By Hal Eisenberg

February 13, 2014

As I sit at my kitchen table and glance at the 6 to 10 inches of snow falling outside my window, it is hard to believe in just 24 hours we will finally (and hopefully) be touching down in Haiti for our Love in Action adventure. I wish I could say that is when the whirlwind will begin, but, as I am sure most of my readers who know me so well will attest, there have already witnessed the intensity we have put into this venture. The last 6 months have been surreal and I have learned so much about leadership (though I have so much success already under my belt), and I have learned about the character of other people, the love that people will bestow onto you if they truly believe in you, and the difficulty behind multitasking and balancing it all. Tears, laughter, fights, inspiration, long hours, running non-stop, ruffling feathers, losing contracts, intense emotions from the unexpected, adjusting schedules, disappointments, balancing programs, financial and fundraising struggles, and the list goes on. It was tough, and there were many days that I wondered to myself, is it all worth it? And the answer is – when I see the first kid smile – when the final coat of paint finishes the door of a spiritual institution – when we shake hands with important dignitaries – when we take the success and empowerment we have here at Windows of Opportunity in New York (which we will continue to brand here and spread it locally, nationally, and globally) and spread its message… the answer is a resounding yes! I never know what these trips are going to bring – and I cannot describe how my soul works – but I never gave up on this because something is pulling me there. I don’t know if it is going to be one kid, a single moment, a program, a church, or something at a school, but I know my soul is saying you must go – your life is going to change.

So much has happened in the past year personally and professionally – and every moment – good and bad – has been a true blessing. 24 hours to go and my cell phone is blowing up with well wishes from all and I thank each of you from the bottom of my heart. Your support means more to me than you can imagine. At the moment I am writing this I am speaking to Queen Rose, aka Roswitha, who I did a music video with a few years back called Building Bridges – about bridging the cultural gaps between races and cultures, and promoting love and values. We decided to include her song in the fashion show tomorrow night at Our Lady of Perpetual Help so that we may reinforce this message of why we came to Haiti, all we went through to get here, and to begin building that bridge between all of our souls. We are all one, and it is something I believe in deeply. To my direct team that is physically joining me nobody knows each of your individual struggles and stories to get here. I thank you for overcoming, balancing, and joining me for this chapter of my journey. I feel blessed to be part of this chapter of your journey as well. For those of you who could not make it and have my back just the same and accomplished what you did to make sure this trip happened, you are there with me in spirit in every moment and every experience, which I will surely bring back and share with you. Now, I have to go play tetris with my luggage and the gifts we are bringing to the youth there, and then bundle up and go shovel this snow.

God’s speed, Hal