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I'm happy to share good news that my sister is recovering from her heart attack! She is one tough and very special lady and will be back to "normal" very soon. As for my daughter, she managed to worry my family profoundly and bless us endlessly with a baby boy ~ born just yesterday afternoon. Baby was a hefty 8 lbs. 10 oz. and 22 inches long and rather unwilling to be born. He is finally here, healthy and beautiful, cone-head and all! His name .... well, we're waiting to hear. I call him precious baby!

In the midst of these last stressful weeks, I was asked to critique a children's book. called, "14 Cows for America." It too explains tragedy and the goodness that comes despite the devastation of disaster. The author, Carmen Agra Deedy, wrote a moving story about a Kenyan village and their extraordinary gift to America after the 911 attack.

Kimeli wins a scholarship to study in the U.S. He witnesses the attack in New York and sees how police officers and firemen risk their own lives to help others. He wants to help America too. He learned as a child "to heal a sorrowing heart, give something that is dear to your own." Kimeli returns to his Kenyan village and tells his people what he intends to do. He wants to give America one of his most prized possesions, a cow. The village cows are the most important commodity they own. The villagers hear the story of the two towers toppling and the sadness of America.

An American diplomat visits the village, expecting to meet a few people and accept the cow as a token of friendship. He is greeted by hundreds of people who want to share in the sorrow the United States suffered. Not one cow, but fourteen are given in friendship.

The story ends with a simple, yet poignant statement, "Because there is no nation so powerful it cannot be wounded, nor a people so small they cannot offer mighty comfort."

I highly recommend this children's story to those interested in talking about friendship, hardships and how the rest of the world was affected by 911.

We may not always get the "happy ending" we wish for, but I pray goodness will always prevail, whether with families or nations.

Til next time ~

DL Larson