All Heal Sweet Liberia Heal!

EACH TIME I think of Liberia, the country that hosted my spiritual growth for 11 years, I FEEL. There is feeling and then there is FEELING. There is so much about my experiences in Liberia that could not be shared in my memoir, Sweet Liberia, Lessons from the Coal Pot and yet it is here, buried beneath my life in America. Because my sojourn in Liberia was as much spiritual as it was physical, in many ways I am still there. It is akin to the feeling that one has when a person you love has died.  And by no means do I intend to say that Liberia is dead, only that she is buried so deeply in my soul that I am forever connected, even though I am not physically IN Liberia. 

This video, of reconstruction efforts, depicts the rebuilding of the physical infrastructure of Liberia. I know the bond between my soul and Liberia is still strong because when I heard the chorus of voices in the video, I wept. I can't explain why, but when you see the video, if you weep or feel 'it', you will understand.  If you experience the video and don't feel anything, there are no words I can give you that will cause you to understand. 

Earlier this week I posted a video on my Sweet Liberia, Lessons from the Coal Pot page on Facebook that depicts the rampant use of little girls as sexual objects, as rape victims and prostitutes who sell their bodies to support their families. This is a paradox. On the one hand there must be the rebuilding of infrastructure. Buildings, lights, water, services, roads, a business economy, and more are needed if Liberia is to rise from the dust. However, the Liberia my family fled in 1990 is hardly the Liberia that exists today. 

To be sure, there are feverish efforts in Liberia to reconstruct the spirits of the Liberian people, but it is so much easier to rebuild physical infrastructure than it is to reconstruct a society wrecked by 14 years of Civil War. How long does it take to reconstruct the souls of the broken and contorted spirits of a people. To revitalize the characteristic kindness, congeniality, and optimism of the Liberian people. How Long?

My mind's eye still treasures the pictures of my Liberia, the Liberia I was spiritually awakened in, as a vision of what CAN be healed and restored. Healing IS possible.
All Heal Sweet Liberia Heal!