Her world

A couple of years ago my friend, Dr. Janet Morrison captured the image in the photo positioned as the masthead of this page. 

Janet was working on an assignment I gave her:  "Give me photos of 'the Dallas no one wants to see,' I had instructed her.  She came back with some amazing shots that we used in an educational presentation designed to awaken folks to the realities of poverty here in inner city Dallas, Texas.

But, back to the image that appears here every day. 

I find the photo haunting. 

Who is this little girl? 

I know she lives in South Dallas. 

I know the photo caught her looking out a broken shutter of an open window.  She seems to be waving, or possibly just moving her hand.  She appears to see Janet.

What kind of world does she deal with living in her ramshackle, old house? 

What does she face day-by-day? 

Where is she headed? 

Is she hungry? 

Is she safe?

Is she healthy?

Is she afraid? 

How about school. . .does she go? 

What does she see, dream and hope as she looks out at the outside world? 

What story can you read in her big, brown eyes? 

What surrounds her behind the surface of this image?  What is her "back story"?

The image calls me to wonder, to pray, to think, to work. 

Frankly, it's all about her.