Fridays

Fridays are for FUN


Friday morning we wake up with no strict, crazy, get ready for work schedule.  At 9:30 we join an amazing and diverse group of women and babies for play group (I won't lie, I worked hard and waited [sometimes] patiently to find this group.)


After play group I have a bit of free time-- today we went to the flea market to collect samples of beaded key rings we are hoping to use for fundraising for The Michael Project. And since we were at the flea market, Vivienne and I met up with my Zimbabwean BFF for lunch-- sadza and t-bone.  It was delicious, made more so by the conversation.  Di and I are intentional about our friendship.  We share the stuff that makes us laugh, cry and even cringe.  She is the sister of my heart.  I have a few of these friendships and people, can I say that these relationships are the diamonds of my life?  I wouldn’t trade them for anything.

After that I dropped Vivi at home with Gogo and went on to work for a bit.  I generally only have one session on a Friday, which I am grateful for! 
THEN IT HAPPENS.

My schedule clears and I take a deep breath.  What I have been waiting for all week has finally come.  I drive down the potholed streets of Marlborough (a suburb of Harare) and stop at the black gate that I have seen thousands of times.  When the gate opens and my girl runs out to me it is as if all is right with the world.  Our girl Ru doesn’t get to live with us full time yet.  We are working on that, but for right now we live life looking forward to the school holidays and the weekends as if they are Christmas!

Today we spent the car ride home sharing stories of school and work.  When we went through our highs and lows, we decided to count jacaranda trees on the way home because they are certainly a high for all of us this time of the year.

72 Jacarandas on the street that leads us home.

260 Weekends so far.



Fridays are the greatest and for our family, they have been for a very long time.  Fridays are for fun.  Fridays are for family.  And someday, for our family, Fridays will be forever.

Ruthie September 2011

Ruthie September 2015

a father's love

I spent this weekend with a group of recovering alcoholics from Southern Africa in a beautiful area of Zimbabwe.  It was just what I needed... 3 days without cell phone service and lots of sunshine and great conversation.

The highlight for me was visiting this little stone chapel, on a cliff overlooking Lake Mutikiwiri.  I was told that I must see it.  When I got there, it took my breath away.  It was a VERY small chapel and the story on the door explained that a daughter had asked her dad to build her a little place to get married in.  He did, and before her wedding day she was killed in an accident.  He finished the little chapel as a memorial of love to his baby girl.

It was so special just to sit in this lovely place and be reminded of what a father's love really means.  For me, I thought of how much God loves me as a father.  As I sat in this chapel overlooking the lake I thought of all of the things God has given me, for no other reason than to show me His love.

A few minutes later a group of Indian men who came from Durban for the convention came into the chapel.  Most of them are Hindu and a couple are atheist.   We talked about the chapel and joked that I should get married there to cut down the guest list and dramatically save money!  Then they got serious and asked me to pray for them.  I was a bit nervous and they said, "Just pray how you normally do, we want you to." So I did.  I closed by saying "In the name of Jesus" and when I looked up these men had big smiles on their faces. 

I reciprocated and asked if they would pray for me and I was met with silence.  One bold man said, "We don't know how to pray, we only know the AA prayers." So we held hands and said the Lord's Prayer and the Serenity Prayer.

It was such a special moment, but I walked away feeling sad.  I am eternally grateful for my relationship with God.  To be able to come to God as my father and speak to Him about anything that is on my heart is a privilege.  It is my desire for everyone I come into contact with to be able to have such relationship with God as well.  The rest of the weekend, every time someone would walk past me when I was in conversation with one of these men, they would stop them and say, "This woman prayed for us" as if it were a precious gift they had been given.

I am so grateful for the reminder that God has given me so many special gifts as a father, but most importantly He gave me himself... and that relationship is by far the most precious gift I have ever received.