Pebbles

With Thanksgiving just a couple days a way the people and things that we are thankful for has become a regular conversation piece in our home. Yesterday I heard my friend's husband talking about his trip to Kenya and Ethiopia he made this Fall. He told us about this very, very ill looking woman that he met and next to her was her little baby (perhaps around the age A is). The mother was so sickly she could not properly care for her child. As he watched the baby, he saw him trying to eat the pebbles that lay beside him because he had no food in his tummy. At first, they thought this lady had some type of sickness and were trying to figure out a way to get her medical attention. In the meantime, they supplied her with clean drinking water and food. The next day they saw this woman and the baby again. They were both healthy and vibrant. The woman was not sick the day before but was literally starving to death. All she needed was clean water and some food to save her life. I'm not repeating this story as a downer but to rejoice that this woman and her son now have food and so do we!

As I sat eating my lunch with A today it made me stop and think how amazingly blessed we are to never have to worry when our next meal will be or if we will have clean water. When A was 3 1/2 months old we discovered that not only is she allergic to dairy but also to soy making me have to cut out a large amount of the food I used to eat and limit eating out quite a bit in order for me to continue to nurse her. It has been easy for me to feel sorry for myself when everyone around me is eating my favorite foods and desserts, but hearing that story really put things in perspective. Even though I may not get to eat what I want, I can eat anytime I want and as much as I want. I have clean water at my disposal. I have the ability and joy to nourish my baby girl. There are many things to be thankful for this year but today I am especially thankful for food and water.

..."O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever." Psalm 30:12