She was walking fast, and I pressed along behind her trying to keep up. Why had I never noticed how strong and graceful she was?

Up the rugged, clay path we went, ever aiming for the mountain-top! She was perfectly at ease (even with the pail of scraps perched on her head). I, on the other hand, was already breathing hard! Our reasons for going were different – but we understood each other – as women and as friends.

How had this come about? A few days before, when I had mentioned that I was trying to lose weight, I had received a spontaneous invitation. “I walk up the mountain every day to feed my animals at our old family place… Come with me! I guarantee you’ll get good exercise.” So, this was the first of many times that Ernestine and I walked up that mountain.

We started just before dawn and the sky grew light as we walked. The uphill climb was arduous but something special, that could be had in no other way, awaited us. “Come in,” she invited at the door of the mud hut. I’ll make you some tea. It will take the chill off this early morning, mountain air.

A fire was lit in a simple fireplace in the kitchen. Half of a large, hollowed-out gourd served as a pan and peppermint leaves were boiling, letting off their spicy aroma. “I’ll go out and get an egg from the chickens if you want one,” she said.

Comfort and peace abounded in this little-known place. Ernestine had given me a wonderful gift – the gift of including me in her life just as it was….