. . . you'll find Jari working with plants and flowers, traveling or relaxing at home with her 'children' - a Cocker Spaniel, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, and a Cavatzu (a cross between a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and a Shi Tzu).

She has a certificate in Floral Design, owns Lynden Greens & Floral and tends to disappear over the holidays to create floral masterpieces.

For highlights of her professional activities, check out her Linked In profile.

Africa has called to me for as long as I can remember . . .

As 4th graders at summer church camp, we once had an assignment to go out in the woods and ask for divine guidance to help determine our life’s work. I received a direct message - be a missionary. As a young child of that era, the only definition that occurred to me was that of a missionary working with indigenous tribes in Africa. And so it began . . .

When I moved to Kansas City in 1984, I was invited to become a part of the advisory board for a not-for-profit art gallery with a mutli-cultural focus. I ultimately became Board President and, over the course of several years, assisted in procuring many primarily African exhibits. Another call from Africa?

Six years ago, my husband and I bought a house, unsuspecting, as always, of the gifts and challenges it would present. We are, in fact, remodeling this house, but that is the challenge. The gift came when I researched the history of our property and discovered that our house sits on the land that was the slave quarters for a large and well-known plantation in Kansas City. Since a majority of the slaves from Africa were transported from Ghana, was this another call from Africa?

Last October, the month before I discovered (looked for???) Cross-Cultural Solutions Africa program, I had lunch with a friend of mine who had recently returned from a trip to (you guessed it) Africa. She told me that she believed that everyone ought to go to Africa at some point in their life.

My experiences in Africa were emotional and pull at my heart, even in my memory. I visited Elmina and Cape Coast (former slave forts) during one of our free weekends and broke down in tears when I heard about the conditions of those imprisoned there. Were those who lived on my property held there? I believe this to be so.I went to Klikor and was privileged to witness and photograph one of their fetish celebrations. I also met Dale Massiasta, director of the Blakhud Research Center and learned more about Ghanaian slavery.

The people I met in Ghana and Ho were so genuine, so welcoming, so radiant in spirit. My project was to interview and photograph artists of the Volta Region and I continue to be amazed that such beauty comes from such poor conditions. My African connection has continued back into the United States as I have been asked to speak at many organizations, both educational and not-for-profit, regarding my time in Africa. I have also been blessed with continued contact from other Cross-Cultural Solutions volunteers, both in pursuit of my project completion as well as in the small art import business I have established to bring in artwork from (you guessed it) Africa.

I still feel guilty when I use my garden hose to sweep the debris off my deck. How many trips to the river would one woman have to make in Ghana in order to transport the water I use to clean off my deck but one time?

Angeles Arrien, Ph.D. (a cross-cultural anthropologist and psychologist) believes that the work of the “collective” or “the group” is the call of the 21st century and where most international problem solving occurs. Dr. Arrien poses that spiritualism is the highest form of political consciousness and proposes four ways for us to get in touch with, acknowledge and practice spiritualism. They are:

Show up, or choose to be present. Being present allows us to access the human resources of power, presence and communication.

Pay attention to what has heart and meaning. Paying attention opens us up to the human resources of love, gratitude, acknowledgement and validation.

Tell the truth without blame or judgment. Nonjudgmental truthfulness maintains our authenticity and develops our inner vision and intuition.

Be open to outcome, not attached to outcome. Openness and non-attachment help us recover the human resources of wisdom and objectivity.

Our brothers and sisters in Ghana have much to teach us regarding spirit. I also have great faith in the 4th grader’s divine message.

To that end, I continue to align my mission with my life’s work. Not a day goes by since my return in February that I do not think about and/or discuss my African experiences and their impact on my life.

Last night, I received a call from my friend, Besa Amenuvor. In addition to discussing what is happening with the program and the completion of the art project with which I was involved, he asked me to write an article regarding my impressions and my experience in Ghana. How appropriate that these reflections were triggered by yet another call from Africa . . . I’m confident this won’t be the last . . .