Day 72

Today, my thankfulness runs on complete opposites of the spectrum. While Donovan was in school this morning, I started knitting a blanket for my sister's baby girl due in July. I also started reading the book, Half the Sky. It is a book about human trafficking, the sex slave industry, and inequality and discrimination against women. I have only made it through the first two chapters and already it is heartbreaking. It is jarring to think about the two extremes of making a blanket for a baby girl who is already loved and cherished before she is even born, and reading about girls who have their virginity auctioned off to the highest bidder. (Which is usually not much.)
I am dismayed and shocked of how horrible life can be for millions of girls out there, especially when I think of my own precious baby girl. I could not imagine my daughter working in a brothel at the age of 12, or being beaten and drugged so men can force themselves on her. It is amazed at how much we take for granted in this country. It is so easy to turn a blind eye when it is not happening right in front of us. It is overwhelming and yet, when I think of my baby girl and the opportunities she will have it breaks my heart to think of all the other girls who will not live to see adulthood because they are not deemed worthy of a decent life.
I am so grateful for my precious children and that we live in a country that sees them as equals. We may not have much, but I am not put in a position of having to sell one of my children for food or medicine. They may not be safe from all evil here, but selling our daughters is not commonplace - as it is in many other parts of the world.
I thank God that I am able to set my children up for success in life and that I know that my little girl can grow up to be whatever her heart desires. I pray that I can instill a sense of empathy and caring in my children. I hope that they have a heart for helping others, and that no matter what they choose to do they will always do their best to make this world a better place. I hope that I can look back on my life and say that I was able to make a difference too.
Every woman was at one time someone's baby girl. They all deserve the chance to strive for greatness. They all deserve to be loved and cherished. As I continue to work on the baby blanket for my new niece, I hope she will someday know that it was made with love. In the big scheme of life, a baby blanket may not come out to mean much - but it is so much more than many other baby girls get. And yet every baby girl deserves so much more.
Lord, help me to continue to be grateful for all the blessings I have. Sometimes it is difficult to focus on the good, but I have so much more than so many other people in this world. Thank you for blessing me and help me to be a blessing for someone else.