Why is it?

Why is it that we are so blessed with the most basic of needs, and some struggle each day to survive without? How did we become so blessed? And how is it that so many of us don't even realize how blessed we are? How is it that we settle into a habit of becoming too comfortable with our daily privileges that we don't take time out to realize the struggles that others are facing?

I am so grateful that we can wake up each morning with the gift of clean water. Take a shower. Brush our teeth. And keep our children safe from disease. I am so thankful that each day we have enough to eat and drink to keep our bodies healthy and strong. I am so thankful that each night I can tuck my children in to bed underneath a roof that provides them shelter, and a house we call a "home."

But the reality is that so many people don't have these basic things that we take for granted. So many people struggle for a drink of water that isn't going to be filled with disease, and essentially, death. So many mothers live with the burden of knowing that the water they are giving their families, and their precious children, could possibly kill them...and many times, DOES. Imagine that burden.

Imagine not having enough food to eat. Imagine living in a hut made of sticks, or mud, with nothing but a dirt floor. Imagine sharing that dirt floor with your entire family...to sleep, to eat, to relax, to live. Each and every day and night. Imagine wearing the same piece of clothing every day....whether summer or winter. Imagine shoes being a luxury. Imagine school being a luxury. Imagine....

And yet....imagine living with a hope and faith so strong that you still find a way to not only smile, but to feel that smile in your soul.

We can learn so much FROM others. We can also share so much WITH others.


Now imagine, amist all these circumstances of trial and tribulation.....imagine love. Joy. Faith. The faces of pure hope and pure light. The faces of smiles, and laughter. And song. Now you can begin to see the spirit of the Ethiopian people. Despite their circumstances, they live with a heart that radiates peace and love.

Imagine simply living in the environment in which you are at present time, and finding a way to seek joy each and every day right where you are.