Journal-Laura Merriam
Another cool, cloudy winter day in Lima and day 10 of my global volunteers turn at the PPA. I am still feeling the after-affects of my bout with a bug over the weekend. I indulge my self-pity while walking slowly to my kindergarten class and wonder whether I can make it through another 3 hours of shrieking, uncontrolled, Spanish-speaking 5 year-olds. Then I walk into the classroom and they all cry "Laura!" and I think...ok... it's not easy, I don't understand enough and I feel helpless at times but I know I am making a difference. Being engaged in the world, at all levels with all types of people, is what makes a difference. Getting to know this wonderful, strange, welcoming country and its people as well as the interesting and dedicated people on my team makes a difference.
I like being able to say to the kids in the siblings program, "por la mañana", at the end of the day and see their faces light up --at least until Friday. It can be overwhelming to think about what will happen to Manuel, Lesly, Elizabeth, Astrid, Ysenia, Marie-Carmen and Alexandria or Johanna... but I have to keep in mind that we do touch their lives for the better and the next group of volunteers will do the same...and so on...and so on... an unbroken chain of connections that goes both ways and gives us all our reason for being.

Thought of the Day-Laura Merriam
[Quote from the Tao te Ching]
Act without doing;
Work without effort.
Think of the small as large
and the few as many.
Confront the difficult
while it is still easy;
Accomplish the great task
by a series of small tasks.

The Master never reaches for the great;
Thus she achieves greatness
When she runs into difficulty,
She stops and gives herself to it.
She doesn't cling to her own comfort
thus problems are no problem for her. - Lao-tzu