Grace

Once again our day began by a greeting from one of our friends that Whitney and I met when we first volunteered in Ghana in 2006- Dodzi. He is one of the most joyous people you could know. When asked how he has been, he responded, “I am living in Grace.” Our visit was brief, as he was moving onto work, yet he set the tone for the day. My dearest friend in Ghana, John Agbozo, a fellow social worker, picked us up for the journey back to our home away from home, Ho. It took us half the day to return, although all of the drive was filled with connecting to so much of the beauty of Ghana. We were stopped a couples of times to let the cattle cross the street, and the baboons. Not an everyday experience! We stopped at the Cedi Bead factory on the way, to film the making of these gorgeous beads to share the process with the kids in America that have held these beads in their classrooms. These beads are made from recycled glass. The process involves all of the elements, plants, and even the clay that is made just right by termites. We have also purchased some to sell at home to raise money for the next exchange in the spring.

As we crossed over the Volta Lake, the largest lake in Western Africa, the city and buzz of all of the travel slipped into the waters as the magic hour of golden light toward the end of the day captivated us in shared silence. On our final stretch, a palette of colors surrounded us with the lush green landscape contrasted by a golden and pink sunset behind us. Families and school children are walking home with babies on their backs, and baskets on their heads, reminding us of the beautiful simplicity and constancy that is Africa. Indeed, it was a day filled with grace as we safely arrived at our destination. We are once again trying to contain ourselves from our excitement that we are greeting many of the children and schools we will be working with tomorrow.