Counting every blessing: Shamba Ya Amani
We wake in health. Blessing one. With our family intact. Blessing two. Able to move fingers and toes. And so on. But today, there’s another special blessing to count. Nearly a month ago, while shepherding volunteers to Shamba Ya Amani (Farm of Peace) in Houston, I observed the head farm steward, Esperance, making hibiscus tea. It was a complete novelty to me–-the idea of picking fresh hibiscus and then brewing tea on the spot. But if you stop and smell the roses, and respect and observe process, almost anything is possible. She was patiently peeling back the brilliant red, roselle petals, and then, yes, making a cup of tea. I asked for one flower and then hesitantly for another. I was told, to my surprise, by this wise woman from Congo (whose own life has been nothing short of arduous test after test) that I should fill both my hands. I immediately felt shy. I live and have lived comparatively in absolute abundance. Why should I take so many? I explained that I intended to give it as a Christmas gift to my mother who brews her own tea every morning. Her eyes twinkled as if she too was receiving a gift. And then she filled my hands, to the brim. As I was leaving, I passed Kelsey, the volunteer coordinator. For a moment, I felt as though I was shoplifting and tried to explain the whole story—wanting to take only a couple, my mother’s Christmas gift motive, and Esperance’s generosity. Kelsey merely nodded, ‘there is always enough,’ she assured me. ‘It’s one of our core beliefs.’ And so, to come full circle: this morning, my daughter, having just finished her finals and with a moment to spare, peeled back the remaining petals of the roselles, and made a small packet for her grandmother for Christmas. Then, she sorted out the seeds, which we will give back to Shamba Ya Amani—for nothing truly belongs to us. And as we count the days to the many special holidays celebrated by family and friends in our midst, we will try to remember each blessing and every sacred person along our path.
(With special thanks to Kim, Humza and Dr Banu—belatedly for the okra—another gesture of pure generosity via Shamba Ya Amani. See also: Accidental Sisters)
Featured above: hibiscus seeds, pods and dried petals for tea (prepared 12.11.24).