Monday, January 22nd by Judy

Well, our mission is at its end. I have to say we had such an amazing crew, the dynamics of our team was fantastic.

Sunday morning was our last day in Zinvie, some of us attended mass, the celebration was spectacular, singing and dancing by all who attend, some of the mass was in French and in Fon so difficult to follow by times but still, always heartfelt. The gathering of children around after mass is so much fun, taking pictures and showing them what they look like, making faces and laughing, little things we take for granted… I love how we are thought to bring it all back into perspective. Take the time to breath and look around,,, we are missing so much in our daily lives, the simple smile from a stranger a touch on the shoulder, take the time to spend with your loved ones…

We had some time to visit the city of Cotonou as our flight was only at midnight. Nice to see the city center as we never had the chance before. We went to the market and picked up a couple souvenirs and some of us went to see the beach. I was struck by a little girl flying a kite on the beach, does she know how lucky she is?? She is only 1 hr from Zinvie and yet such a different lifestyle, how can this be?? How can being 1 hr away be so different? Don’t get me wrong it’s not a rich area but they have a lot more,, better quality of life, better resources… I guess if you don’t know what you never had you can’t miss it..This is the struggle I have every time I come back,… How can we have so much and how can some have so little?? How can those with so little being so happy and those with so much well, some are happy and some less…

My last day here is always so emotional,,, I am tired from all the hard work, I hate leaving but I miss my home and my fur babies, I feel guilty but I feel blessed and grateful. Such a mixture of different emotions my head is spinning…

Our journey home begins, Benin to Paris, Paris to Toronto and Toronto Halifax…

Thank you all for your support and following our blog, bringing awareness to the foundation is amazing. Thank you to our fabulous team and one special little girl,, what an experience for a 14-year-old. Renee, you worked hard and never complained about anything,, you are a very special girl and you should be proud of yourself, I know we all are.

My Zinvie family, you hold a special place in my heart and I love you all xox

Judy