In the next 9 months we will have some remodeling to do at our house. Sierra will move downstairs to the current workout room. It will need carpet and a closet built in. Since it was originally build on a budget and with my treadmill in mind, we just painted the cement floor and sheetrocked. (I know the number for a terrific contractor! He is really busy, but I think I can talk him into this project.) Sierra is very excited to move downstairs where the BIG kids reside. She is pumped to choose a paint color for the walls and new bedding for her bed. If her life is really perfect she will even get a new bed, something she has been wishing for.
Joshua will receive Sierra's room. I want him upstairs, right down the hall from us. I look forward to getting his room set up. I already find myself glancing at bedding in fliers and catalogs dreaming about what a room for a little boy should look like. He will be old enough to notice the thought that I will put into his special space. I want it to be a color that will soothe and welcome. I want the bedding to be fun, durable, and soft. I imagine choosing each item from dresser to clothing to toys. Will he like balls? trucks? tools? blocks? What size will he wear? What colors will he prefer?
As I was contemplating how to make him feel welcome and loved in our home, I did a little reading on what an Ethiopian home may be like. I read that 75% of rural families in Ethiopia share their living quarters with livestock. 40% of children sleep on the floor, where average nighttime temperatures are right around freezing during the cold season. The average family size is six or seven. (He will make 7 here!) That family would likely live in a 30 square meter mud and thatch hut. Houses are made of whatever materials are available, often with walls of mud or wood. Only 12% of homes have cement or tile flooring.
I have always felt blessed to have the spacious home that we have. I have always made an effort to use it wisely and share it when possible. But those statistics are still sobering. I have had a room in my home for the last 5 years that's sole purpose was to house a treadmill and TV. I have enjoyed the novelty, but I surely am excited to put that room to much better use!
