She lives across the seas and has for the last, oh...20 plus years now. Not long out of college, she ventured off to Ecuador, South America for 5 years. Then, it was off to Venezuela, South America for 2 years, where she met the man who would later become her husband. Then, she came back to Tucson for one year and then it was off to Cameroon, Africa. Dale followed her to Cameroon after a year and they completed her 2 years there. From there, it was Shanghai, China. During this time, they married and adopted their daughter, Sojo and lived a total of 5 years there. Off to Bangkok, Thailand it was for the 3 of them and now, they are beginning a stint in Udhailiayh, Saudi Arabia. Quite an exciting life for a little girl who could not spend the entire night at a friends until she was nearly 12. We knew the phone would ring at 10 pm and with tears, she would ask her Daddy to come and get her. A bit over compensation here, maybe? I remember her words when she left for Ecuador, "Mom, don't worry, I am only going for one year, two at the most". Famous last words.
She lives an exciting life, this daughter of mine. Not one that I would probably choose, but it is a good life and it offers us an amazing opportunity to visit exotic places that we would not otherwise probably choose. We have seen the inter-cities, the native countrysides; along with the Amazon Jungle, the Galapagos Islands, a bevy of beautiful beaches in South America and Thailand. We have seen Machu Picchu in Peru with her and walked the Great Wall of China with her. We have shopped in markets where we have seen pigs being held down while someone checks their teeth out before purchase. We have shopped in markets where you see wool from the beginning to the end (from the sheep to the colored woven wool sweater). We have shopped in villages and cities and seen the artisan and the merchant who wants to sell you the knock off designer bags to golf clubs. We have traveled on airplanes, colorful rustic buses, taxis of all kinds and condition, tuk tuks, boats of every size, color, design, age and condition. We have seen sunrises and sunsets and moons across the world. We have seen the good, the bad and the ugly of every place she has been. The good seems to always prevail, no matter what or where she lives.
This child of mine has friends all over the world. She takes it all in and makes the best of it, no matter what it is. She found Cameroon one of the hardest parts of her travels and she once told me it was the only country she could see no hope. She always found hope and joy in people wherever she went and no matter how little they may have. In Africa, it was harder to find that joy. Yet, I think she did. Even if it was in small ways. She discovered that in having little, you can find much around you if you look for it. She loved the colorful clothing of the people and they way they sang and danced. She came home from that adventure recycling and reusing in ways I never even considered. I once found her washing a zip lock bag and sticking it on my kitchen window to dry. I thought the washing and re-using was great...it was the sticking it on my window I wasn't sure about and I never did find out why that was done. I think she discovered how much we have in the US and how much we waste and there are so many around the world who would love to have much of what we waste and throw away.
She is in the stark desert of Saudi Arabia now and in the midst of a desert that is far more barren and desolate than the one here in Tucson. Yet, she is reveling in the similarities and the stark differences. The desert is speaking to her and she is finding a stillness and peace that only the stark barrenness of a desert can provide. She is embracing the culture and enjoying the opportunity to experience yet another part of this amazing world and the people who live in it. She never seeks to separate herself from the differences...she allow herself to travel into the differences and experience them.
And why do I choose to tell this travel tale on her birthday? Because I think these travels for nearly half of her life have helped form the woman she has become. She is: A woman of grace. A woman who is inclusive in her thinking...she doesn't care what your religious or political preference is, nor does she care what the color of your skin is or what part of the world you are from. She was born and raised as a Roman Catholic.She is rooted in faith tradition, yet enjoys the exploration of and experience of other faith traditions. She is in awe of the various "altars" she finds around the world...be they in a church or on a playground.Whether they are of her family faith tradition or another. She is in awe of the sound of the call to pray coming from a Mosque. She loves to visit churches around the world and light a candle for a prayer intention. She is fluent in Spanish, does quite well in French, can manage well in Mandarin, struggles a bit with Thai, but can manage there too. She is anxious to learn more Arabic. Oh, she does quite well with English and can throw in a bit of the British lingo too. She travels, not with prejudice or preconceived notions about a country. She opens her mind and heart wanting to learn it all on her own. She wants to form her own opinions based on her own experiences, not on what she has been told by books or other people.
They say that a parent's job is first to give their child roots and then to give them wings. The root part was easy for me. It was those wings I was reluctant to place upon her back. Yet, somehow she found them and placed them upon her own back and off she went. I am happy that she did that, because I am so proud of the child she was and the woman she has become. Without both, something would be missing. She seems to have found it all.
There are a couple of phrases that seem to fit her to a "T". "All who wander, are not lost" and her blog title is "Global Nomads" seems to fit her. I call her my "gypsy child". She thinks globally and loves totally. She is all I could ever have asked for in a daughter. I am blessed to have been chosen to give birth to her. She is a child of the universe, a child of God. A gift to me.
Enjoy your birthday my child, my daughter, my love. Embrace the universe and live your life freely.
such beautiful words, mom. thank you so very much. love you.
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