Conversations

Queen Latifah was on Good Morning America this morning to talk about her new book. She said her favorite chapter was the one about her mother, a teacher. She went on to share that she has many unrelated brothers and sisters who were students of her mom, because her mom took time to notice these kids and have conversations with them.

Conversations, I will now suggest, are paramount in making a difference in people lives. I imagined these lost students of Queen's mother. Many probably had no one in their lives who cared to hear their thoughts, dreams or ideas. What is more discouraging than having no one in your life that cares to know your heart and soul?

I often have to remind myself to stop multi-tasking and look my boys in the eye to hear their new dreams about writing comic books, running a ranch, joining the Air Force, creating new recipes (like dessert pizzas). If I can't stop to listen to that stuff, why would they ever think I would stop to listen about the kids who's offering them drugs, or the pressure they are getting to have sex, or the deep depression they are facing from rejection.

Conversations reach farther than children too. There are so many adults whose hearts are ignored. Simple conversations that show you are interested in what happens in there lives can go a long, long way in healing a broken spirit.

Here's to really listening to the other broken souls of the world. You have a voice and I will listen.

Clean Up! Green Up!

April hosts Arbor Day and Earth Week. That makes for busy, busy days for the community beautification committees of this land (one of which I now work for). Hence, my lack of recent posts and the topic of today.

Our town hosted its own community-wide clean-up event on Saturday. My job was to help facilitate the command post and take pictures. After the official time was over, I went home, and rounded up my kids to hit a parkway that wasn't covered my the morning volunteers. Don't worry, it wasn't slave labor or anything, they practically begged me to go pick up trash.We discovered, just as most of the volunteers had boasted earlier, our town is really clean! We walked (and scootered) for over 45 minutes and filled less than half a trash bag. Still it was a great experience for the kids who definitely have the spirit of community care already. They regularly bring home trash they find on their daily walk home from school. I am so proud.

The next day I was struck with a memory of a my visit to Siberia, Russia a few years ago. We were in a Buryat village for a week, building a playground at a local hospital for children with Tuberculosis, and leading an English camp for many of the local, poverty stricken children. It was heart-wrenching on many levels. And the picture that returned to mind was of the empty lots... filled with trash. There was also garbage in most of the yards and up and down every street.

I don't really have a point here. It is just on my mind. I miss being in Russia and helping in that community, and I am thankful for the wonderful community I live in here.