Thursday,
August 26th, 1999
The Last
Word
Hi all!
Well, I
have not followed through and sent you the Chronicle about my Kosova
experience,
mostly because I haven't written it. I
figure there has to be
something
left to tell you all in person when I see you next. I have been
VERY busy
trying to finish up work AND plan for my holiday which begins
tomorrow.
two more
days orienting my successor, who happens to be someone I know from
Minnesota...
its a small world after all!! I have a
lot of sadness leaving
the
relationships that I've heartfully nurtured since the moment I arrived
here. And, at the same time, I am excited about
reuniting with my kids and
family and
friends.
I will be
job hunting upon return... no, actually starting right now. You
who are in
the social service field in Minnesota... you know who who are...
please
keep your eyes open for something that requires the exceptional
abilities
with which I have been so blessed. You
may either email notice of
these to
me at this email address or wait and call me at home after the 16th
of
September at 651‑894‑1539.
I can start on the 17th of September.
OK,
maybe the
18th! I am looking for a supervisory
position... I really enjoy
supervising,
I have found. Something in the mental
health field, perhaps
with a
spiritual twist to it, working with blood fued issues, for example,
or
restorative justice family conferencing with murder cases. Or running a
retreat
center in downtown Minneapolis. Or
advocating to save the white
pines in
Northern Minnesota... oh, I forgot, most of them were blown down...
very
sad... I need to go there when I return to grieve their loss. You get
the
idea...
As I
walked home tonight, after my going away party ended around 9:00 PM,
which, by
the way, was very, very fun, with dancing and food and drink and
laughter,
I walked much more slowly than usual, recalling all the hugs and
kisses and
good wishes and thank you's, intentionally noticing the strong
smells
from garbage rotting, and coffee brewing, and listening to the
laughter
of men gathered together on the street, and greeting the old man
who owns a
small shop where I often buy akkulore (ice cream) on my way home
from
work. I particularly noticed the
couples... couples of every age and
gender
combinations... mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, girlfriends
and
boyfriends, grandmas and grandsons, walking slowly, even more slowly
than I at
my slowed pace, arm in arm.... arm in arm, intimately talking with
each
other, bending toward the other to hear every important word spoken, or
to just
feel the warmth of the other's breath against their face. Admiring
the full
moon, they slowly walked along the streets and the narrow, dark and
potholed
alleyways, without a fear in the world, absorbed in the joy of
sharing
the cool and still evening in each other's presence.
Until we
meet again, I remain, your Albanian correspondent...
David