And poof there it goes...is it really over?

…today was my last day at Operation Shanti…what an amazing send off…totally unexpected and full of love…the cards…the hugs…the handwritten message…the innocent “Jo ma’am, you no coming tomorrow?”…”no, Jo ma’am going home tomorrow but I come back next year, ok? (there is no way you are keeping me away!)”…lots of tears but they were mainly mine haha… really?!...Is it time to head home now?...part of me says ‘yes’ it’s time to go home…but a bigger part says ‘stay’…but not because I am sad to leave or because I will miss the kids and the colourful experience I have had…but because I am not done here yet…not even close!!…I feel I am just getting started…and that’s a dangerous feeling my oh my…my senses have been on overdrive and though I am emotionally exhausted today it is ironically a heartwarming feeling…to know that these kids are alive… truly and completely alive…that there is a safe place like Operation Shanti along with those who work there or are involved in some way…like a very few places if you know where to look…and a person like Tracy who has unconditional love and care for these kids…Tracy, if you are reading this, I know this is just a simple thank you but…it’s for letting me hang with the kids…for trusting me with the kids…for letting me make chapattis with Aunty and the kids every Saturday …and for opening my eyes a little wider into the real world…it has been a complete blast!...so…1,000 chapatis later…with 403 thalis in the tummy…with 1 million cows every where…with too many cups of coffee that’s for sure…and 1 amazing experience at Operation Shanti…it may be goodbye Gokulam…but only for now…cos this is really just the beginning…Namaste!...and Merry Xmas everyone!

The Power behind a Mural...

…sorry for the long silence but we have been pretty busy at Operation Shanti…our mural painting exercise started a week ago…there is an animal shed at the shelter which houses 2 dogs and 4 cats…it is / was pretty bare until we were asked to paint it…to get this off the ground took a few pains…3 painful trips to the paint shop till we finally got the paint…pains deciding what designs to put up and who would be the best to draw them…not me of course…my task was just making sure the small kids were kept away from the paint…to cut a long story short…we spent the last week putting up the designs daily before the kids get home from school…a mixture of animals and nature…and over the past weekend the kids have been taking turns to paint in the colours…it seems like a pretty easy task but we really need to look behind the scenes a little…the pains we went through are nothing compared to the excitement and joy the kids get from helping us complete the mural…how they miraculously finish their homework on time…to finishing all their chores…to waiting patiently in line for their turn at painting…the pictures below may not reflect that the kids are Picassos but they sure reflect the passion and energy of each one of them in wanting to help us…there was no fighting…no hair pulling…a bit of paint splashing…everyone working together quietly, patiently, diligently…for one singular moment they are transported away from their real surroundings into a world of colour and imagination…sounds a bit like my favourite show…”The Twilight Zone”...the colours of their animals are bright enough to light up anyone’s world!...YOU GOTTA LOVE IT!!