It Does Matter

It matters to this one. I've read that statement hundreds of times (at least) over the past six months or so since finding the Reece's Rainbow website. And as I read it one more time today I think of the story of the little boy and the starfish. Usually, I am thinking about it from the boy's perspective. My heart always cheers him on as he tosses that one little starfish back out into the ocean. But today, I'm thinking about the starfish. How must he have felt to be out there out of water, away from his ocean home? I checked it out (and by checking it out - I mean I googled it.) a starfish can survive for five days out of the ocean and then it will die of dehydration.  Like the starfish lying on the sand so many of these precious children listed are living on borrowed time. They have only a little while until they are transferred to a mental institution, or until they die. That sounds so harsh. But it's true. 

One little boy in particular is weighing heavily on my heart today.  Alexander has a brain tumor and while that is heart breaking enough he has no mama to hold his hand or comfort him in his sickness. Who does he talk to when he's scared? Is this little boy going to die without knowing what it is to have a family? Take a few seconds to read his description. He is real, he likes to recite poems and sing songs, he likes to dance. Share this sweet boy's story today - maybe you will be sharing his story with his family. Maybe they have been searching for him too. Go ahead and pick up that starfish and throw it back into the ocean. It matters to this one.

AND... just as a little incentive, I will be giving away one of these beautiful necklaces to anyone who shares this on their own blog, facebook, etc. Or donate to his fund so when his family finds him they are closer to being funded to bring him home. (Click on the link and scroll down to where it says "donate".)  The donation amount is up to you. Leave me a comment so I know where you shared or that you have donated and I will enter you in the drawing. My sweet hubby's birthday is Saturday the 13th so I will be drawing then! 

When I was in college I would drive home in the summers and work with my dad on his farm. One summer in particular was busy. I would drive the truck through the alfalfa fields and pick up bales of busted hay that had been missed by the bale-wagon, freeing my dad up to do the "important stuff". Then we would work on whatever projects he had going on at the time, a broken-down bale wagon, pouring a cement floor for a friend's shop, un-sticking the pivot sprinkler, branding and vaccinating cattle... Well you get the idea . My dad is one of the hardest workers I know. He had the job of keeping the farm going, I was just a helper. And I loved it. I loved the feeling at the end of the day of having my muscles stretched beyond what I thought were their limits, I loved the feeling of the dirt sticking to my hands, and most of all I loved sitting in the quiet evening hanging out with my dad watching the sunset. I could feel his approval in that quiet, I could feel his gratitude for the help I'd provided. Even though the things I was doing were minimal - they were helpful.

At times I get overwhelmed by all the hurting in the world. Children are starving to death not daily, or even hourly, but every minute, they are abandon by parents, or hurt by adults. And that is just scratching the surface. At times I feel like giving up on the small things because, is doing something as minimal as sponsoring one child or praying for each orphan even making a difference? And then I realize, I want my life to be like those summers. I want to labor each day of my life, I want to stretch myself to beyond what I thought were my limits. When I stand before my Heavenly Father I want to know that I did my best for Him, that even though the things I did felt "small",  they were helpful.

So we are going to keep doing the small things around here. We are going to pick out orphans and learn their names and pray for them at every meal and bedtime. My kids are going to bug people past the point of insanity by telling them about yet another little one in need of a family.  And then this Christmas we are going to do something BIG!! I'm so excited and I can't wait to talk more about it, but duty calls. Laundry, dishes, help with schoolwork, bills to pay...