Waiting

"Lives of Service depend on Lives of Support"

--Tracy Kidder

When I began this page, not only had I planned a different use for the photo of at the left, but the title was "The Waiting List", and the quote above hadn't yet entered my literary life. That was nine months ago, and today, Sunday, July 20th, 2008, is the first time I've been able to make a posting since then.

When we were in California (Oct.'07), I had less demands for my attention and was able to think about topics I wanted to address on this blog. Thus, even though I didn't have the time then to complete more than a couple (leaving unfinished 'JILL & JULIA' until today), I did make placeholders by creating drafts for the ideas I had. I never dreamed it would be so long before I could return to any of them, or I might not have though it so clever of me! It now feels silly and awkward to be writing to a date nine months old, but the positive aspect is that it does provide a framework for me to continue with.

This entry will be short, created to provide relief from repeatedly seeing the last one for those who'd looked for updates, and to let them know that there is, indeed, TWO new postings now! This one, and the completed:

Jill & Julia .

Which I hope everyone will scroll immediately down to find, third from here!

The three girls in the picture at the top of the page will get their own space, later--they were three who came to the school last year, hoping to become students immediately. Its been gratifying to see how many children want to join us, but twenty has been the limit I could handle, so we had to create a Waiting List (now at 45 since January 2007). However, these girls exemplified the type of students I longed to reach...so for a while I gave them special sessions until I just couldn't juggle it all anymore. It broke my heart, frankly. It didn't seem fair to make wait the very students who were so responsive to what OCSH offers. The experience made me all the more resolved to find a way to move the school into a setting that could accommodate more students--but more on that later, too.

The goal of this page is to provide directions back into the blog so that Jill and Julia's contributions aren't overlooked. The quote from Tracy Kidder's book about Dr. Paul Farmers' work in Haiti (Mountains Beyond Mountains) will be seen again in a future post for the publisher and contributors to the Australian sailing magazine, THE COASTAL PASSAGE, but even though I introduce it here to honor Jill and Julia, it applies to everyone who does anything to make the life just a little bit better for someone else:

Service and support doesn't have to be self-sacrificing or dramatic; just genuine and with heart, in whatever way we can, according to our abilities.

The following are only two of the many who thoroughly enjoyed using the watercolor pencils that Jill and Julia most recently sent: