Today is a sad day for me in two ways. One of the people I admire and love the most in life is about to die. Tutu Iverson is an amazing person that retired from being a children's librarian and then took on a full time job to keep Interfaith Clinic running for many, many years. Over those years she did everything from cleaning the bathrooms to running the front desk to medical records to doing patient care her self when needed. She was always a joy to have around and far too often she had to pick the lock of my office door when I did not have the keys. You learn a lot as a children's librarian. She spent 40 hours at our home when TaiMing was trying to get out and into the world and was a wonderful support in the fun times and also with the crash C-section. She has a magical way of disappearing and reappearing when ever she is really needed. I sent her a note and said to get out of bed get a plane ticket and get over here to the Himalaya because I needed her help but I expect her family will talk sense into her and keep her home. She is on oxygen and in renal failure but I can feel here presence here with me now, yes really. She was one of those people that was always there when you needed her, always got the job done no mater what it was and did it all with an impish smile and warm heart. I brought that part of her with me and will leave it here with these Mopa People from Tibet that I am caring for so that they have some of her to live on here too. I feel like she handed out love to anyone that needed it and that is the most powerful medicine of all.
The second sadness is that I leave tomorrow. This is a special place, the kids are so happy here and they have literally nothing, well nothing other than happiness that is. They play with one another, new kids come and the others just hug them and hold their hand and ask them to come and play. Often the most common game is like hopscotch with lines drawn in the hard ground and a rock tossed to the place that you skip to. Fairly low tech, eveyone has what it takes to play and they all seem very happy to share what ever else they do have. When they walk by they say 'good morning sir' or 'how are you?'. Since English is the 3ed or 4th lanugage for most of these kids I always try to take the time to talk with them out of respect for their efforts. I have finished what work I can get done and now have to do the work back home so I can return again.
love you all, life is so precsious and we have so little of it. Be happy and love one another as best you can.
Frank
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