5-Year Mark and Beyond!

A picture is worth beyond what can be seen

Still fresh in my mind, June 13th, 2012, when I boarded that plane headed home, Kenya. A land where I belong. The only place on the face of the earth in my heart where the name is synonymous with the vocabulary, 'freedom'. This was barely 4 months after I met the one I now have as the love of my life, through meet the people tour, my tour-guide being my little sister, Lydia. The creation was good. I saw art, I dreamt love, I felt rejuvenated, I experienced peace deep down within, I smelled all the good traits, and to date I have walked the life with no regrets.

Life is a project and like many others, if you see one on site you have to arm yourself and cease the opportunity to win, kill, conquer, rule, subdue,.. just to proclaim victory and feel like you are on top of the world. The end product matters a lot. I saw light in my vision against the odds of despair, bleeding heart from the lack of understanding of life and the complication of a divided mind, imperfect man, living in the imperfect world. All this, the agony of achieving my personal goal, dissertation, hanging on my back. The heat can be real.

Rosebella Atieno & Wilfred Odoyo in Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Kenya.

You are on the Equator. This is after a week of experiencing the spark and heat radiated from the strange duo, east & west, north & south, yang & yin, all intertwined in the bodies by the names Odoyo & Atieno. This is imaginary line but you can symbolically see, touch, step on and even jump over it and still not feel different, BUT the internal joy it brings is amazing and complete.

Against the background of nature, I ceased the moment and my heart stole the race. I saw an opportunity, a long-term scale, what was literally a dividing line, just like the 38 degree latitude, was actually a uniting factor in our new life. Our characters and personalities measured against the Northern and Southern hemispheres, and yet we were that world apart but could shake hands. We could be on different sides of the spheres but cross over with ease and hold hands. The good hands of the nature was all rooting for us. At whatever cost, the latitudes, longitudes, altitude and all the other -tudes haven't mattered to date.

Our history harbor the tears of all kinds. Joy vs. sadness, health vs. sickness, light vs. dark moments, faith vs. hopelessness, trust vs. rumors, success vs. failures, and above all love vs. hate. The roots surely will never be sweet.

Let me rephrase this, 'All the time, God is good'. We have reaped victory in various circumstances so far faced. Our hope is never to let off our eyes off the target, but seek to perfect the art of living through hard work and support each other. Ultimately the life of sacrifice and living for the sake of others will always win you a place in God's sight.

The man behind the camera and his friend are my friends, Brian and Jay. Long story if I had to talk about them. For now the photo shows me, as you can see that someone's shadow has leaned on the other, so I have to pen-off. Hera.