Concrete

Somewhere tonight I plan on finding myself back on a real mattress. We took in Coleman air mattresses to sleep on while at Robinson’s house. It turned out to be a great idea as we slept on the front porch floor because it was just too hot to sleep in the house. The concrete of the house took on heat all day and didn’t cool off very much at night. But there was one exception. The concrete floor stays fairly cool most of the time. And might you guess where the rest of the household slept? That’s right, on the concrete floor. From the first night on I was taken aback. When we arrived the first night the woman were all asleep on the front porch floor. I thought it was just a temporary thing, but alas, I was to be proven wrong. They all sleep on the floor, a blanket or two between them and the concrete. Even Enives, the pregnant mom eight months along, slept on the floor. I don’t know how they do it. I hurt for them. I had Rob keep the mattresses, and he said no problem, he would watch over them until we came the next time. This morning as I walked out and saw him and Naromie sleeping by the other front door on a blanket together, I determined to force my hand a little. I told him if they would please use the mattresses, I would really appreciate it. I told him if they wrecked them, no problem, we would bring more in.
So as you snuggle into that mattress tonight, plush or not, consider those of our CCC family in Haiti laid out on hard concrete or worse, and be thankful. I have seen street people in the United States with more than these people! We don’t often stop to consider that even the least among us have more than a lot of folks from third world countries.
Our dumps would be a gold mine for these people. I watched a man picking through burning rubble of the trash piles this morning, the thin wisps of smoke blowing past him as he sifted through the remains of nothingness hoping to find something meager to either sell, or eat, something that might get him through another day. And I wondered at our waste. May God forgive us, and fill us with new understanding. May He fully disclose to us our wants as distinguished from our needs, and cause us to be cautious about our desires for more. There is no doubt we all need to give more and get less. That in and of itself would be a great new start for our nation. And like I’ve said before, the real fix for our country lies with its people, not a new president, or a bigger government. The truth is the church can affect the world if we will. But that choice is ours. So as I often say to my children, sleep tight, knowing again you are among the blessed! Be thankful as you pull those covers up for the simple comfort of a bed. And if it trouble you about these our friends, donate for a bed! Then you may sleep even better! Blessings always.