Memories and Tears

This is a guest post from Brittany. She is an elementary teacher in the Indianapolis area who has a HUGE heart for Kenya.

I close my eyes tonight and I let the memories wash over me. I haven’t allowed myself to do this in so long. I’ve locked the memories up and tucked them away in a safe place. They try to creep out from time to time. It usually hits me when I least expect it. Something will trigger my memories…tonight it was something as simple as the song “Ring Around the Rosie”. Suddenly I am there again. Holding the hands of little children, hearing their voices sing the song, and seeing the joy and laughter on their faces. It brings a smile to my face and a pain to my heart. I long to be there again. To hold those little hands. To hear their joyful voices. To see the laughter in their eyes. 
So tonight, instead of pushing this memory back into the recesses of my mind, I let it come forward and I let the rest of the memories come. The faces, the sights, the smells, the noises, they all come flooding back. For a moment I feel like I’m there again, until I open my eyes again and reality welcomes me back like a cold splash of water in the face. I’m not there anymore. It’s six months since we returned and those memories seem as far away as the distance from Indiana to Kenya.

 

In six months, I haven’t allowed myself to dwell on the memories of my trip too often. I haven’t allowed myself the time to sit and process and write about my trip. Case in point, I wrote that first paragraph for this blog weeks ago and have avoided finishing it ever since.

Oncology Nursing Chose Me

This is a guest blog from Erin E. She currently resides in Grand Rapids, MI with her family where she works on an inpatient oncology unit. I (Erica) am honored to call her not only a colleague but one of my dear, dear friends. Your heart is an inspiration, Erin!

People often ask how I chose to work in oncology. I usually tell them my story and what brought me to Grand Rapids and my oncology patients. The truth is, oncology chose me. As a new nurse, I was hungry to work. I was yearning to put all my nursing skills from school to use. Every area in nursing was new and exciting. I wasn’t fully sure where I would thrive and which area I would enjoy best.

The Favorite Book: Part 1

We at Anchor Drop are so very excited to have guest blogger Hezzy joining us. He is originally from Kenya and traveled to the USA to pursue an education. He has a huge heart for helping those back in his home village learn how valuable an education can be. Below is a brief summary of Hezzy’s motive and information about “The Favorite Book Project”, which is his idea to help bring education to his village.

The main objective of this project is to promote education where it’s dearly needed especially among the underprivileged children in Kenya.

Born, raised and going to school in Kenya was very challenging for my mother and me.  As my only parent, she worked very hard in faith to provide for our family of two.  Luckily, I was able to imitate her diligence, earned good grades and received government grants to make it through high school.

Miraculously, I made it to the United States of America on a soccer scholarship where I went on to earn two college degrees.  Additionally, I worked extra hard and joined graduate school.  I will soon graduate with an MBA in Management.

Education is the best gift I have received and I would like to pass it along.