Letha the Brave...

letha sandison & me in Seattle, photo by susannah

I've known Letha since I was 10 years old. That means she's been one of my best friends for 25 years. I don't mind dating myself, btw...I am proud to be in my thirties! *smile*

It's always blown me away how parallel our lives have been throughout our friendship. It could be as simple as getting the same haircut without knowing it (every time), to as huge as marrying men that have such similar personalities, it's freaky.

I remember cuddling up to Letha on her bed when we were teenagers and gazing around at all of the beautiful dolphins surrounding her bedroom. She had a spiritual connection to them and she always led me by my hand into the magic of their meaning. She had candles, crystals, angel cards and books on spirituality (before it all became the hip thing to do). Letha's always been a deep thinker and self~evolver. She has taught me so much throughout my life. She is one of the most loyal friends I have ever had. Whenever I have had huge things happen in my life, she was right there with a phone call, a long hand written letter, a package full of healing remedies...you name it. We've been apart for over 10 years now while she's been in Washington and me in California but we make sure to visit as often as we can.

I am writing this because my heart is full of excitement and anticipation for her. At this moment, she is walking the dirt roads of Kampala in Uganda, Africa. She is visiting for 10 days to lay down roots since her and her husband will be moving there in a few months for about five years. I just finished reading one of her long emails to our tribe detailing her days there. It is such a trip to see her dreams unfold. Dreams she has shared with me all her life. She's always wanted to make a dynamic difference in our world with her gifts and both her and her husband are doing just that. Reading it, I had tears of joy in my eyes. My Letha...the one who did a dance routine for me in the 80's to the song "Shock the Monkey", is over in Africa, starting up a non-profit organization. She will be building a housing community with Habitat for Humanity and hire Ugandan women to sew her clothing designs so that they can make more money to take care of their families. She is also going to teach Art Therapy to children with cancer at the hospital where her husband will be working to save lives.

I am so proud of her for sacrificing the pampered life we can all lead to living in a place that only has power and water every other day. She's one of the most brave, inspiring, beautiful women I know.

With all of this excitement comes the fear of the unknown. This is all so HUGE and I know she has her moments of feeling scared and vulnerable. This is where you come in. If you are also jazzed and inspired by her story, could you go to her blog and send her some words of encouragement, wisdom and support? I know it would be a pleasant surprise and much appreciated on her journey. Thank you all...