do please let me know so I can follow YOU and not expect HIM to follow me to pick me up once I fell.

So I waited for my answer while enjoyed helping raise my new grand daughter. Pure joy and love! I call her Puddie, short for old timers saying in broken English, “Dat’s sho a puddie baby”! 

My Puddie!