I wanted to write a post because I met a baby boy today and he really moved me and I feel I can't just forget about him. We were walking in a shopping street in Jaipur, past all the sellers trying to persuade us into their shops. It was very busy with not much room on the pavement and we had to keep dodging piles of rubbish or suspicious puddles. It wasn't the nicest area with motorbikes, cars and auto-rickshaws blaring their horns and narrowly missing us. Having a child with me, it was easy to get caught up in trying to keep her away from danger and not really thinking about the people who actually lived there.
A woman was standing off the pavement. I think she had probably been chased away from the shops by the sellers. She was gesturing to us for money and was holding a baby. It's hard to work out his age because he was obviously malnourished but probably no more than 7 months. He was half naked, I guess because she couldn't afford nappies, with a swollen tummy and was very lethargic, hanging off his morher's arm. He was the most beautiful little boy and my heart hurts thinking about what his chances are.
I gave the mother some money, probably not the right thing to do but what else? It's horrible when you know that nothing you can do right there and then will change their situation. As we left I managed to get a smile out of the mum and touched his little cheek, he looked up at me. It's hard not to make this sound really cheesy but that look will stay with me.
I feel so silly for all the tiny, insignificant things I worry about, especially about the girls. Like what they wear and whether they get all their spellings right. I am so thankful to live a life where I don't have to worry daily about their survival. We have so much.
Please God look after that little boy. I pray he grows up healthy and strong and manages to get to a position where life isn't so tough. Thank you for all the lessons Chloe is learning too.
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