by Kathryn Badalich
As I open “Whatsapp” this morning, a stream of photos and video clips from Gemena await to be downloaded. Sometimes the news is good, like when the 6th graders passed their exit exams, and sometimes it’s distressing, like when I witnessed beloved 11-year-old Sophia as she succumbed to meningitis. This news, good and bad, comes from Sabuli Children’s Center, the orphanage Sabuli founded 10 years ago.
Now we’re in the midst of a global pandemic. In the USA, we’re focused on physical distancing, masks, and other efforts to protect ourselves and each other. We’ve just been advised by the CDC to cancel Thanksgiving Dinner plans with extended family, given the spike in COVID-19 cases across the country. We’re in a liminal space where we yearn for what was and have an uneasy feeling about what will be––a new normal. We know we cannot go back to the old, and find ourselves in a strange state of both hope and dread about what kind of “new” will emerge.
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