I tried to look back over my “notes” (I think you call it a blog), and figure out when Sara first started saving money to build “houses for Haiti”.  She has long outgrown her belief that Haiti is a little girl whose home got knocked down by the shaking earth.  But she never outgrew her wish to help Haiti, whomever on the island that may involve.  January 2010.  I found the jar began in 2010.  And this week, Sara’s dream came true.  We heard through the Executive Director of Catholic Charities about a mission trip to Haiti, and Sara, with an air of excitement I can only describe as breathtaking, handed over $40, painstakingly saved for over 3 years.

Kelly was offered the chance for her jar to go to Haiti, but in no uncertain terms, she informed me she gives locally. “Do they have a sign Momma? I only give to people with a sign.” You’ve got to give Kelly this much: the girl knows her mind.

And I got to thinking about what gives a kid at the ripe age of 7 the power to wait?  It’s a mighty skill, proven in research time and time again as a cornerstone to success.  Sara saved her homework points for months to get an iPod, and even longer to earn a Furby.  We tried to make the point requirement so high, she’d give up. Seriously guys, a Furby.  Ugh. But you cannot out-wait Sara.  Her infancy should have taught us this lesson (the nannies who tried to Ferberize her are LAUGHING out loud right now; we all gave up within a week due to a mutual understanding that Sara was winning). I couldn’t help but wonder if it takes a child 18 full months to figure out that 2+2=4, another 18 months to get her body to acknowledge it has 2 sides, a year of daily therapy to get her eyes to work together…you gotta think: this kid knows that big stuff takes time. Maybe her challenges came with just a few gifts which peek their heads up from time to time.  And maybe more often than I’m realizing.

There was a day, and I can’t recall exactly when, but I stopped worrying so much over Sara’s future.  Life stopped looking so straight-line-y to me.  Sara finally got a foothold in this thing we call learning, and she brought with it a veritable warehouse of gumption and sheer will. But maybe more importantly, Sara brought with it the ability to simply wait.  To know that anything really worth having is worth waiting for.  I, quite frankly, do not have this skill.  I am amazed by those who do.

I’m very proud of my precious girl who sent a small handful of bills and hopes to Haiti. I send my prayers as well.  Won’t you take a moment, and send up a prayer today, along with ours, for the children of Haiti?  I do hope someone will let them know that not everyone has forgotten them, especially not Sara.  In fact, she earned a quarter just yesterday, opened up her little jar, and said, “Momma, time to start over.  Quarter #1.  Here we go…”