love his heart

most people in the world do not live the way we do here.
we have traveled enough to see first hand the conditions some people live in.
it's heart breaking...it's shocking...it's unforgettable...

we are so fortunate...
returning from trips i always feel so torn...thankful for what we have yet all we have just feels like too much in comparison.

we have tried to raise our kids with this awareness.
it is frustrating to hear the kids complain about food or what clothes they are going to wear.  we try to remind them of those who don't have a choice of what they are going to wear or what they are going to eat.
it's always a good reminder for myself.

most of the time i feel like the kids just don't understand, they don't get it.

there are times when they pray for our two kiddos, sandine and claudine, who we support in africa.  they pray for their safety, for them to have food or that they will have a warm bed and i think, maybe they do understand.  

sometimes they remember some of the kids they have seen first hand on our travels.

sometimes i hear them reminding each other not to complain.

this weekend we were driving and came to a stop where there was a homeless man with a little dog and  a sign asking for food.  he was very disheveled.  he was on julian's side of the car.  as we were pulling up to the light, i pointed out the man to julian and told him he probably doesn't have a home.  i saw him glance over and then he just kept staring at me.  i tried to use it as a time to remind both the kids about how fortunate we are and to be thankful.

i saw julian's chin begin to quiver and his eyes start to tear up.  uh oh.  i told him it was okay, we could pray for the man.  i saw him try to give a quick smile to stop his tears.  it didn't help.  big alligator tears came rolling down his cheeks.  i tried to hold his hand and help him talk about what he was feeling.  he felt sad for the man.  the tears didn't stop...he was sobbing.
at this point i started crying.
i love this little guys heart.
i wasn't happy to see him crying but i was happy to see how sensitive he was to this stranger.  

he couldn't explain any further about why he was crying, but i knew exactly what he was feeling.

later as andy and i talked about what happened, it made us realize that maybe they do get it...a lot more than what we realize.

i hope his heart for others never changes.

we have been trying to think of ways to help those in need here in our own community, other than just donating items.  i want to do be able to do something physically with the kids.  it will not only be good for the kids but also for myself.

i want to make just a small goal to start.
do something with the kids for others in our community once a month.

i think we can do it.