Around the World In 7 Days *Updated

 The Girl awoke feeling a world better than yesterday.  She's down to a good cough at night as far as I can tell.  But she had a great 15 minutes at school handing out the valentines and getting scads in return.  She's found that middle school's valentine giveaway isn't as fun as elementary... but she still received candy, so it was worth the non-hoopla to her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I take back everything I ranted about The Boy's friend.  Well, no... I don't take it back, but I would gladly go through hours of having him around the house if it meant that my kids would avoid the agonizing pain that the friend's brother, G, is enduring.  Remember that I mentioned that G broke his leg?  He broke it really well - both bones in the bottom of his leg.  I took some dinner over to their house yesterday, just in time to see them arrive home from a doctor's appointment.  G screamed in hellacious pain the entire time he moved back into the house, tears running down his eyes; he kept screaming, "Mommy!!!" every few seconds too.  The boy is 13.  I felt so sorry for his mother.  She looked frazzled, anxious and very tired.

Please lift them up to the Lord, would you?  I haven't asked outright yet, but I don't think they have insurance.  They're not Christians, so they don't have a church family to fall back on at this time.  And we haven't sold our house yet, so we don't have much to offer other than support and small increments of help.  They just need God's hand of provision on them for so many reasons...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A friend of mine sent me this email.  She doesn't read my blog (that I know of), so I think the reception of it came in God's timing.  I thought I would share it with you as well.  It goes to further encourage me to scale back and to re-prioritize what I think is important to what God wants me to be concerned about.  (Poor sentence, but you know what I mean.)

But you know what?  I'm not writing about a Christian only activity.  No matter your belief in God (or lack of one), this work is for everyone.  Every age, every race, every sex, everyone.

Please, today, find some way that you can do good to others, for others, with others.  Make it a commitment in your heart.  There's so many ways to help:

• Making a monthly meal for the Ronald McDonald house (This is actually fun to do with another family or two!)
  
• Buy food specifically for a food pantry monthly.
• Give that extra dollar on your electricity bill that will be used for the financially strapped.
• Give a donation to Salvation Army.
• Work with a shelter.
• Rock babies who are born addicted.
• Adopt a child.  Go one step further: adopt an older child.
• Visit the lonely in a nursing home.
• Give blood.
• Give a kidney.
• Work on a Habitat for Humanity help.  (Hey, if I can be of use there, then you can too!  Trust me on this one.)
• Learn a new language to talk to someone.  (I'm signing.)
• Sponsor a child.

What I'm trying to say as sweetly as possible is this:  Don't just sit there.  Get up and DO SOMETHING!  We all have something to give: money, time, talent, love.  It doesn't matter how small the gift.  All that matters is that you're giving.

Thus ends the soapbox.  Below is the email to which I was referring.  I hope it hits a homer in you too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

An poignant demonstration of what is eaten in one week by various families around the world...

Germany: The Melander family of Bargteheide
Food expenditure for one week: 375.39 Euros or $500.07

United States: The Revis family of North Carolina (Sure hope most American families eat more fresh fruits and vegetables and less junk food than this family.)
Food expenditure for one week $341.98

Italy: The Manzo family of Sicily
Food expenditure for one week: 214.36 Euros or $260.11

Mexico: The Casales family of Cuernavaca
Food expenditure for one week: 1,862.78 Mex ican Pesos or $189.09

Poland: The Sobczynscy family of Konstancin-Jeziorna
Food expenditure for one week: 582.48 Zlotys or $151.27

Egypt: The Ahmed family of Cairo
Food expenditure for one week: 387.85 Egyptian Pounds or $68.53

Ecuador: The Ayme family of Tingo
Food expenditure for one week: $31.55

Bhutan: The Namgay family of Shingkhey Village
Food expenditure for one week: 224.93 ngultrum or $5.03

Chad: The Aboubakar family of Breidjing Camp

Food expenditure for one week: 685 CFA Francs or $1.23

Suddenly, my lack of Thin Mints seem ever so trivial in the midst of these findings.  How I really wish that I could send my pantry contents to the last few...

Updated to add:  Beck sent me the photo link for all these photos and more.  Go check it out.  Very thought provoking again...