12,197 miles from home

My frequent flyer miles email update informed me that my trip from California to Arusha put me 12, 197 miles from home. It never felt that far....




When my son visited, Silla, Gerard and Brian were eager to meet him. They shared a favorite book of theirs, Tin Tin in America.











Miss Charisma, Miss Margie and Miss Faith, the librarians at the Usa River campus of The School of St. Jude, welcomed me to the library staff. They are awesome librarians, hard workers, wonderful with the children, and were very kind to me.









Do you see what these boys are reading?Books from the Magic Tree House series. The children in the fifth grade were reading Harry Potter, the first graders loved Dr. Seuss, and the sixth graders were reading biographies and especially liked to read about Nelson Mandela, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.and Jane Goddall. Second graders liked Cinderella and Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters.














Every morning, our little red bus was the first to arrive. Mr. Forehead met the students and walked them to the playground. Each child had a big smile for me every morning.









And this precious first grade girl was the first student to board the bus. She always sat right next to me. She was a cuddler, and liked to hold my hand.















Each day, the routines at St. Jude's became more familiar and more comfortable. In fact, it felt like home.