Friendship–Creating a New World Culture of Peace

Last Saturday began by renting our little silver car,

packing a few things

and heading down the highway.

First stop, Chetumal

to visit Marta, Erlindo, Jocelyn, and maybe Jessica.

What a delight it is to visit our friends each year.

We’ve shared so many adventures in life over the years,

and now we visit catching up each year.

How did we meet Marta and family?

In 2004 and 2005,

we met Marta in a medical clinic in Nicte Ha,

where she was working and we were

volunteering helping to get ready

for a team of doctors  to arrive

from Michigan State University.

They were going to do free surgery for many

of the local people.

Our job was to work together with others

interviewing potential recipients,

and get everything

set up in the local clinic

for when the team of doctors arrived.

We loved helping and it gave us a context

for the work we wanted to offer

in the area.

In 2006,

World Hearth for Peace and Friendship Society

arrived in Nicte Ha

with several programs and heartfelt intentions:

lifelong learning environments (for mothers and children)

in the moment projects (humanitarian)

quality of life projects (helping in the spirit of the art of accompaniment),

with an added hope to open a

women’s handcraft cooperative.

Marta was our official local administrator,

and it was a very special time.

Because Marta was born in Belize,

she knew English and Spanish,

so as Rod and I were busy learning Spanish,

she could help with communications.

We had many, many wonderful projects together

the first was

opening up lifelong learning environments

where teaching and learning happened

several times a week,

in a beautiful palapa,

which the local church donated to us.

We made beautiful quilts together, Mexican Waldorf dolls,

mosaic mirrors with local tiles,

painted kitchen garden boxes,

tinctures for health and wellness,

collaged picture frames for the family

photos we took in the Nicte Ha community.

We started cooking together and then

Marta came with us on other projects

in the Mayan jungle community of Punta Laguna.

We met and became friends with a very special family,

Ricardo, Rosalia, Ernesto, Esmerelda, David and Rocio,

 and have been working together over the years

on serious medical issues and water quality problems.

 

The family has overcome many adversities

and, despite the set backs,

has blossomed through the years.

Rosalia is an amazing artist and

we look forward to many more years of true friendship.

We’ve tried to visit Daniel, Maria, and Pablo, now also Olga and Michelangelo.

But they have moved. We are friends with

a friend of theirs and we will meet up again soon.

Maria turns 16 this year.

Here she is when we first met.

She was eight and Pablo was one.

Last year we were at her 15th birthday party.

So going back in time with our photos,

to move forward in life.

What a treasure friendship is.

We love our friends.

We love sharing life and meals…

To share good times and hard times,

brings a texture and dimension to life

priceless and meaningful.

To share life out of pure interest in the other,

is the basis for World Hearth’s work….

where there is genuine interest in each other,

friendship can unfold,

where there is friendship,

love and compassion can ignite and live,

and where there is love and compassion,

a new world culture of peace

can unfold and be shared

one friendship at a time.