What are you thankful for........

Just a few days ago we celebrated Christmas. One of the largest holidays celebrated around the world. It is a time of family, friends, food and fellowship. We sit around a glowing and beautifully decorated Christmas tree most likely with an abundance of perfectly wrapped presents. Not all are so fortunate to have this as their Christmas Eve or Christmas day painted portrait. In fact we have two children here in the home with a completely different painted picture of their live.

First, we have Kathya a ten year old little girl. She is one of five children. She has been with us for almost 18 months. Here is Honduras it is the time of year when most people have off work for a longer period of time. So, each year this is the time where the children can go and spend 4 day with their families. Kathya went home to nothing more than a closed in chicken coop. This is the place that she lived before moving here when she was so very sock and infested with lice. Her mom and her mom's boyfriend along with her two small siblings under the age of 3 also live. She went home to know pretty tree, no pretty wrapped presents, and probably not even very much food to eat. (Thankful that Karla's parents live just next door.....as this is where Kathya slept while away from our home). However, seeing the photo below of where she went on Christmas Eve should make all of us thankful for the little things that we have. Her home has no electric, no indoor plumbing, only a bed for her mom, and only an outside faucet of unsanitized water. At night the little tin house is pitch black. Her mom cooks all of their meals on the little fire right in front of the house. A few days before Kathya was to go home....we took her mom a box of food so that she could be sure to feed her family while Kathya was there.

You can see the little stand that I am looking at with the white kettle on top. that is all that her kitchen consists of. Not a table, not a fridge no microwave, no dishwasher.......nothing but a few pots and a few bricks and a kettle for coffee. So, this Christmas.....while everyone gets the most updated techno gifts, and new clothes......remember the small things and the things we take for granted....for these are all that they have and as you see that isn't much at all.