The Right Attitude

Yesterday it was my turn to go on postnatal visits. The sun was, as always, shining, and there was a coolish breeze blowing. Jen, Rachel and I walked up to the main road to catch a brown jeepney to take us to our first house. We waited at the curb for a few minutes, but all of the jeepneys were full. As we were deciding on a course of action, John and Lani showed up in the Mercy in Action ambulance. They were hauling woven bamboo walls for Jen's family's new house on the land next to the new clinic. They gave us a ride to the first house. Apparently, John has a need for speed, and looking out the windshield, I felt like I was in a real live game of Mario kart. The road markings here seem to be more of a suggestion than rules than a rule, and there is no imposed speed limit in our area. At one point, I was sure we were rushing into a head-on collision with a truck coming from the opposite direction. I could see the headlines: "three midwives squished by rolled bamboo mats, in a tragic truck-ambulance accident." Needless to say, it was the best ambulance ride I'v ever had. The last house we stopped at belonged to a woman who's baby had had a fever the day before. The little girl's fever had broken, and she looked alert and happy.
When we had visited her the day before, the mother had given us some panset that her husband made. Her husband turned out to be an excellent cook, and today, when we came for the second visit, she served each of us this flakey, deep fried, banana pastry. It was delicious. This woman is so hospitable and sweet. She was extremely relieved when we told her that her baby was doing well. She had lost her previous child before the little girl was two. Josalyn, who had come for a Dulla internship commented to the mother about how strong she was, the mother replied with this: "Well, I have to be strong, my life is just starting."
This young woman has not had an easy life, but she has one of the best attitudes I have ever seen, and a thankfulness that puts my own to shame.
Yesterday, I thought a lot about what it means to be strong in hard times. It doesn't mean pretending you aren't in pain, or hardening your heart. I think to be strong, is to be able to reach through your suffering, and out to others, to be thankful for what you do have.