beautiful stranger

I was at the US Embassy a couple of weeks ago. If you've ever been there, then you know you are never there for a short amount of time. There is always plenty of waiting. Sometimes it's annoying and frustrating. You've got other places to go, things to do. But, sometimes I like waiting (yeah, feel free to remind me that next time I have to go there). I love observing people. "People watching", if you will. The airport is of course one of the most interesting, entertaining places to do this. But, I'm telling you, the US Embassy in Haiti is up there on the list, too. On this most recent trip there, I often found myself staring at this one particular Haitian lady and her daughter (a casual stare, mind you. not one of the 'keep-staring-even-after-they-notice-you-are-staring' stares). This woman was absolutely beautiful. Gorgeous. You could put her on the cover of a magazine. Her daughter, probably around 8, was just as beautiful. I find myself often enthralled by the beauty of a Haitian woman. At the Embassy, everyone is dressed in their best. It might not always match. Sometimes it's see-through. It doesn't fit right. But, it's likely their only "nice" outfit. The same one they wear to church every Sunday. (I don't think it matters what you look like/dress like going to church. However, we've seemed to push our Westernized thinking on to the Haitians- you have to dress nice to go to church. Often times, a Haitian will say they can't go to church because they don't have anything good enough to wear.) They aren't necessarily dressed super fancy. But, they put on the best that they have. Do their hair up nice. Pour on the perfume/cologne. And they seem to walk a little straighter, their head held a little higher. Just the same, you wonder what their life is really like. When they take off the nice clothes, go back home... what is life like for them? Another place where I often ask this questions is at the Women's Program. On Tuesdays, women come in with their child under a year old for a Child Development class. On Thursdays, it's Pre-natals. Some of the women look tired. Is this the only place they get to sit down, rest, and not be working? Some women crack jokes. Some listen carefully, to this basic information they've never heard before. Some fall asleep. I love to see them smile. They have beautiful smiles.

It's so easy to just walk right by people. But these are people. God's beautiful creations (have over-used the word "beautiful" in this post yet?). We all have our own story. And each story matters. I thought of a song by Rebecca St. James, here a some of the lyrics: "Do you see me?
The question’s in her eyes, Do you relate to the pain I can’t disguise? Oh, look beyond what you see, The outside is not all there is....God, I hear You calling out to me, In the voices of the least of these, Calling me to reach beyond my world, To the beautiful stranger, Beautiful Stranger...". These people that we see, do we take the time to actually see them? To get to know them? Which brings me to another song, and then I'm done. It's "Take a Little Time" by Jeremy Camp. You should be able to listen to it, and the lyrics are below. (sorry, i tried w/ no success to upload just the music. had to do a youtube video instead.)

"Take A Little Time"

I picture all the things that I have seen,
All the broken hearts and tainted memories,
All I see are, all these needs.
I'm tired of my selfish tragedies.
It's time that we show,
The hope that we all know.

And, take just a little time,
To give your hand,
See the world,
And take just a little time and try to understand,
That there's more going on,
Than what these eyes can see.

I came across this torn down empty street.
How helpless that I felt,
A burning urgency,
And all I see in front of me,
Are all the faces fading from this vacant scene.
It's time that we show,
The hope that we all know.

And take just a little time,
To give your hand,
See the world,
And take just a little time and try to understand,
That there's more going on,
Than what these eyes can see.

I know it all seems complicated,
There's nothing more that could be stated,
Now, is the time to kneel,
Reaching out to what is real,
So many times I've hesitated,
How much I feel my heart is aching, now.
Ohh, now.

And take just a little time,
To give your hand.
Take just a little time,
To give your hand,
See the world,
And take just a little time and try to understand,
That there's more going on,
Than what these eyes can see.