AIDS

I bought a book written by a local Zambian woman to read while in the country. It's about her life in a privileged Zambian family living by the shores of Victoria Falls. Then, AIDS, which was a mystery illness at the time, took her parents, sister and brother. When she was 21 she learned that she was HIV positive and decided to turn a tradegy into something positive. It's quite a story. She now lives in Chicago. I just missed her book signing in a Lusaka book store by hours! Anyway, I've included part of her epilogue.

Warrior Princess by
Princess Kasune Zulu with Belinda Collins

"When our time on earth ends, our life should nor only be measured by how longed we lived or what we managed to accumulate, but by what we achieved in the time we lived, the differences we chose to make, be they great or small, and how we chose to respond to the least of our brothers and sisters. We must think hard about the purpose of our life and be deliberate about the legacy we choose to leave behind. Whatever passions burn in your heart, whatever promises you have made to yourself and others, do not delay another day in pursuing them in the hope that time is on your side. Time has a habit of getting away from us. Take it from someone who knows all too well that time is running out: when the years have faded and we have all gone and our grandchildren ask, "What did they do?" what do we want the answer to be! Let us stand together and be counted."