Sunshine On The Rise

I recently wrote a melancholic piece on finding boxes of letters, cards and photographs dating back to my college days. The tone turned sorrowful , because of some very touching written memories I found of my younger sisters and father, who all passed away in tragic circumstances. Yet, behind each shadow, no matter how dark or large, light comes through eventually. In those boxes I also found happy memories and pictures, of friends from all over the US and the world I met as an undergraduate and graduate student. Pictures and memories of friends from Texas, Mexico, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Panama, Nigeria, The DRC, India, Egypt, Morocco, France, Argentina, Bolivia, Japan... bringing back great times of camaraderie, sharing, learning, hope, purpose and love. Revisiting the past can be renewing, as I am learning from my rekindling of frienships with specifically a friend from Morocco and El Salvador, thanks to the ingenuity of internet communication. Both renewed friendships have deepened with time, and it is proving to be a heart warming experience. I just sent a message back to a friend from Mumbai who apparently lives and works in Kuwait right now. It was a total surprise to see a friend request from him after 35 years. He looks pretty much the same, and I guess I must too, since he recognized my picture without being sure of my married name. That is not a bad thing. I remember everyone scattered after college and graduate school, and it is fun to get back in touch with my friends from all over the world. Some friends stayed in the dark, but the memories and pictures remain real nevertheless, like my friend from Kinshasa, who took a picture of me in a traditional pagne, in front of the mighty Congo River in 1980. He remains in the shadows, and maybe he has his reasons. One of my friends from Kinshasa now works in Brussel, I found out, while his younger brother remained in the DRC.
So many good times, so many interesting travels and experiences. It was because of these friends that I had the opportunity to travel to Mexico City, Guadalajara, Zaire, Costa Rica, Panama, and visit them in their own country and culture. These experiences helped shape who I am, how I see the world, and the longing I feel to travel again internationally once my husband retires and now that our son is an adult. I long to visit North Africa, and Southern Spain, as I have a great interest in Mediterranean and Berber culture and history. Algeria specifically seems blessed with a gorgeous nature of beaches, mountains, deserts, and a fascinating complex history ethnically and socially. I have been drawn to North Africa from the time I was a child, and my heart longs to discover this unique part of the world. Sunshine on the rise : blended in with memories of loss, are memories that inspire deep hope and energy, that make me feel connected to the large human family on this troubled but still incredible planet. There is a Berber way of saying " Until we meet again " : " Ar Tufat ". I love to say it to my longtime friend in Morocco, and look forward to saying it some day to my friends in Algeria, whom I have met in heart and spirit, be it not yet in person. The past meeting the future in the best way possible, rich in memories, open to new adventures.