blessed

After this, life seemed to settle down a bit. I was with a nice guy, I was working two jobs, and saving up for a deposit on a home. My boyfriend (now husband - we shall call him DH from here on), was from Tonga, and he took me home to Tonga to visit his family for a couple of weeks.

I had never been outside Australia before, and I was not prepared for the poverty and the generosity of spirit that I found in Tonga.

I took a lot of presents and clothes with me, thinking what a generous, and kind person I was.

While we were there, we went to visit DH's uncle and his family. This family was dirt-poor. They lived in a tiny tin shack with no electricity, and no running water. The two youngest little boys, were wearing their older sister's clothes, and they were torn and tattered.

Their family had happened to be nearby, when a dog was hit and killed by a car, so they took the dog home and cooked it over the hangi. I think the uncle's wife could tell I was a bit squeamish about eating dog, and before I had a chance to argue, she came out from the little shack with some coins, and sent one of the kids running to the corner shop to buy a tin of corned beef for me to eat.

I felt so ashamed and small. She reminded me of the poor widow with the two mites, and I realised that I was not generous at all - not even close.

I cried all the way home, thinking about that mother, who could have easily justified keeping the money to feed her own hungry children.

Tonga changed me.

I have never been able to see the world the same, since.

I came home, knowing that I was, indeed, blessed.

Battle-scarred and world-weary, but still.....so very blessed.