“Pito ou led, men ou vivan.”
Translation: “Better you’re ugly, but living. Meaning, count your blessings.”
I had to laugh when I read this proverb. It is harsh but full of truth. Sometimes in life we can feel weighed down by lost dreams, dashed plans, difficult circumstances, and any number of negative aspects of life. There are so many days here at the center when kids get sick, projects remain unfinished, things get lost or stolen, reality takes hold of ideas revealing their destiny to never come to life. One truth that I keep in mind is “The kids are happy.” Despite all the obstacles that come with life in Haiti, the kids are happy and in overall good health. They laugh. They play. They are receiving an education. They are well fed.
Even though life might seem to get ugly here, there is still life. Even though that plumbing and tiling project is still waiting in the wings, our children are lucky to have indoor toilets as many people in the countryside don’t. Even though purchasing a water truck is ridiculously overpriced at least our kids don’t have to make multiple trips down to the river and back like most children do daily. Even though half of our kids currently have runny noses and coughs, at least they have access to medicine that other sick children may not. Just a minute of reflection reminds me how blessed our 18 children really are.
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