It all began and ends with an airplane.

Three months ago I bordered an airplane not knowing what the future would bring, not knowing the great adventure that lay before me. Over the last several months I have learned more about my self and what I want my life to look like than I have ever before. Seven little girls have altered my life, and not just my life but also the life of my future family. Here are several things I have learned since I have been here.

My parents actually taught the first thing as I was just coming out and that was allowing myself self to be bigger than what I thought I was capable of. There are so many opportunities we let pass bye in life, so many dreams that we let slip away because of our self-conscious limits we place over our self. Every one has the potential to make an over whelming difference in the world but it takes vision and sincere determination. It is more than just wanting to do something it is making something happen. At the beginning we had no idea how we were going to get children to bring into the Home For Peace, but we committed and acted. Finding kids was not easy in fact it was one of the hardest things I have done but we knew what our goal was and we wouldn’t stop tell we reached it.

The next thing I learned was the importance of patience. I spent many days worrying and stressing over things that I had no control over. Some days it seemed that the sun would never shine again and nothing was going right. The thing about dream chasing or life changing is, all you can do is your best. At the end of the day I knew that I was doing my best. If I was patience and trusted that everything would work out and it didn’t, it was ok I just needed to re-create and plan. I have heard it said, “It is better to set a goal to high and miss it, then to set a goal to low and hit it.” It always seems to me that nothing came out just the way I pictured it would be but it all worked out for the best. This is something I am still trying to learn but I think it is something worth learning.

The last thing that I will write about is the power of love, to some that may sound cheesy or at least I always did to me. We were able to share our love and create a bond with these girls that was stronger than anything I have ever felt. Love if used honestly can be one of the most powerful tools in achieving your goals and empowering people to change. You can get people to move and change by threatening or promising rewards but if you want to create something bigger than your self that has a lasting effect, love must be involved. Always remember that a sincere hug goes a long way when some one is having a bad day. I remember a day when I was struggling and one of the girls could tell. She came and just gave me a big old bear hug. She didn’t know what my problems were, she just new that I needed help and so she gave me all she could. That action changed my attitude, my day, and my life forever.

I am so grateful that I have had this opportunity to have this amazing adventure. This will be my last blog regarding The Home For Peace. We are picking 24 high school students up at the Delhi airport tomorrow to bring them to Kolkata and west Bengal to work with children for 2 weeks in rural day boarding schools. They will continue to add to this blog along with Reshma Desai, who took our place at the Home for Peace. I hope you continue to follow and contribute to this great work.

I have given my farewell hugs to my girls. I hope they realize is how much I love them. In a few days I will board a plane for home after three months, not knowing what the future will bring. However, I do know because of this experience and seven little girls my life has changes and I have taken new courage to face the unknown.

Thank you for your support,
James Baird