Every single life

The other day I was out on our front porch and I glanced over and noticed Phoebe's tree. If you haven't been reading long enough to know who Pheobe is, you can read about her here. Go ahead, go read about her. She's beautiful. And then read about what happened to her.

Anyway, I looked over and noticed the tree we planted in her memory last year was starting to bloom. I thought to myself, "Oh, it looks kind of pretty!"

And as I started to walk a little bit closer, I began to see how many blossoms there actually were on the tree. Hundreds of them. Maybe thousands. On this small little tree. Suddenly, it became even more amazing to me.

And then I was right up by the tree. And I could see on each branch there was a few small bunches of little blossoms. From far away it just kind of looked all white. But as I walked closer, I could see each individual bunch, all clumped together. And I could begin to make out their yellow centers.

And then I was right up beside the tree. I could see the detail of each individual flower. The veins in it's petals, the delicate yellow center. Through my camera lens I could focus right up close on one individual flower. And I was in awe of how intricate it was and how perfectly it was created to withstand the weather and the Iowa climate changes. How does that happen? :)

And my mind came right back to Phoebe. And the fact that we had planted this tree for her. How everytimes we look at the tree, we talk about her. How Brigg and Nalani know her name and that she mattered not only to God, but to us. How she changed us.

See, we talk about the Earth and what we need to do to preserve it and keep it alive and well. And we stress the importance of that with them. And we truly believe in it's importance. And how we treat this earth affects people on the other side of the world.

And we talk with them about other cultures and how we need to embrace all people. And their culture and their lives. Although these groups of people are not like us, we still need to love them and respect them. And pray for them.

And most recently, we have really started to comprehend the value of an individual life. One person. With a name. And how one person can change us. The importance of entering into relationships with people. Taking care of those around us. Our neighbors right her in our little world AND our brothers and sisters across the ocean. Entering into their lives and loving them the way Jesus taught us to love. The way he exemplified love.

Because every single person matters. And we can stand back and look at something from far away and we can make cute little comments or judgements, but until we choose to draw close to something or someone, we will never get the full picture. We may have to enter into some sadness and suffering to get close enough to see the real beauty in it all, but once we get there, we will be amazed.

Every single person matters. I don't know if Phoebe knew how much she mattered. To us. To HIM. In my heart I know the difference she made in our lives. And through faith I know how much she means to God. He know the number of hairs on her head. And he loved every single thing about her.

We now sponsor 2 children. One through Children of the Nations and one through World Vision. We know people that have actually met our sponsored children. Touched them, loved them. And I have complete faith in these organizations. The past week or so I have been reading another bloggers story from India. She is on a compassion trip. Compassion also has a sponsorship program. I feel like I need to put a plug in for these organizations. If you do not sponsor a child, you should consider it. Read about Compassion and Angie's story from yesterday. You will see the difference Compassion is making in India. And follow along as she finishes up her trip. You will get a glimpse into what a difference they are making.

$32 a month. Really? To change a life. To bring hope to a child. Or a family.

It truly is simple. And you will be blessed.