I have recently been thinking about historical figures like Paul Revere & Dr. Martin Luter King, Jr. who never had access to cell phones, texting, or tweeting, but their messages reached multitudes! And they made such a significant impact on our history that we still talk about them today. It makes me stop to imagine what WE can do WITH all these tools. It makes me stop to think that we really don't have any excuses when others who preceded us got things done with much less.

This morninng I listened to a TED talk that was entitled "The Danger of a Single Story". The speaker talks about how we risk having a limited understanding of a people or culture if we are reliant only on single stories which describe them.

Two quotes that the speaker shared stood out to me:
1) "The problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue but they are incomplete; they make one story become the only story."  (13:19)
2) "The consequence of the single story is this: it robs people of diginity; it makes our recognition of our equal humanitiy difficult. It recognizes how we are different rather than how we are similar (13:59)"

Our exchange student has been with us for about two weeks now, and so I paused today to ask him what his favorite activity has been so far during his stay in America.  His school program has been full, taking him to amusement parks, popular cities like Santa Monica, and beautiful local beaches. I, too, felt  like I should be sure to schedule special activities or dinners to expose him to American culture and to maximize his time here. But what shocked and humbled me was Gonzalo's response when I asked, "What has been your favorite activity so far?" Gonzalo answered, "Spending time with my family." Too often in life we, including me, get caught up in big things and we lose sight of the fact that it's the small things, like making pancakes and waffles together for breakfast, that create the unforgettable moments in our lives.  Thank you, Gonzalo, for reminding me of this.