Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from September, 2015

The old man and his grapes.

As we were walking along the cobblestoned road with beautiful bushes and plants along the side in the village of Omodus, we spotted a little old man coming towards us. He was definitely a local and was carrying a blue bucket on one hand. As he spotted us, he reached into his bucket and took out a cluster of small, green grapes. When our paths crossed, he handed us the grapes. I thought he might be selling them, but he insisted it was simply a gift from him to us. Gratefully we received his generosity, and I think he was even more excited we had received his gift then the joy we had in getting it. After thanking him as best we could we all continued on our way. Us to our awaiting tour bus, him probably to his home in the village. As I savoured the lovey sweetness of the grapes later that evening, I was thinking what a privilege it was to interact with one of the locals here. And to get to receive what this man wanted me to taste as part of the goodness of the country. As a tourist you

The warmth of the sea in a sun-kissed land.

Sometimes it is so good to get on a plane and go somewhere completely different for the sole purpose of rest and refreshment. Yesterday I was walking home from work in pouring down rain with my raincoat tightly wrapped around me. Today I woke up to blazing sunshine. As the afternoon nears evening, the warm breeze and reflection in the blue pool water reminds me that this is just the first of many days of sunshine with no agenda. After a busy getting used to my new job, and finally starting to find a flow at quite a busy pace, it is so nice to have a break. Time to enjoy family, get recharged and reflect on the past 4 months of working with people whose lives represent challenges and journeys so different from mine. And yet at the same time it is possible to find a meeting point, because at the end of the day it is really just about me as a person meeting another person and hoping to see and bring them hope and courage to live and face life. After landing in Larnaca airport,