“Play is the exultation of the possible.” –Martin Buber
In some ways I could say it was the smiles that invited us to participate in Kantolomba. On that day in 2005, standing with Theresa among dozens of children, it was the distended bellies, bald patches on heads, sores around mouths that alerted us to the need, but it was the calls of glee, the huge smiles and the pleas to engage that beckoned us to the possibility—Life calling to Life. Come join us!
And we did. A month later Theresa and her team of six volunteers prepared lunch for 25 children. In the ensuing 17 years, the cooperative team has grown to 35, there are 1,035 children who arrive for meals each day and the educational opportunities have completely transformed the lives of the girls in the community.
Life is a hard battle anyway. If we laugh and sing a little as we fight the good fight of freedom, it makes it all go easier. I will not allow my life’s light to be determined by the darkness around me.
– Sojourner Truth
Life is hard, no question. There are hard things happening all the time. There were very hard things happening in the lives of the many smiling children we encountered in Kantolomba in 2005. And yet, they were laughing, singing, playing.
In Practice we often hear the lovely reminder—laughter transcends the ego. Perhaps that’s one reason many of us enjoy spending time with children. The freedom of Life’s light shines through when we get past the seriousness of ego and join the laughter, play, and delight.
The 2022 Bridge Walk season celebrates that sense of play and fun. Inspired by Theresa’s book, Playtime in Kantolomba, we shall play our way to creating the funding for another year of transformation. Our goal is to raise $80 for each of the thousand children in the program.
Won’t you come play?! This year’s Bridge Walk includes an email class with Cheri starting September 16: “Having Fun – An Exploration.” Find more information here!
Gasshō
Jen
