Heartfelt

Yesterday after giving the kids their allowance (a measly $1) we showed them this video:


Then asked how much they would like to give to help Haiti.

What they gave, as a couple of them chose to give all that they had been saving, was so heartfelt. We looked at pictures of volunteers helping, and some of the victims as well. My one little guy was crying. "It's so sad," he said, "what else can we do to help? My two dollars isn't going to help enough."

For dinner we had the missionaries from our church over. One is from Guatemala. The kids sat eagerly listening to his stories of swinging from vines like George of the Jungle. He told them about his home, how he had a dirt floor, no washing machine, no TV, no stove. Little E asked, "No wii?" The kids were shocked. And I was humbled. Our home is too big. My floor no longer seems dirty. The food we eat seems much too extravagant. The water I can literally let flow down the drain feels both a blessing and a curse.

And I know I need to do something. I want my children to feel that they can help make a difference for these people who are in need of so much. And so last night and today I've been making calls, organizing, brainstorming and coming up with a way that our small family and town can get involved and give. Posting about anything else right now seems trivial. Though life goes on, it has more meaning and purpose when we can help to save others' lives in the process of our own.