I Shall Persevere

This weeks readings were And the Earth Did not Devour Him and Cajas De Carton. These two readings made me feel a slew of things, among them, gratefulness and sorrow. As I read And the Earth Did not Devour Him I couldn't help but try to relate this to my life. Every day I complain about money, driving in Kalamazoo traffic, not having enough free time and having to eat sandwiches for lunch every day, while this kid doesn't start complaining or getting angry about the back-breaking work he has to do every day for twelve hours a day until his family starts to get sick and die. It makes me supremely grateful to have the life I have. I get to better myself and receive a fantastic education while only having to endure very minimal hardships. 

As for Cajas De Carton, I thought it was really interesting how this sixth grade boy was already working in the fields with his family and how he had to hide from the school bus in order to not get in trouble for not going to school. At the end, the little boy had started school and had made friends with his teacher Mr. Lema, who was teaching him English. Mr. Lema decided he would teach the boy to play the trumpet and the boy was beyond excited as he rushed home to tell his family the great news. This news was quickly diminished as he saw the same cardboard boxes that he had seen earlier in his life, signalling that he was moving yet again. This really crushed me, emotionally, because I have been in the situation where moving may be your only option, leaving everything behind and starting anew. Thankfully, I didn't have to endure the pain that this young boy did. Overall, these readings left me grateful and ready to take on this week, because my week isn't nearly as bad as theirs was.