Note: All photos courtesy of The Trost Family.
Some years ago, Mister and I attended a high school reunion. An odd statistic was bandied about during the evening: the majority of our graduating class still lived within 50 miles of our old alma mater. To this day, we don’t know if that stat was true or not, but we’ve cited it often. And I think of folks who stick close to home when I hear how few Americans hold passports: only about 36%.
Mister and I have had passports for decades and we use the little buggers, too. Not as often as we’d like, mind you, but we do love seeing the world. And every single time I find myself in another country, I think about someone or another I know here in the States, and how much I believe that person would enjoy traveling.
Which brings me back to the folks I knew in high school. A few of them don’t travel – period. (I don’t judge that.) But a few do. And when I hear about an old friend’s travels and how they’re exposing their children to the world, well, it makes me smile. And that’s just what happened when my pal Susan hipped me to the trips her husband Brian has taken with a couple of their kids.
My friend’s family volunteers with Northwest Haiti Christian Mission (NWHCM). NWHCM has been around for about 35 years, and yes, it’s a Christian organization. Specifically, my friends are involved with The iTeam, which provides eye health care to Haitians dealing with issues such as cataract surgery, eyeglass prescriptions and everything else imaginable.
The good folks who volunteer with this group are giving the gift of sight to many in need. I know I take my vision for granted sometimes, even as my aged eyes begin to tire. Thinking about others with no medical help on this front is astounding.
As I understand it, Brian has taken his high school-aged sons along for these volunteer trips for a couple of years now. And based on the photos Susan shared with me, I’d have to say these kids are seeing a lot of hard life while traveling abroad.
But they’re seeing a lot of good life, too. And that’s why I smile when I think about my friend’s family. For me, it’s important to remember that the more different we are around this globe, the more similar we are.
We all want the same basic things. Health. Home. Food. Shelter. Love. A little fun now and then. I know the benefits of volunteering one’s time and energy, and just how fulfilling that can be.
So I also smile to think of Susan’s and Brian’s kids as they learn this valuable truth. And I hope it stays with them throughout their lives.
The world is a mighty big place, friends. It’s also incredibly small. Traveling and seeing our shared humanness is a beautiful thing. In this case, I didn’t even have to leave my living room to be reminded of that. All I had to do was enjoy my friend’s generous adventure and beautiful photographs – all from the comfort of home.
