May peace reign.

With positively the heaviest heart, I pass this along to all of you.

Kenya, a beautiful country that I came to know and love has descended into a chaos that none of us dreamed possible. In the midst of this fighting, so far away, my friends were tragically touched.

Julius' brother Melitus Mugabe Were was the MP that was murdered late Monday night.

This week has been a blur of prayer vigils, chai pouring and now, urgent prayer and waiting as Julius lands in his native land to bury his eldest brother and attempt to get the rest of his family to safety.

My friends, I mourn for him. I ask you all to join in prayers for his safety and protection in the midst of the violence.

If you are in town and know the Were's, phone calls and visits will be appreciated. Tonight the Organization of Kenyans in Kansas City will host a fundraiser at their home. The next month will be challenging for them as they take on the financial obligation of this tragedy. They are expecting a baby, and that adds to the expense of it all.

If you want to donate, visit the Soulfari blog or mail donations to:
Soulfari Kenya:
PO Box 2321
Shawnee Mission, Kansas 66201

Julius, may God be with you. We love you. Come home safe.

!!!!!

IT'S MY 27th BIRTHDAY!!!!!

So far, I've gotten the most beautiful flowers EVER from my boyfriend AND the prettiest card in the universe from Cassandra.....and it's only 10 a.m. Man, life is good!

You may now return to your regularly scheduled January 16th plans. :)



Update: Got the GREATEST picture from Sarah.

missing my homeland

Tonight would be a great night to be an Iowan again.

I just talked with my Dad, who'll be heading over to the local elementary school tonight to stand up and participate with my Mom in the democratic party's caucus. (Full disclosure: it does give me chills to type the word DEMOCRAT.)

We discussed why he's choosing a particular candidate, what political gaffes candidates are getting skewered for (Huckabee's crossing the picket line), who's "buying their way in" (cough, cough, Romney), and the criticism of the Iowa caucus. My Dad was a U.S. History & Government teacher back in the day, so these talks are always rich and mentally stimulating.

In the course of our conversation, I started to toe the pundit's line about "things being unfair because they're held at a certain time and you have to physically stand behind a candidate, not cast a ballot," but then Dad pointed out something brilliant. Iowans don't care. They aren't the ones complaining.

And this, my friends, is why I love Iowa.

Iowans get wrapped up in all the election hoopla, but something about it is different. Like it doesn't go to their heads.

They'll vote, then wait to do it again come November.

They won't bitch about a system that works for them, and has since the farm days.

People will go listen to 6 different candidates during the primary season and then decide tonight.

The Des Moines Register will report on each candidate (quite well, I'd add) and then this weekend, go back to other reporting, not speculating on how cool they were.

So maybe there's more than one reason I wish I was there tonight. Not only to give my boy Obama a caucus-goers endorsement, but because it'd feel good to matter...then go on with life again until November.

Have fun Moms & Pops.

-A

and, erm...Go Obama.

New Year, More Of

As someone who struggles with absolutes, I’m not really a fan of resolutions. A few years ago I heard someone mention that they just wanted to do more in the next year of what they were already loved or were good at.

Keep on doing what you already like? I can get behind that.

With that in mind, I hope that in 2008 I’ll:

- Love my job even more and start believing that I’ll be successful in June
- Keep learning how to love my boyfriend better
- Continue growing and cultivating my mind and passions
- Get more and more used to being settled in my skin
- Give time and energy to Soulfari Kenya
- Experience new music and culture
- Let God be God
- Keep on loving myself