The family down the road

The sweetest family lives just down the road from our hospital. I don't know their names, but quite often, when I am out walking, I see the mom and dad standing on their front porch (about 2 feet by 4 feet) and waving to friends as they pass by.  

 They have about six children - I'm not sure which are theirs and which are just other neighborhood kids milling about.  

But they have at least six, I'm pretty sure. 

This family is poorer than most the others in this immediate area, but you'd never know it based on the friendly smiles and greetings they give to all who pass by their home each  day.  

These were some of the recipients of my cousin Kay's Christmas balls, and we also brought them some of the Smith's and my mom's Beanie Babies after we returned from our Christmas trip.  

When I think of them, and of so many other new friends we've made here in Kibogora, I often think of the verses from Psalm 139.  "For You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.  How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!  How vast is the sum of them!  Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand."  

- verses 13,14,17 & 18

How amazing is it to think that God thinks of us that much and that often?  That we are that important and special to him?  Not only did he make us each unique, but he continues to think of us all the time, and to think of us INDIVIDUALLY, not just as a mass of humanity.  

As St. Thomas Aquinas said, 

"He loves each of us as if there were only one of us."  

Each ONE.  

That is really hard to wrap my mind around, and yet I know it is true.  

He loves us.  

He loves my friends, the family beside the road. 

 They are special to him, just as every family, every person living in Kibogora is special to him, just as every student in Kerrville, TX is special and every citizen in that town is precious and special.  We are all made in His image.  And that is beautiful. 

My kids used to tease me and groan whenever I would tell them, for the umpteenth time, "You're so special.  You're like a snowflake."  They'd roll their eyes and say, "Oh no, not the snowflake speech AGAIN!"  

But it's true.  They are Sam, Ruthie, Stephen and Hannah. Each one of them is one of God's awesome and beautiful and fearfully and wonderfully made snowflakes.  They each are gifted by God to contribute to His world in unique and surprisingly different ways from one another.  

But, they are no more nor no less snowflakes than our new friends, the family by the road.  The dignity God gave each of us by making us in His image, and giving each of us our own God-written story to live out on this earth, with our own contributions to make and our own perspective to see life unfold -- it is beautiful.  And it makes me wonder, what gifts has he given each of these children in this family?  How might they bring glory to God now and in the future?  How could I perhaps help to draw out their gifts and to help them see they have much to give the world?  

It reminds me of a song I used to LOVE that my childhood favorite TV personality, Mr. Rogers, used to sing.  I'll include a link to it here.  http://pbskids.org/rogers/songLyricsYouAreSpecial.html

Enjoy today, remembering how special you are to the One who made you!  You are His snowflake!!