A sobering thought

When I was ten or eleven I was constantly worried about people breaking into our house. I'm not exactly sure what produced these concerns other than my own imagination and few too many nights sneaking downstairs to watch late night t.v. with my parents. We lived in a safe suburban neighborhood within a good city and had never had an incident in our immediate neighborhood. Despite this, I would brush my teeth and then begin my nightly routine of walking around the house making sure every window and door was shut and locked. My mom, in particular, didn't appreciate my routine on hot stuffy summer nights. But to me, being hot was worth the peace of mind knowing we were "locked down." Eventually I outgrew my fears, but looking back I can say that knowing I could lock the windows and doors to protect my family allowed me to sleep at night.

The families we are helping in Mexico are forced to construct makeshift homes made of cardboard, pallets and any other materials they can find in the streets. Most of the families are making five dollars a day and there is little to no government or social service assistance. The family the group helped last year had their home broken into several times before our group built a sturdy structure with a door and locks. It is sobering to think about a child not having the option to help "lock down" her family. In my mind I felt safe and secure behind the locked doors of my house, and now I have the opportunity to give two families that same sense of security.