It’s already July 9th, and I’m having a hard time believing we’ve been here for 40 days. It’s even more daunting that we only have 20 days left. I recollect what it was like in the beginning. In some sense I feel as though nothing has changed much. There are still uncertainties and I often rely on trial and error. However, it is also remarkable how far we have come. Every day I step into the center and marvel at the garden and at the fact that we have these healthy, breathtaking plants growing in neat rows. I marvel at the fact that we’re on our way to expanding the garden three times the area of what we have. It’s incredibly rewarding to throw out my orange peel out the window to the compost bin. Then I think about this gardening manual we’re putting together. As I mentioned earlier, the kids had actually asked me to bring my laptop. They came up with the idea of using PowerPoint, and we have fun writing down what we’ve done and changing the font and background colors, adding animation to each sentence. I hope others can understand what this manual signifies. It pronounces that the garden is theirs. It represents that the kids and I are in a relationship, in which they feel safe to make suggestions. It denotes that our environment allows a flow of ideas.
Yesterday, the kids wanted the details of my departure. They questioned whether ELI Africa would be still open after this month. I was so proud to tell them that it will, and that the garden — and our love — will keep growing. With 20 days left, they asked me to stay longer. It meant so much to me. I thank them for giving me so much love. Thank you guys.