I'm quite sure the picture atop this sentence gives away my point today. If you came looking for the next installment of my short story, The Hunt -- never fear, I will be posting it in a few hours.
As I drove in to work today, I began to think about the world I live in and the limited resources that exist. At one point in my life, I lived in Guatemala for two years. I spent these years trying to help and lift the people of western Guatemala--specifically the people in the area surrounding Quetzaltenango and Huehuetenango. Up until that point in my life, I had never encountered true, raw, need for basic resources. While I lived there, I encountered many people living a basic, hand-to-mouth existence. A very specific family comes to mind.
When I first met Jose and his wife, Juana , I was walking along a small path in the village of Olintepeque. I was about five miles from the village center. I passed Jose and Juana on the path and said hello to them. They responded kindly and we began to talk. After several minutes of chatting, they invited me to their home. They were just heading there, they told me. I agreed to visit and we began to climb the mountainside.
You see, in these areas of Guatemala, unlike in many wealthy areas of the world, those who have plentiful resources live down in the valleys and the poor live up on the mountainside--all because of water. Every day, the poor hike down the mountainside to get their daily water from the river that runs nearby. Then they have to pack their water back up the mountainside. It is very hard work. The wealthy live down in the valley, closer to the water source, and so do not have to carry their water very far.
We climbed up the steep mountainside. As we neared the very top of the large mountain, Jose pointed to a small trail that led off the main trail. About ten steps along this trail, there were four sticks holding up one blue tarp. Under this tarp lived Jose, Juana, and their three daughters. The daughters were excited to see their parents and somewhat bemused by the arrival of this stranger (me).
We chatted for several hours and I agreed to try and help them in their needs. They had very obvious financial needs. Because they were living in such poverty, the vast amount of their time was spent gathering precious resources to keep their family alive. Jose would get up early every morning and go down the hill with his wife to gather water for the day. They carried as much as they could, but it was barely enough to provide for their basic needs--never enough to have extra for such things as washing and cleaning. Then Jose would go back down the hill and work making adobe bricks, planting or harvesting corn, or doing whatever day jobs he could find to earn enough money for the daily corn. At the end of the hard day of work, Jose would get paid then exchange this small amount of money for corn. This he would carry up the hill, often in the dark, and give to his wife Juana. She would begin making the daily tamales or tortillas. These were consumed with much joy and gratitude. The next day, they would start the whole process over again.
I'm not sure how much I was able to help Jose and Juana and their children during my stay in Olintepeque. The experience of their lives they shared with me has helped me immensely over the years.
As I think on their circumstances, I am grateful for what I have. I often worry about personal resources. Do I have enough money to provide for my children? Do I have a little extra to buy the kids a treat or a nice dress? I sometimes find myself caught up in the push to earn more and gather limited resources. In reality, compared to Jose and Juana, I am immensely wealthy. I have been blessed with food to eat, water to drink, and clothes to wear. For this I am grateful.
As I have had a bit of time over the past couple of weeks, I have reflected on my experiences in Olintepeque. I have come to realize the most precious resource of all is TIME. Instead of asking myself if I have enough, I have begun to ask myself if I am using the Time I have wisely. This question has helped me refocus my life on what really matters.
What really matters?
To me, it is family and friends.
When it comes right down to it, what matters to me is the amount of time I am able to spend with those I love.
So as this New Year begins, I have committed to make sure I am using my most precious resource, my time, wisely.
Whatever happened to Jose and Juana?
I'm not sure.
I lost track of them in the chaos of the world.
Ever since my experiences in Guatemala, I have tried to help those in need. Specifically those in Guatemala who are in need of precious resources.
One of the best ways I have found to help is through Heifer International. Through them, I am able to donate precious resources, such as farm animals, which allow the recipients to create a more abundant life.
If you have the resources to do so, I invite you to join me in donating what you can to Heifer International.
My novella, An Assassin's Tool, is available for free download right here . You can also purchase it on Amazon for just $0.99 if you prefer.
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**All pictures used are labeled for reuse. They come from Pixabay and Wikipedia.
