These quiet, reflective times give me a bigger perspective than what I'm doing. My family is very important. I m fortunate to have a good, healthy family. Last night I was doing some woodworking with a friend. My wife and I are sponsors of a youth group at our church, so I'm spending several weekends in the mountains with them.
Holidays are important.
The time I've spent at EMU has also been good. It has given me time for myself, time to reflect, and time with other people from situations of conflict who have similar experiences to mine. It has helped me to get my work into perspective. In a long, protracted conflict like ours, the country is littered with people who were once active in peacebuilding, but are now angry, disillusioned, and bitter, who came to the work with a lot of enthusiasm and energy, but were unable to sustain it for the long haul. I need to make sure that doesn't happen to me.