This is a hard season

Here's where I'm drawing some hope these days.

In the summers of 2000 and 2001, I had the incredible opportunity to travel to Bosnia as part of an organization introducing art therapy techniques to teachers for use in their classrooms. The Dayton Peace Accords had been signed just five years prior. Before the war in Bosnia - one of several wars in Yugoslavia at the end of the 20th century - ethnic groups that had long lived together relatively harmoniously became bitter enemies thanks to the machinations of political leaders. The grief over lost loved ones and a former way of life was understandably still fresh, and the mistrust of neighbor was palpable.

When our team landed in Sarajevo that first summer, I really began to question my choices.