The mouth of babes

One of my friends is much younger than I am but she is so wise in her youth. I wonder if it is where she lives and the circumstance of life that brought her the wisdom she has.

I asked her what she would change if given the chance:

"You asked me "If you could change anything in your life, what would that be?". I thought many time about it! Before, I saw my friends go to school in their parents car on rainy day, I want that! I feel they are so lucky when they were born by rich parents. My parents are so normal, they are not rich. I have wished my parents were rich! But now I find that is so laughly, If my parents had a lot of money, it would be their money, not my money. This summer, I went to my homeland, it 's a pour country. The children there don't have conditions to learn, to live a full life as me. Then I feel I was very lucky for happy with my parents! So I don't want change anything in my life. Because there are sorrow, there are fun, it makes life and I want to face with everything, to make my life significance! But if I have miracle,I will bring health for my Dad, my Mom, my friends. And may be, make me be more intelligent!"

She is precious. Her response reminded me of a trip I took to Serbia several years ago. At the time I had wants like most of us do and wishes for more in my life.


I spent hours walking the streets seeing buildings that had crumbled to the ground from the war, set in between two perfect standing buildings, no one had taken time or had the funds to clean up the rubble.

I heard stories upon stories from women, my age and older, who had endured the ravages of war.

I visited refugee camps where the people there had no home and were considered no one. The self they were before war was taken from them. What point would it be to gain education when there was nowhere you could use that knowledge with the government the way it was.

The tears flowed from their eyes and I wondered where the endless stream could have come from. Most of these women had been crying and longing for years and yet the tears, the pain still was so deeply felt that at times, tears were their only words.

I went there to learn and grow. I went to let them know I cared. I was so thankful for the openness and graciousness of their hospitality. I was overwhelmed and had no response when they gave me gifts, when they told me how much it meant to them that I would leave my family to fly so far away from my home to listen to them. They felt I had given up so much and yet it was they who had given up plenty. With so much of themselves stripped away, love still remained.They had each other and they embraced my friendship.

That encounter I had taken so for granted made a huge difference in my life. I never have viewed my life and the blessings in my life quite the same way. I too saw as Phuong has, that what we feel will bring us joy and make our lives easier is not always as clear as it seems.

Be thankful for what you do have even if it takes you all day searching your surroundings or your heart for that one small thing that you can hold on to, knowing it is yours and makes you who you are, it is a blessing. Some days when I am feeling down and feel certain I could fill a ledger with my wants and wishes, I remember those ladies, their life stories and am humbled and wonder...what could I possibly want for.