Episode 58 - Grief, Joy, and Clean Water: A Field Note From Tanzania

In this field-recorded episode, Lisa broadcasts live from rural Tanzania during a work trip with her day job with a water nonprofit. Visiting communities at different stages of clean water access, she finds an unexpected throughline: grief, love, and motherhood look remarkably similar across cultures and continents — and joy and grief can coexist in the very same moment.What You'll Hear:How clean water access transforms the lives of women and children in rural TanzaniaConversations with Tanzanian women about losing spouses and parents, and how community carries them throughCultural and religious perspectives on death, mourning, and the afterlife — including a 40-day Muslim mourning traditionA home visit, shared meal, and the simple beauty of communal cooking and connectionA surprise women's drumming circle that becomes an unexpected, full-circle connection to Lisa's late motherReflections on being away from her breastfeeding 17-month-old son while doing meaningful work in the fieldWhy "joy is the other side of grief" — and how both can live in the same momentWhat is one happy memory with your mom that you could write down or share with someone this week?Mentioned in This Episode:Lisa's day job in water access advocacy with a global water nonprofitThe Sandwich Generation experience of caregiving while grievingCross-cultural grief traditions (Christian and Muslim practices in Tanzania)Send us Fan MailThanks for tuning in, your time is valuable and we are so grateful for you! Please share this episode with a friend or someone who could use a hug. You are not alone.Subscribe to the podcast and we'll see you next week! Special thanks to:Podcast Editor Jacqueline van Bierk of Pink Star MusicPodcast Music Good_B_Music