I love every day on this island, but a day when I awake to a pristine blue sky without a cloud in sight...that's my favorite. Days like this is what one dreams the Caribbean of being. On days like this, I find myself keeping an eye on the top of Saba's highest point, Mt. Scenery. If the clouds stay away and if we are able to find a couple hours of down time, a hike to the highest point in the Netherlands is a must.
Today I made the trek with the youngest Thomas kid. She had her Saba sidekick, Rashadijn (aka, Shady) along with her. I loved hearing their 7 year old dialogue and seeing their little legs ascend to the top. They tackled all 1064 steps without much complaint at all.
While we hiked with a few of the team members, Nancy Caroline hung out with her friends Natalie and Lauren in Windwardside. Just down by the sea at Torrens Point, Michael and Jackson were experiencing their first dive on Saba.
Two of us on the top, one of us in the middle, and two of us at the base in the waters. The Thomas family had Saba covered it seemed.
Sharing Saba with the three kids is something that I store up in my heart. The memories of hiking with Sadie, the image of the three of them snorkeling side by side, getting to see Jackson become a diver, knowing Nancy Caroline fits in so well here with the kids and loves helping at day camp....things like that make me realize that the island and the three kids are getting along just beautifully.
At day camp today, I spent another day in my old classroom teaching Saban children how to cook. We decided to try a little cultural competition...Saban Pumpkin Fritters vs. Southern Fried Pies. My fellow team member Amie volunteered to lead the children in making the fritters, while I tackled the pies.
We began cooking down the dried fruit and sugaring it up. The markets didn't have peaches or apples, so we used apricots and mangoes. I taught the kids how to take the biscuit dough and roll it out into a good sized little circles. Then it was on to the frying.
This task ended up being pretty tedious, due to the kitchen air conditioner being on the blink. About half way through, the room felt like a sauna. But the children were happy, with or without airco.
The little fella I assigned to help me with the frying is Jamal. He and his brothers and sister are some that have loved Lipscomb from the very beginning pretty much. He has chestnut brown eyes, tanned skin, and his hair is in a single braid down his back. His little bright eyed smile gets me every time.
As we stood and watched as the southern delicacies turned to golden brown, we began to ask each other questions.
I found out he likes to cook at home with his mother. He learned that I sometimes miss being in a classroom cooking with students. He loves soccer. I love American football. We both have an older sister.
I asked him about making Johnny Cakes and fritters. He asked me how much sugar to add to the fried pie filling and where he could find the fruit in the market on the island. He asked why we used a fork to clasp the edges shut.
Then came the question that led to all sorts of stories...
"Mrs. Aletha, where did you learned to make these fried pies?"
Grandmother. I then told Jamal all about my grandmother. I told him how she had coached me for years on frying pies, canning pickles, planting flowers, making biscuits, and living life. I told him all about how she made me laugh and how when I was little I thought she could do no wrong. She has always been kind and has always loved me so well. I told my little friend about how age is now taking it's toll on my sweet grandmother.
Jamal told me he thought she sounded nice and he hoped she felt better soon.
Just as I finished telling him about Grandmother, another boy walked up and asked if he could join us and help fry. "Yes" immediately fell off my lips before I realized the two boys standing on opposite sides of me now had been at odds pretty much the entire day camp. I braced myself for the exchange that was for sure to take place.
Jamal gave Tobias some pointers and the frying commenced. They were friendly and even shared a few laughs. All I could think of was just maybe the stories of my grandmother had softened the attitude of these boys. The smell of the fried pies and the memories on my mind felt like an assurance that her spirit was very much a part of my island because she is a part of me.
Today ended with a traditional "devo in the gazebo". This is one of my favorite times on Saba. It's a period of praise and prayer. It just so happened that tonight we forgot to take our song books. So we broke out in all the children's VBS type songs we could think of. It also just so happened that it was Shady's first devo with us at the gazebo.
I couldn't help but realize how special this ended up being, all of us gathered there in the gazebo singing songs that our special little friend knew almost all by heart. It was like the Lord catered the evening of "just so happeneds" into an evening of "this is how I meant for it to be".
What a day! My feet are tired tonight, my eyes are heavy, my heart is full, and my joy is great.
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