key

Americans have lost trillions of dollars over the past few weeks.

We are a people used to having so much. I photographed a poor Missouri family the other day; even they had televisions in every room of their ramshackle home.

This downward spiral in our economy has given me pause to consider: how much of what I have (which is a lot) could I do without? I doubt that my family is the only one that has begun having this discussion.

So many times this past week, as I have watched the stock market crash and the credit market called into question and average families lose their retirement and college savings along with hopes for that 64” plasma television or a new Wii, SUV, iPOD or iPHONE, I have thought about the children in Uganda.

Many of the children at the orphanage wear a key around their neck. The key fits into a colorful metal case that sits at the foot of their bed. Neatly packed in the case is everything that child owns.

Perhaps we Americans will begin to reconsider the excesses with which we have surrounded ourselves. It’s possible now that some of us will have no choice.

Of course, we all hope for a speedy recovery for the economy. Meanwhile, maybe we could use this time to focus on what is really and truly important in our lives... like what would be in our colorful metal case at the foot of the bed, and with whom would we share the key.