Power.

Yesterday...

Everett: "Mom, why can't you call the electwishun?"

Middle of the night last night...

Samuel: "Mom, the power came back on, can you turn on my air conditioner?"

About a half hour ago....

Samuel: "Mom? Is the power being mean to us?"

Now, I know this might sound like I'm going to take a negative tone...but I'm not. Despite the annoyance of the inconveniences of living here, at the end of the day, I am so glad the my children however young they may be, have had the opportunity to live under circumstances in which we don't take things like power and water and food for granted.

The other day we were leaving a restaurant and the same little girls who always stand out front were waiting. They are no more than 7 years old, dirty, barefoot, dressed in rags and holding out their hands for money. (As a side note if we were to give them money they would be forced to give it to whoever is forcing them to stand out there so we give them food.) Samuel simply looked at them and said, "Mom, the hungry girls are here do we have any food?" So I handed him a rice krispie treat from my purse to hand to them. He walked down the stairs onto this crazy busy street in the heart of Bangalore and walked right up to these children looked them in the eye, smiled and handed them the treat. They ran off and sat on the curb and shared the treat, and as we drove off Samuel stared at them out the car window.

I am proud of my son that he can walk into that swarm of people and come face to face with what is really the dark side of this city and smile. I am humbled that God in His grace and mercy has allowed my sons to see, experience, learn, extend and, I pray in some small way, accept that grace and mercy.