I am One Person

Wednesday May 4, 2011 Blessing #362

Henslee had her 2 month check up today--she is doing fabulously!  She is longest of the 3 kids at this age--and as tall as they are now, I wonder if she will be even taller.  I hope so. I'm tall, and I remember being self conscious about it; but now I would give anything for another 2 inches!

She got a ton of vaccines this morning.  She wasn't pleased (understatement), but I am so thankful to have access to preventative care--having been in Haiti and seen children sick and dying from completely preventable illnesses, I know that vaccinations are a blessing and a major victory for science.

Tonight, I took Henslee and Katie to Snapshots--it is a series of monologues by the Advanced Acting Class at Athens Academy-and this year at the end there was a one woman show written and performed by Anne Lanier Gilbert.

Anne Lanier, a senior, is the current president of the Interact Club which I sponsor.  Last year, she was one of 6 students who accompanied me to Terrier Rouge, Haiti just 2 months after the country was ravaged by an earthquake.  She is a bright, beautiful, gifted girl--but even so, I was shocked by her response to that trip.  She came home called to action and was completely undeterred by her age or inexperience.  She set about organizing the Stop Hunger Now event on our campus, fund raising for earthquake victims, and planning this one woman show to increase awareness about poverty in Haiti.  She went  back to Haiti in December to take photos and do more research for her project, which she titled One Person.

It was just 20 minutes--she had beautiful photos and several heart felt monologues.  I sat in the back (rocking back and forth with Henslee in the Moby Wrap) and cried as she described the sweet, strong spirit of the Haitians.  She spoke of the way the children share their only meal of the day with one another--how the children are so happy with so little.  She talked about the contrast between Haitian children and American children--our children worry over the brand of blue jeans they wear and the Haitian children smile through their hunger.  At the end, she called others to service. She said, "I am Anne Lanier Gilbert, and I am just One Person. But together we can be many people working for Haiti."

What a young lady!  And what a testament to the miracle of visiting Haiti.  You go to minister, but the real magic happens inside of you.