These are the eyes of my children at Ithemba.  I've learned that when people say eyes are the window to the soul, that it's very true.  They can speak volumes.  I've come to the conclusion that African eyes are some of the most beautiful I have ever seen, though that may be because it's the first time I've ever paid attention to them. 

    Anyway, these are the children I work with.  And from their eyes I can name them, I can describe to you their personality.  Maybe it's because I know them, but I think it has a lot to do with what their eyes say about them. 

    There's Sive on the far, top left with the wide eye.  She is a beautiful little troublemaker.  Always antsy and on the run.  On the far, middle right you have Neesha.  A loving little girl with bright eyes and a huge smile.  And on the bottom middle there is Awonke.  A little girl who never says much, but always has the biggest smile to greet you with. 

    Looking at these pictures reminds me how little attention I pay to the details. How I could stop and look into the eyes of the children I work with and realize more of how they are feeling.  How I don't just stop to take in the beauty because I'm always running around, trying to get this and that done.  God didn't create people with such beauty to just be overlooked.  He didn't create us so that we can use each other or overlook each other or just to find love in one another.  He created us to reveal His glory.  For His magnificence to be known just by looking at creation, by looking at the eyes of a child.

    Maybe this is a reminder more for myself, but remember to stop working so hard, remember to stop running from one task to the next.  Remember to sit down, to relax, and to take in the beauty of God that is all around you.  Remember the eyes of Ithemba.