Tanzania

That was pretty shallow. I realize that last nonsensical post was totally shallow, and completely pointless. Whatever.

If you know me, you know I am not a shallow person. If you know me WELL (yikes) you know what my weaknesses are, and that I have many (let's not list them here, thanks) but being shallow is not one of them. I think that is why it is funny when I pretend to obsess about the use of a room in my way-too-big house. This is a First World "problem" and frankly not even a problem at all. I know that, you know that, that is why it is funny to be silly about it. I had some heavier stuff weighing on my mind at the time and needed some comic relief, that is all. Also, I find my jokes uproariously funny, and I needed a laugh.
So, this is hopefully a little less shallow subject matter.

 I think we, as Americans, generally have it better than our neighbors in less-developed parts of the world. That point is hard to argue with. We have access to clean water, and even if you are the poorest of the poor, you CAN get healthcare to save your life. Let's put aside the discussion of healthcare in this country, that is a separate issue, but whatever you think of that, this is a FACT: if you show up at any ER in the country, they are obligated to treat you and stabilize you regardless of ability to pay. This is better than under-developed nations who have literally NO healthcare where people die of illnesses that are easily curable.

That being said, there is a song that I find very comforting and which really speaks to me. It is called Tanzania by Alli Rogers. I'll copy/paste the lyrics below so you can read them (edit-copy/paste hates me on my iPad, just gonna put the link below) but I want to talk about two parts of the message of this song. The song explains the beginning of the day for a mother in Tanzania, living in a dirt-floor shack, sending her son to school without shoes, and the thoughts in her head. Then it switches the scene to an average mother in middle-class America, sending her daughter off to school to contend with "mean girls." Both of these women have similar thoughts: Someday I will wake in a world where the challenges of my life will be a distant memory.

I have a point (this time)...

It's hard to be a mother (or father) and it's hard to be a woman (or man) EVERYWHERE. Sometimes, I think, we get too caught up in comparisons. I often don't give myself the freedom to experience the pains in my life because I have the thought running through my head "other people have it so much worse than me." While this might be true: my struggles are not comparable to anyone else's, and if it WERE a contest I would probably lose (as would you, seeing as you are reading a blog on a computer in a comfortable home). However, I have experienced some pretty darn tough stuff, I have suffered unimaginable loss and had days that I thought would never end. Just like the woman in Tanzania. We have that in common. It is not productive, or reasonable to compare. What is productive and reasonable is to show compassion to all people, in Tanzania, Chattanooga, or in your own skin, recognizing that we are all in this together and we all are ultimately seeking the same thing: a day when whatever suffering we are living or witnessing will END forever. That, my friends, is the promise of heaven, which is what I cling to when times get a bit - shall we say - "hairy"

In the darkest times of my life, I do two things: meditate on scripture (usually Psalm 23) and listen to songs like this that give me hope in a future that is better than today. And, my friends, the future IS better than today. You can bet on it.
http://www.lyricsmania.com/tanzania_lyrics_alli_rogers.html