Thursday, August 4, 2011

The Other Side of the Wall

Today we caught the local bus (van) and went to a place on the White River that we had heard about. There is a little restaurant called The Raintree cafĂ©, which is run and owned by some of the local women. It features home grown/organic food and we have been craving some familiar fruits and vegetables so we decided to try it out. It sits a stones throw from the beach and is a beautiful place to sit, eat, and relax. They are also famous for their barrel-cooked pizzas, which are cooked over a 44-gallon wood-burning drum.Their specialty is eggplant and pumpkin pizza, which we heard, was to die for. Unfortunately the fire wasn’t burning when we arrived but they were willing to start it for us if we cared to wait an hour or two. Everything takes longer than usual so we ordered the fish & chips and a large salad instead. It was perfect. We watched the young men and women along the coast catching our fish and we basked in the warm weather and cool breezes.


We were leisurely enjoying our lunch when we began to hear the sound of children playing. As we looked through the lattice wall we became caught up in the life right next door. We watched as the children hung the clothes out on the line and then a little girl carried a baby to the middle of the village. She looked no older
than seven and I watched her care for the baby for the longest
time. It was so very endearing and heartwrenching at the
same time. They were all partially dressed and barefoot so she carried the baby whom I assumed was not of walking age. She fanned her with a palm frond and then slowly began to rock her to sleep. The other children played around her and she seemed content to be charge of her ‘little one’. She would scold the little boys if they were too noisy and then sat with another little girl and chatted after the baby fell asleep. Like a little
mother. I don’t think she thought she had been robbed of her childhood she was just doing what was expected of all young girls her age.

I stood captivated by this scene. The lattice wall was the only thing that separated our worlds. I am not startled by this scene…I have seen it many times all over the world. I am just reminded of the life I have. People often ask me if I feel bad after seeing these things knowing that I have a far easier life. I always say that where I was born was God’s call, not mine. And to whom much is given, much is expected. In these moments I hope I am doing what is expected of me. I know that my life will not change the endless injustices all over the world but hopefully I can make a difference in some way. I do not know their names or even their stories but I do know them by heart.

I think of all the people who have impacted my life…some in little ways and some in big ways. Most of you reading this are those people and I am thinking of you and thanking God for you.

1 comment:

Dezerai said...

I love it! Truly life as it was meant to be lived! I'm sure if we asked for all the people whose lives had been touched by Tom & Nancy to gather in one place, the rows would reach farther than the eye could see. Thank you for being a wonderful example of what it means to fulfill what "is expected."