Pinky Promise

If I ever need immediate happiness and gratitude the first thing I think of is Eve, my African Mother. She was the one that got me through any hard day I was having last summer, held me whiled I cried and told me to "be tough!", cared for me while I was sick, made me laugh everyday and made sure that I addressed her as "Mother". One of the hardest things I ever had to do while in Uganda was watch my amazingly tough- despite circumstances- mother cry. I only saw it twice. Once the day I left and the other when she was so sick she couldn't even walk straight. It was about a week or so before I left and she was not only pregnant but also had some kind of stomach issues. She laid on the back porch and I held her hand and saw a tear run down her cheek... I knew she was really sick but, being the strong woman that she is, she refused any help.

Since I have been home from Uganda I have thought and worried about her often and was so relieved to hear she was able to successfully give birth to a baby girl- which she jokingly told me was named Abigail.

Whenever I think about Eve I also think about the PINKY promise I made to her while walking through the streets of Lugazi. (for anyone who doesn't know pinky promises are the promises of all promises-you can't break them) It was a promise that I would one day come back to Lugazi to see her and her new child. At first I was reluctant to make such a promise but she kept insisting with such passion, and holding her pinky so firmly towards me, that I finally had no choice but to agree to promise. We entangled our pinky fingers and I promised her that SOMEDAY I would come back. (She added after that I should bring my future husband with me but she's just  going to have to live with the fact that I haven't gotten one yet)

SO, I am fulfilling a promise that I made and going back to Uganda to see my precious Eve. I never thought that I would be going back so soon but one thing I've learned in my short life, so far, is that you should never delay things today, that you are not sure you can do tomorrow. Life only gets busier as we grow older and how much longer can I keep running away to Africa? I hope even after this trip I will go back to Africa again (maybe with my husband?) but who knows... all I know is that if you get a chance to do something amazing in this life, you take it! 
So Eve, thanks for making me feel even more obligated ;) I love you. Here I come. 

If you would like to find out more about Eve and her story go to: http://musanajewelry.org/