After the That’s What She Said Show last year, the sho-conspirators knew we wanted to be more than a show. We saw the power of telling and hearing each other’s stories. Women supporting women. Women telling their story and connecting with someone who nodded and said, “Me, too.” Women who want to make the world a better place not just for their family but for every family.
Team She Said is home from our “Soul Journey” to Haiti but we are holding our new Haitian friends close at heart.
Twelve women took this trip—some old friends, some new friends. One of the things we all had in common was a deep connection and love for our friends. We all know the power of a friend to make us belly-laugh in the good times or ugly-cry through the tough times.
We spent the week at an orphanage (for more info on GLA, click here) getting to know the children and the women who care for them.
Each day, we hiked to the orphanage together. These hikes were an amazing time to spend together and share our thoughts on what we were experiencing. It was a time to hold each other up…literally.
It was a beautiful thing to pass other women and to greet each other. “Bonswa” was the extent of most of our Creole but we exchanged knowing looks. “I see you with your girlfriends and I understand.”
There was something really special about seeing my friends in an entirely new light.
We searched for a word that could express our daily greetings.
Namaste definition:
The God/Goddess within me acknowledges the God/Goddess within you.
The Divine in me recognizes and honors, the Divine in you.
The spirit within me bows to the spirit within you.
I greet that place where you and I are one.
I honor the place in you which is of love, of truth, of light and of peace.
We spent our days enjoying the children in the orphanage. We saw our own babies faces in the faces of these babies.
(Thank you to Karyl Wackerlin for shooting many of these photographs!)
We basked in the glow of baby giggles and watched as our friends coo’d and smooched the babies. We knew that these babies were so engaging and happy because someone was giving them love and attention everyday, long after volunteers had gone home.
We wanted to talk to and thank those women. We sat down with a translator to interview the women of GLA and to hear their stories.
To say that we were moved by their stories would be the understatement of the year. We were so honored that they would take time from their very busy days to be so open with a group of women that they did not know.
Over and over, we heard the stories of hard work, the desire to provide for their families, their reliance on their faith, and sadly, their confusion about why we would want to talk to them. They were surprised that American women were there to see them and that we saw value in their stories.
When I watched the video footage of the interviews, I was so moved by their generosity, honesty, and willingness to share.
We all want to be heard. We all have a story. But sometimes, we forget.
We will be sharing some of those interviews so stay tuned.
As I sat with Team She Said at the end of the week, I watched the older…ahem…women among us encouraging the youngest woman in our group. That is what this trip was all about. Women supporting women. Women without borders.
Namaste.
The theme of our show this year is “Women of Hope” by one of our 2014 speakers, Morley.
