World Pulse Has Given Me The World

It occurred to me, as I sit at my window watching the water in the harbor, dreaming of traveling to worlds far away, that my work with World Pulse has actually made my dreams of fourth grade come true. Fourth grade was the year in which "social studies" was included in the curriculum of my Catholic school. This included history and geography.

I hated history. It seemed to all be lies to me, a great deal of old white men killing other people and stealing their people and their land, but none of this was considered a "sin" because the victors were good "Christians."

Ah, but how I adored geography. It opened exotic worlds and people to me. The dark-skinned people weren't servants who were treated worse than the family pets, like they were in my mama's house and everywhere else in my community of 1950s United States of America. They were strong, straight-standing women carrying babies on their backs and overflowing baskets on their heads, all at the same time. I would go home and practice balancing books on my head to improve my posture like those lovely women in brightly colored clothes.

The men seemed all to be very involved with their families. When they were away, they were hunting food for their families, and they would then sit around the fire as their women and children were kept in close proximity to them. These simple, colorful worlds seemed like paradise to me.

I have learned, through my work with World Pulse that this one-dimensional child's view is not the reality. Neither do I get the depth of "flavor" and "color" of the countries from the media in my country. I am being introduced to real, live women and their families and work all over the world. I love the many colors and accents I am experiencing. I love experiencing, first hand, the true strengths of the women from around the world, which extend so much farther than the strength and straightness of their backs.

I am now sisters with women with strength to turn tragedy into passion with purpose, as they work to heal what greed and war has wrought throughout world history. They have visions that are straight, even when the paths are made crooked by the many obstacles put in their ways. I read their words through the miracle of internet communication and even hear them speak and laugh through online video. Some have even blessed me with tours of their homes and introductions to their beautiful, far-away from me, families.

I may never have the opportunity to travel to these many countries and new sisters, but I am so blessed that World Pulse brings them to me.

Thank you, Jensine, for your vision and, World Pulse Staff, for bringing it all to me.