Coffee musings

Thursday, July 26^th

Frequently when I have my coffee in the morning I think of women all around the world having their coffee -especially if I am drinking it outside, as I was this morning. I thought about Mary, the cook at Cabestor (Haiti) who makes the best coffee in the world, out there in the middle of nowhere, where women and children suffer from hunger and lack of all of the things I mostly take for granted.

Mary starts a fire about 4 am with some charcoal (made from trees and sold at the market) and then brings water to a boil. I am not sure how she makes the coffee so good; there are no filters or coffee pots to brew it. I know she has this little packet of spices that she buys at the market especially for coffee. In an effort to learn how to make coffee taste the way she makes it, I looked at the packet. It had some star anise and cloves in it and maybe a bit of a cinnamon twig. The translator was no help as he did not know the English term for the things she had in there. I am experimenting with spices but have not gotten it right yet.

By 7 am Mary has made the coffee, fried up some eggs, toasted some bread over the fire and sends it all to us up at the birth center. I am so humbled, so grateful, so aware of my privilege, so grateful we can give her a paying job but also burdened that we cannot do more. You know, whoever makes and delivers food to you deserves great gratitude, no matter where you are. 

Morning in Cabestor

Where Mary gets her water

Where Mary lives

Morning hymn at Cabestor - Carrie Wortham Birth Center

This morning there are women in the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh who are standing in water holding their children and meager possessions away from the flash floods that are a result of monsoon rains. HOPE Foundation is sending the ambulance, bought by Every Mother Counts, to pick up the sickest, the women in labor, many of whom were raped by the Myanmar army before escaping to this miserable camp. They would be so grateful for a cup of hot coffee.

This week in the refugee camp, Rohingya women and children lined up for medical assistance. Photo from Dr. Mahmood

I went through a day of depression on Monday after we left Joel and Allison and my sweet Lainey Mae and Fletcher in Missouri. I always do this after leaving children and grandchildren and I know it will pass in a day or two. There is no solution to it. Our children do not really want us to live with them forever, and we do not really want to give up our own lives and routines to move in with them. So there is joy when we are with them and love increases. But there is great pain when we leave. Every grandmother knows this pain.

Lainey being fierce

Sweet Fletcher

Lainey writing and illustrating a book. Budding author.

Ready to bike with his Dad

Last week leaving the Badlands to drive to Missouri we had two long days of driving; maybe six hours each day. We stayed one night at a state park called  Newton Hills in South Dakota and took a 3 mile walk to a watch tower after arriving. We are starting to look for state parks as they end up being some of the prettiest places in any state. They are usually fairly cheap – maybe $20/night with electricity only- and we have learned we can go several days without water or sewer hook-ups.

The night after leaving Joel’s we stayed at Clear Lake park in Iowa. Who knew Iowa had such a lovely lake with boating and swimming and great beauty? We loved the trees and the family camping fun that was happening there. We really enjoy seeing so many children doing outside adventuring rather than in front of a TV or electronic device. We are constantly amazed at how many families “go camping” every summer. When my children were small I did not like camping because it seemed to be so much work and I disliked being wet and dirty all of the time. But there are ways to do it to avoid that and give Moms a break that I did not know about.

(Clear Lake, Iowa is where Buddy Holly played his last concert before the plane crash that took his life)

We are now outside Milwaukee in a Yogi Bear Campground. This campground has so many activities for children: pool and water slides, laser tag at night, cartoons at an outdoor theater, crafts with Yogi Bear, nature hikes, playground equipment, bouncy houses, and much more. I am thinking of grandchildren again and dreaming of them coming with us some day.

We went to two Nationals games while near Milwaukee and the Brewer's stadium.  The photo below shows the stadium's retractable roof. The Nationals are our favorite team and they have had a rough year. But Bryce Harper finally came through with a three run homer yesterday and they won one for a change.

In a stadium full of Brewers fans, the girl next to me had on a Nationals shirt. She and her Dad were there from Chicago. They are originally from DC area and are still Nationals fans. Sitting with them made the game more fun although both me and Steve had to leave our seats and get out of the sun to cool off now and then.

The Miller ball park has a retractable roof

 

Sun and baseball!

We have full hook-ups here so I am doing two loads of laundry this morning. And sending some money to HOPE Foundation in solidarity with the women I would like to share my coffee with this morning. Dr. Mahmood is a good friend of mine who works very diligently to bring life and hope to the women and children in his home country of Bangladesh. I have seen the work firsthand.  I lift my coffee cup to you, Dr. Mahmood, and to all of the women in this world who labor to make and serve coffee.

 

A drink of coconut water from Dr. Mahmood during clinic in rural village in Bangladesh in 2016