Real Tears of Joy

Tears streamed down his face as he slipped on the new pair of shoes he was handed. One foot in his old, torn shoe and one foot now in a new, black and shiny dress shoe. I had never seen tears of joy so real before. I looked at his old tattered shoe he was still wearing on his left foot—ripped at the edges with mud on the sides. I could tell they had been through so much. I could tell he had been through so much. How I wished I could be in his shoes instead of only being able to hand him new ones. How I wished I could fill the emptiness in his soul as he placed the soles of his feet into their new home. His home, though, he can’t call it a home anymore. He is a Syrian refugee now living in Turkey. I had the honor of teaching children like him during the summer this year. I noticed though that his tears were not filled with the woes of past misfortunes. They were filled with hope for a new journey. And he did not need more than one pair for that. I learned a lot from this boy. True blessings are not the materialistic things we adorn, but the feelings of gratitude that touch our hearts when we remember how much we have been given. Walk a mile in someone else’s shoes. Count your blessings. Clichés that become so real when you see real tears of joy.

In Nizip, Turkey Summer Camp for Syrian Refugees

Nature's Stories

Life is simple, but sometimes we tend to complicate it. Life is beautiful, but sometimes we only focus on seeing the negatives. There is peace in the world, but sometimes all people can highlight is the destruction. If we only took but a moment to reflect upon our existence and the many blessings that surround us on a daily basis, we would realize that there is more love than hatred, more opportunities than sorrows, and more light than darkness in our world. Life simply is. It follows its own course. If we stop analyzing and fretting, envying and regretting, we can begin to find beauty in the day to day moments that make up life. When you give yourself to the moment, life can reveal itself to you. Nature is the first to reveal its beauty to the eyes that seek it. Take a moment and observe nature in silence; you will realize that words are not always needed. Watch how the ant never gives up trying to hold the piece of bread double its size; watch how over time green is added to each twig and branch of a once bare and empty tree. We are fascinated by words, but nature can tell stories. How the sky goes on without end can maybe teach our hearts infinitude. Slowly, we can realize again...that life is beautiful.

In my Backyard :)