Caring

I was sitting at my desk in Haiti, early on a Friday morning, when I decided to see “what’s next” on my Word to Remember list. How appropriate that the word is “caring.” Given my current context, the first thing that came to mind when I read this word was Dieusait and she was the next person to walk into my office.

What does it mean to be a caring person? I think a big part of caring is simply seeing when others have a need and standing with them. And that’s what Dieusait has done for me through the years. Yesterday was a good example of that. In the middle of all of the festivities, I was feeling a bit sad, slightly out of place, and when I looked up, I saw the concern on Dieusait’s face, and I knew that she saw me - even in the middle of it all. I knew that she cared. She never even said a word, but the caring expression on her face reminded me that I was not alone.

Dieusait is strong, physically and emotionally. She knows the struggles of life, and that has made her sensitive to the needs of others. I could go on and on about all the ways her caring ways impact her family, her friends, her community. There’s a reason she is Tanti Dieusait (Auntie Diesusait) to many beyond her biological family.

This Haitian life is not easy for an American who lives a very different life when she’s in the United States, but the way Dieusait has cared for me body, soul, and spirit through the years makes each day a bit sweeter when I am here.

It doesn’t hurt that she’s a great cook, too!