All things beautiful

All Things Beautiful
Tuesday May 19, 2009
It is winter here which means lots of rain, wind and cold temperatures. In a few places there is snow on the mountains but these are far from where I live and work in the small town of Fish Hoek. Surrounded as it is by the sea, we get the major share of the wind and the unpredictable weather. My neighbor loves winter but I struggle and especially with the cold in the unheated homes in which we live, and all the more because everything slows down in winter in this tourist focused area. All of this is to say that I just had to get away into the Western Cape countryside, something that never fails to lift my spirits and amaze my soul. Together with a friend, last weekend, we headed out for a drive to visit a farm on the mountainside in Calitzdorp. The trip there was long, more than 350 miles one way but for me it drained away all of the stress of the recent weeks. It was on the second day of what had been a rain drenched weekend but after an hour we were away from the dark clouds and into full sunshine. With few cars on the road, we sailed along and enjoyed the garden route with mountains that come in all shapes and sizes, pure stone or covered with fynbos as the local vegetation is called. Once we reached the town we drove up the winding gravel road, across the river until we reached our farm destination. After I caught my breath at the daring drive I had just completed in my Toyota Corolla, when a Land Rover was needed, I relaxed in the sheer beauty of the landscape around me. I will let the picture speak for me. I love the beauty of the Western Cape and it helps me to better cope with the poverty and sickness that surround the work I do.
What also delights my heart is the women and men who lives touch mine at ever turn. A few weeks ago I met Cisko at the homeless ministry I visit every Tuesday. For six months he was out of work and he came to get the breakfast and lunch served daily at Living Grace in nearby Muizenberg. He sought my help and I sensed it was the right thing to do, especially as he was working and praying hard to find a job. Last Tuesday when he approached me he had great news. He had found a job and needed my help one last time. Today he phoned me from his work to let me know it was real. He was so happy and so was I. My heart was also filled when sewing assistant Paul shared the news that his brother had been released from prison and was free to begin a new life. In the last two months, Paul needed time to appear in the court to support his brother and that meant he had to be away from class. "Thank you so much for supporting me , " he said. I left the class walking on air. We are making a difference in the lives of men and women here and this is something for which you can be proud and grateful.