Living Fully in the Face of Adversity

The stories of violence a world away play on in the background of my days, but it isn’t the evil that has my focus. It is the faces of people rich in community, connectedness, and purpose shared by loved ones.

The mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters living a life of simple elegance connected to the spirit of the land and each other. Sharing their gifts and being themselves in a community is a testament to how to live a life.

Unafraid of the dangers outside their gates, they chose to live fully and intentionally instead. Those are the images and stories I carry with me.

The community will live on in the memories of the survivors and in their testimony of a life lived in defiance of the violence perpetrated upon it.