Uganda

If you are in need of some perspective, check out the live blogging being done from Uganda by some excellent bloggers. The full list is here. If you only have time for a few, I recommend Heather, Shaun, Sophie or Randy.

This is my official plug for Compassion. The children we sponsor are pictured on our refrigerator, down low (at eye level) for my children. They stop and look at Ivan, Tewodros and Fani then initiate talk about them a few times a week. They pray for them by name and I am incredibly humbled. But, still, we do not even begin to 'get it.'

One of the things on our family's DEFINITELY DO list is a trip to Africa when the children are old enough to take it all in.

This is not a lecture (except maybe to myself). I am the essence of a consumer. I like stuff. I like to be comfortable and surrounded by pretty things. It is VERY good to be reminded (and often) how precious souls in this world live...through absolutely no fault of their own, but simply by virtue of where and to whom they were born.

Sobering, humbling, moving.

Edited to add: K helped me select a female Ugandan child today, since our other sponsored children are boys. We selected Esther because K was mesmerized by the blue beads in her hair. "She doesn't have any money to buy bows so she jus' wears dose silly beads." Then she asked me if we could send Esther some bows.