Heroes

Sacrifices. Living sacrificially. Living selflessly. Do I even know what these words mean? What have I ever really had to sacrifice in my life? What have I ever gone without? I even wonder if I have ever gone part of a day without being selfish? I tend to have the attitude that I deserved things and I expect things to be a certain way. Hmm...
These are things I have been left wondering the last couple days.
Yesterday a few of us went to spend the day at a hospice/orphanage. The facility is run by 6 faithful "Sisters" who care for 29 children- 24/7/365. 27 of the children are HIV+. They have held 44 children in their arms as the took their last breaths before going to be with Jesus. Story after story they shared with me what real love is. They are living and loving selflessly!
This place was beautiful. A mediocre facility that they make a beautiful home for these children and few adults that they care for. I have never been in ANY type of environment where you could actually few the REAL joy. Not happiness. Not fleeting joy but true compassion and JOY that radiates from the Sisters faces and over flows to shine through sick children. Children that have been abandoned, rejected and forgotten- more than once. I feel these children may now know a deeper love than a lot of people ever do. These Sisters are making a heavenly difference to not only the hearts that they care for but to each person that sees there beautiful way of serving.
As we were wrapping up our day with one of the Sisters another one came and said that the children wanted to give us a blessing before we left. I thought, "Give us a blessing? Who needs the blessing here? Certainly not me!" As we sat in a dark room 5 beautiful kids whose young bodies have fought off more than I ever will, came walking in carrying a candle with an AIDS ribbon on it. With arms out stretched over us the children and Sisters asked God to bless us on our way. The tears streamed down my face. Who is blessing who here? What have I done to be blessed in this way? These small children that I hugged are stronger than I have ever been.
I walked away being the one to receive the blessing this day. I also walked away having seen real heroes. People who deserve to be in the headlines and to have movies made after them! These are lives worth modeling. More can be learned from these Sisters and children than I could ever learn in a "job". These woman are leaving a legacy. Questions plague my mind. What do people feel in my presence? What impact am I making? What kind of a legacy will I leave? What am I going to do with today????