Gratitude Can Help Us See Jesus

I displayed a copy of Henri Nouwen’s journal Gracias! at home during the month of November, a season of Thanksgiving in the U.S. I was just about to put it back in its place on the bookshelf, when, while casually thumbing through its pages, my eyes landed on his entry for October 31st.

Millicent Opundo discovered she was HIV/AIDS positive when she fell ill after the death of her husband in 2011. HIV/AIDS was at its peak in 2011, with many people in the Kenya and the community of Rabour losing loved ones to the disease, and antiretroviral medication expensive beyond reach. 

Michael had noticed that some of his fellow NELA students did not have gloves or hats on at recess. It was going to be cold soon, and he worried about other kids not being warm.