skipping in bedulu.
my daughter, with children from the Yayasan Widya Guna, Bedulu, Bali, August 2008
this time last year, there was so much anticipation in our family for our upcoming trip to bali. i'm having a bit of seasonal memory jog, reliving the feelings as the sun shines brighter and we settle into summer. it was our first trip to asia as a family, and it proved to be everything and then some. i've spoken before of how it led me to where i am now, and how i am committed to bringing more and more of these kinds of connected travel experiences to our family. and, i've also spoken of how this year, so far at least, it appears to be a no-go. this is a ground work year. this is the year to stage the platform so that this kind of travel will become a regular part of our experience. it's a big dream. and i believe wholly that it will happen.
a huge part of that trip was the easy flow of it all. how i spoke out loud my desire for us to have a more personal experience and we did. we effortlessly met up with two wonderful men at the ubud monkey forest who were with a group of american high school students sponsored by the organization international doorways. i had already established my affinity for doorways and for my doorways traveler identity when i met them, which just made the meeting all the more kindred. within moments of conversing they invited us to join them at the "children's home" where they were volunteering that afternoon (i had just that morning been looking online for places we could volunteer and visit where my children could meet other children…). within a few hours, we were literally teaching the afternoon english lesson and sharing laughs with a group of beautiful and amazing children. we spent an additional few long afternoons and evenings with them, hanging out, helping to clean up their village, sharing meals and preparing the local temple for an upcoming ceremony. it was so gratifying to see my children playing badminton and skipping through the streets with their fast friends. truly, a dream come true.
and the connection remains. we are now sponsoring a gorgeous, beaming little girl we met there. we are committed to covering her educational expenses throughout her years of schooling. she emails us regularly and asks often when we will be back. it is my promise to her that we will return as soon as we are able.
please check out the good work that the WINS project, USA is doing for the children of bali. you don't have to visit to sponsor a child and i can assure you that i have witnessed first hand the authenticity of this organization. and if you are traveling to bali, they provide transportation as well, with all the proceeds going to support the project and the children.
so this summer, as i dig deeper into crafting the doorways project, the project that will bring many more of these types of experiences into our lives, it will be memories of our time in bali that will motivate me. memories of my children making friends in far-away places, memories of found family and distant homes. memories of skipping in bedulu and dreams of the many other places where doors will open and our feet will land.
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19 June, 2009
I’m sorry that I haven’t stopped by in a while, I’ve been so busy. But, what a nice entry to come back to!!! I’m delighted that your children at such a young age were able to appreciate Asia and another culture. I hope I’m blessed with children that are as adventurous in the future. What an awesome charity. I will definitely look into it. And how synchronistic with the name too. Great picture of you and the other girls skipping.
20 June, 2009
You remain so connected with your vision. I had time to go back and read past blogs. It is so good to go back and read your poetry, see all your beautiful photographs and remember time that has passed by, it is a gift to me.
Thank you my dear sister