Eyes are one of my favorite features of the human body. They are so small, yet so intricate in detail and function. The eyes instantaneously set in motion hundreds of muscles and organs in your body. They utilize 65% of the pathways to the brain and make up 85% of the total knowledge. This complex organ has 2 million working parts, which could be a brilliant analogy to community, for another day. But mostly I love them, because, to me, you can tell a lot about the person through these portals.
Their soul. Their loves. Their passions. Their desires. Their stresses. Their hurts.
And perhaps my favorite eyes, if you can have such a favorite, are those of a child. They are beautiful and innocent and full of life and expectation and desire. This quote describes it best, “There are no seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child. There are seven million.” It is so true. The sense of wonder that flows from the retinas of a child is admirable and inviting. It is something that I long to emulate, a zeal for learning and living. Adventure.
Maybe I never came to a closure from my time in Romania, but I am left with the faces that will remind me to look deep and have a faith that rivals the most beautiful innocence. Faith that is not jaded by hurts or desires unmet. Faith that is full of hope and full of wonder. And perhaps, that is all the closure I need.
Side note – the bottom photo is Benny, the brother of our host “mom.” He drew a picture for me with these words written in some of the most precious kid writing I have seen, other than my nephews: I love my Jodi. It makes me smile every time I come to that piece of paper in my Bible. Thanks Benny. Your eyes are brilliant and a lovely reminder of all that is good and pleasing in the world. I love my Benny!
