Children make most of their clothing

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As I sat in a classroom full of children one day, I noticed many things, with one thing standing out to me the most — their clothing. Their shirts. Their shoes. Their pants.

The definition of clothes is items worn to cover the body. The definition of trash as a verb is damaged or destroyed.

The one thing that stuck out to me is that in America, all of these clothes would be considered trash. But what I love about these people is that they make the best of what they’ve got. And they rock it more beautifully than I ever could.

Here is the clothing diary:

A green striped shirt. Neck of shirt ripped. Straggling fabric tied in a knot in order to be worn.

Blue-and-white striped shirt. White stripes are no longer white. A gray skirt with flowers, faded white in several places. Blue Crocs. Two sizes too small, torn, ripped and falling apart. Red backpack. Shoulder strap taped on.

Buzz Lightyear shirt. White shorts stained with dirt. Black dress shoes.

“Rockin Mom” gray shirt. Sleeves 3 inches too short. White skirt three sizes too big. Pink Crocs.

Shark shirt. Several rips and holes. Brown shorts. No shoes.

Green flowered dress. One shoulder strap broken. No shoes.

Pink, blue, white collared shirt. Ripped. Torn. Buttons broken off. Shorts. Pink Crocs.

Each of these children wore different things, but the one thing that they all wore in common was the smiles of pure joy. Smiles that weren’t defined by what they were wearing or, better yet, what they weren’t wearing. Smiles that aren’t defined by what they have or what they don’t have. Smiles that weren’t defined by what other people thought of them.

These children have pure joy that isn’t wavered by their circumstances, their surroundings, their lives. Sweet smiles that come from only one thing — the Lord.

Keia Blair is a Seymour native who attends Cincinnati Christian University. During her nine-month mission trip around the world, she is submitting a series of blogs that will appear in The Tribune. Send comments to [email protected].

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