Do not judge by appearances, a rich heart may be under a poor coat.
Scottish proverb


I laugh at that one in one way.  Do not judge me by the clothes I wear please...lol...I may be wearing a poor looking, and almost furry, coat of clothing but I have a rich heart. :) Of course, I have so much more material abundance  than many...so much more.  I am able to pay my mortgage with the income I make.  I might not be able to pay anything else lol...but I can pay the mortgage.  I have the blessing of D. here, helping out, as well.  So I am blessed.

There are people...countries of people who have so much less.  I am overwhelmed by the surprises I find in those countries...I am remembering my trip to Mexico again.  I was surprised to find out what the average income was for the people who lived there.  I was surprised by the begging that took place and the housekeeper's reaction when I gave her a twenty dollar tip....she nearly flew through the roof.  I was most surprised, however, by the happiness I seen radiating from the people...a pure authentic joy and a zest for life, independent of what one owns or does, that I do not always see in the eyes of the people here.  I could not help but shoot these people  ( lol...with my camera). 

I was fascinated by a family that came to the beach one day when we were there.  One could tell they didn't have much but that trip to the beach together was like a million dollars to the children.  There was so much obvious love, excitement  and joy on their faces.  While my kids were complaining about the heat, wanting money to get French fries and water, massages and sunglasses...I put my attention on this little family and I shot, frame after frame after frame( Man I realize now I could have been pegged for a pedophile or something.) Then, when the next day we went by bus to Coba... en route, I got a glimpse of the real Mexico and I was fascinated by the hardworking and happy people I saw...so I shot from the bus as we drove through those areas. 

Not great shots but I felt  they captured the joy of simply being alive.  I realized these people are not poor...far from it...they are rich in ways that matter most....in ways that my "entitled" country men and myself could learn from.

All is well in my world.