One like the other

A day out of my life... Uganda:
I look out of the window of our bus. The children have noticed us and come running towards us. Everywhere I look I see shaved heads, torn and faded uniforms, bare feet... and smiling shining faces. Smiling because of us... smiling because we came because we care... I can't do much, but I can give them a day they'll never forget. A day of laughter and fun, a day that can be a little sunshine in their memories...

Another day out of my life... the Netherlands:
I ring the doorbell and patiently wait a few minutes. When the door slowly slides open I look into a weary, wrinkled face. Her eyes reveal a lifetime of worries, and lately days filled with pain. This summer I work for a homehealthcare company, cleaning homes. I can't do much, I can't relieve her pain. I can't take her grief... But I can lend a listening ear, a caring heart... And when I pull the door shut after a few hours of work, I leave her behind in a clean and tidy house...

Sometimes I get so discouraged. Sometimes I feel like nothing I do matters... And it's true... yet its also not true... because there are little things... bits of me that I can offer the people I meet. It's a choice to make... will this day be all about me, will I try to have as much fun and as little work as possible? Or will I try to matter, make a difference... form a little light in someone's day... It's the later that I want... I want to matter... I want people to know that I care.

Busy as ever I've found little time to sort out my thoughts and feelings. New impressions push older ones to the background... all lying there in my temporary drawer waiting to be processed...waiting to be pulled out of the drawer, looked at closely... ponder... and then to be stored in a more permanent place, close to my heart, as a precious treasure.
Wait for it...there will be much more memories to share with you...