Canadian Geese at Mill Lake

Do you know that great feeling of getting a new computer, and you can set it up any way you like when you do a clean install of all your programs so they fly? These babies started with a clean slate. By the time they are born, they already know many things, but they still need to work hard to understand what kind of world they landed in.

Imagine a baby who, whenever they look up, has an encouraging parent or relative trying to connect with them and meet their needs. Now imagine another baby, born on the same day in a marginalized community to a single, working mom who has a few siblings from different dads who are each working on their own issues. I think of this all the time. Who would I be, or who would you be, if we had been born into a home in our neighborhood in Marabá?

This photo is from a couple of years ago of a friend I met in jail. He claimed he was falsely accused of a violent crime because he had a similar motorbike and resembled the real culprit. He was arrested just a few blocks from the crime scene and had to wait in jail for seven months for his case to go to court. After his release, we visited his home several times and met his father, who raised him. He lived in a violent town about an hour from Marabá. Many inmates were young men from that town, and Deanna and I sometimes drove around looking up and visiting their families.

Merry Christmas, and we wish you the best week so far!