things that matter. . .

one early morning as i made the trek to see sonel i was thinking, about all the things that needed to be done. the "to do list" in my head seemed to grow as i continued up the hill to check on him.

that particular morning i was going early because i had taken out his catheter and was wanting to see if he had gone the bathroom through the night and i was prepared to teach his aunt or father how to straight cath him if needed. unfortunately he had pain through the night from his bladder not emptying and as i began to think about how to even show his aunt how to complete a clean straight catheterization in their dirt floor home with absolutely no running water i realized that wasn't the best idea. i replaced his foley catheter and headed on my walk home, back to thinking about the things i needed to do. . .

it was in the midst of this thought process that a little one in her bright red and blue school uniform came up beside me and grabbed my hand. it is very normal in haiti while you are walking that children will walk alongside you for a time, so this was no suprise to me. i did slow my pace, i looked around more realizing all the children as they were heading off to school, some were siblings holding hands, others friends teasing and joking with each other. i looked down and asked this little girl walking alongside me what her name was. she didn't respond and it was then i realized she was deaf. she had the most beautiful smile, a countenance of joy! i slowed my pace even more as we climbed up a hill on the way, me on my way to face a day filled with challenges and her on the way to have an opportunity to learn from the deaf school at the mission. it will be a long time before i forget the lesson i learned that morning. that it is more important what is going on along the way rather than the destination. the lives you interact with and the relationships are actually the most important part of your journey.

i wish i had a picture of the cute little one who walked alongside me that morning. i don't. but i do have many others of children in haiti who mean so much to me. children in haiti are cherished by their parents who want to be able to give them a good education, feed them, to cloth them, to meet their needs. parents there dream in the same way parents here do, they dream about their children growing up, becoming doctors, nurses, artists. i realized that morning why jesus talked about letting the little children come unto him. because they matter! they remind us to slow our lives, to see the journey for what it is, a walk with a friend for that time. i can't begin to say how grateful i am to friends who have and continue to walk through this life with me.

(the above pictures are of ceremond (one of the haitian workers whose wife is also one of our housekeepers) and their daugthers - anne and kensia. i was there five years ago when kensia was born. the other picture is john wendy - one of sonels cousins who just had a great personality!! he is straightening a nail with a rock.)