another trip

Tomorrow my parents will be on their way... to Africa. It is the first time they have repeated a trip... but I feel like it will be brand new. When they planned their last trip, they were going to see the wildlife. I remember the hope I held for them... that they would see everything they wanted to see... that it would be the trip they had hoped for. I actually received an e-mail from my Mom a few days into the trip, and when I read it and found that they had indeed seen plenty of animals, I could breath again. If they had seen great stuff that early in the trip, I could stop worrying about disappointment. When they arrived home, safe & sound, the recap of the trip surprised me... it wasn't about the animals as much... they had fallen in love.. with the people. The photos and the stories of these little ones... another world away... beautiful. The way these people are striving to retain their culture... and living for survival... it makes you think... about what you have, and what they wouldn't even hope to have. Tomorrow my parents will be on their way... to Africa... with their backpacks full of gifts... pencils, paper... computers. They will still see the animals... and love every sighting, I'm sure. But I think,this time, the highlight might come in a smile from a little one...
with hope in his eyes.