Krista Mournet

“She is my mother. She is my aunt. She is my next door neighbor. I recognize her familiar gait; the quick-paced step. Most importantly, I recognize the invisible burden she carries. I know a Haitian woman before I know a Haitian woman. I recognize the unfair share of hardships and sorrows. Her face may be unlined, you may not be able to tell if she is 40 or 60, but her eyes will tell the story.”

via ‘Chay La Lou’: The Things Haitian Women Carry – Martha St. Jean – God’s Politics Blog.

As I read these words, I am reminded of the women I met in Ghana when I visited there six years ago–women of great dignity, warmth and joy. I’ve never been to a more exuberant worship service or seen more generous and hospitable people, in the midst of what, to my biased eyes, seemed like such lack; of food, infrastructure, sanitation, stuff that I grown up so accustomed to. Have you ever experienced something like this? What did you learn?

“Chay la lou,
Chay la pa pou mwoin
Chay la lou
Chay la pa pou mwoin

The burden is heavy
The burden is not for me”