see the big picture

Today in Kenya, a little girl just like my Rachel is walking down the street alone looking through trash bins hoping to find something to eat. A young mother just like me is choosing to abandon her baby because it has a better chance to live without her than it ever would in her care. Today in Sierra Leone a small boy like my Isaiah is suffering with the memories of brutality and war that even a grown man should not have to face. I just saw a clip of an interview somewhere in Rwanda. The journalist asked a group of people how many of them had a full meal that day. Not one person could raise their hand. Then he asked who among them had lost someone to AIDS. Every hand went up. Why does God allow it?

Rachel was given a project for the first week of school in order for the class to get to know each other. Each student was told to bring in 5 objects that describe themselves. This is what she chose:
1. Her talking calculator, because it has her insulin ratios on the back and she wants to show off how she can do algebra.
2. An apple, because she loves healthy food and cooking.
3. The bright red lipstick I gave her to play with because she loves make-up and fashion. (Quite the opposite of her mother)
4. Her Brainquest cards to show that she loves learning.
5. Her bible because she loves God and going to church. She even bookmarked last week’s bible verse to read to the class. (not sure that’s allowed)
I am so proud of her! It’s not hard to be Supermom with a kid like her.

I think it’s a Virgo trait that I focus so intently on details I tend to lose sight of the big picture. This is true in so many areas of my life. It especially applies to my kids. I have to remind myself that 20 years from now, nobody will remember whether the house was clean last night, but they will remember that I stopped everything to read a book or play a game with them.