Day 13:
Yesterday we met Rosianie. We spoke of her outdoor 'shop' and her sewing space. She had been living in a one room, cinder block, tin roof home. She just recently ended her rent at that location and has hopes to build her own space elsewhere. However, in the meantime, she does not have a place to stay. (To save the money to build, she cannot expend the money to rent). So she and her two nieces are living at their church/school and cooking for the children at the school.
Here you see them and one of the young students in the entry way of the school kitchen where they prepare large portions of rice and beans for the children each day.
In the next photos, you can see Rosianie standing in two different adjoining classrooms. (Notice that these two rooms are separated only from a free standing [albeit precarious] chalkboard. There are 4 classrooms all within the same structure. The noise from one room travels directly into the next. You can imagine the ability (or lack thereof) for the children to concentrate.) Each night, she and her nieces pull out a small mat and sheet and sleep here within the classrooms, picking up their sheet and thin mat each morning long before school begins.
Today's Challenge: When you go to bed tonight, resting your head on your pillow of choice (feather, firm, squishy, spherical, body length) or when you shove the excessive unneeded pillows onto the floor to make room in your bed, take a moment to appreciate the mattress, the pillows, the sheets, the blankets. Imagine how these things contribute to aiding you in a good nights rest. Then consider how that helps you to be productive the next day. Think about your mood, your energy level, your ability to solve problems, your patience, and your overall contributions to society when you have had a poor night of sleep and wake with a crick in your neck. Now imagine that being a daily occurrence.
Although employment at PeaceCYCLE has improved the lives of our staff in many ways, most do not have a bed to sleep upon. Mattresses are extremely expensive in Haiti, and also, most do not have space in their homes adequate for mattresses for each family member. For these and many other reasons, family members sleep in many various places and positions. On the floor, in the doorways, or sharing the one flimsy mattress they may have. Or, in Rosianie's case, sleeping on the concrete floor on a thin mat, in the likeness of a yoga mat, with a sheet to lay upon.
This evening, take a deep breathe as you let your body sink into the comforts of a cozy place to sleep. Offer a prayer of thanksgiving for this blessing and vow to be just a little more patient tomorrow with anyone in your workplace or neighborhood that might have a slightly off day – maybe, just maybe, they didn't get the best night of sleep, and deserve a little slack.
Today's MEGA challenge: **Not for the faint of heart!** If you've felt less than challenged by our recent advent days, we offer you this: Sleep on the floor tonight. Sleep with no mattress, no cushion, no padding underneath. Eliminate the pillow, and just rest on the ground. As you toss and turn without some of the comforts you are accustomed to, think about the other 364 days of the year when you were blessed with them. If you awake in the morning a little stiff or slightly un-rested, consider those around the world who wake in this fashion on a daily basis.
Yesterday we met Rosianie. We spoke of her outdoor 'shop' and her sewing space. She had been living in a one room, cinder block, tin roof home. She just recently ended her rent at that location and has hopes to build her own space elsewhere. However, in the meantime, she does not have a place to stay. (To save the money to build, she cannot expend the money to rent). So she and her two nieces are living at their church/school and cooking for the children at the school.
Here you see them and one of the young students in the entry way of the school kitchen where they prepare large portions of rice and beans for the children each day.
In the next photos, you can see Rosianie standing in two different adjoining classrooms. (Notice that these two rooms are separated only from a free standing [albeit precarious] chalkboard. There are 4 classrooms all within the same structure. The noise from one room travels directly into the next. You can imagine the ability (or lack thereof) for the children to concentrate.) Each night, she and her nieces pull out a small mat and sheet and sleep here within the classrooms, picking up their sheet and thin mat each morning long before school begins.
Today's Challenge: When you go to bed tonight, resting your head on your pillow of choice (feather, firm, squishy, spherical, body length) or when you shove the excessive unneeded pillows onto the floor to make room in your bed, take a moment to appreciate the mattress, the pillows, the sheets, the blankets. Imagine how these things contribute to aiding you in a good nights rest. Then consider how that helps you to be productive the next day. Think about your mood, your energy level, your ability to solve problems, your patience, and your overall contributions to society when you have had a poor night of sleep and wake with a crick in your neck. Now imagine that being a daily occurrence.
Although employment at PeaceCYCLE has improved the lives of our staff in many ways, most do not have a bed to sleep upon. Mattresses are extremely expensive in Haiti, and also, most do not have space in their homes adequate for mattresses for each family member. For these and many other reasons, family members sleep in many various places and positions. On the floor, in the doorways, or sharing the one flimsy mattress they may have. Or, in Rosianie's case, sleeping on the concrete floor on a thin mat, in the likeness of a yoga mat, with a sheet to lay upon.
This evening, take a deep breathe as you let your body sink into the comforts of a cozy place to sleep. Offer a prayer of thanksgiving for this blessing and vow to be just a little more patient tomorrow with anyone in your workplace or neighborhood that might have a slightly off day – maybe, just maybe, they didn't get the best night of sleep, and deserve a little slack.
Today's MEGA challenge: **Not for the faint of heart!** If you've felt less than challenged by our recent advent days, we offer you this: Sleep on the floor tonight. Sleep with no mattress, no cushion, no padding underneath. Eliminate the pillow, and just rest on the ground. As you toss and turn without some of the comforts you are accustomed to, think about the other 364 days of the year when you were blessed with them. If you awake in the morning a little stiff or slightly un-rested, consider those around the world who wake in this fashion on a daily basis.
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