Simple Moments: Broken Hearted

Does your heart ever break for things that you see happening around you? Do you ever watch something on the news or hear something awful that breaks your heart for others?

This happens to me, and time and time again, my heart breaks for children and hurting people all over the world.

I had the opportunity to hear Greg Mortenson, the author of Three Cups of Tea, speak last night.If you haven't read the book, I highly recommend it. To sum it up very quickly, Mortenson sets out to climb K2-the world's 2nd highest peak-in memory of his sister. Putting it lightly, things go very wrong on the 70 day climb and the seasoned mountain climber finds himself lost, disappointed, and recovering in a tiny village called Korphe nestled in the mountains of Pakistan. Throughout his time in the village, Mortenson not only forges a bond with the Pakistani people, but finds the children of the village teaching themselves with sticks in the dirt, without a school and without a teacher. To thank the village for their kindness and generosity, he promises to return to Pakistan and build them a school. Holding true to his promise, he returns to to the U.S. with a single-minded drive to raise enough money to return to Korphe and build his school. So, what began as a simple quest to repay 1 tiny village, has transformed into a humanitarian effort to provide education for the children of Pakistan and Afghanistan, specifically focused on educating girls, and promote peace through education.

As I sat listening to Greg Mortenson in the auditorium, so full that people were viewing live-feed video from other rooms on campus, my heart was breaking. It was breaking as he shared stories of the number of un-educated children in these countries and the tragic effects that that lack of education was having on their society. It was breaking as Greg shared stories of the many trials and tribulations he had faced in bringing schools to such a controversial and war-torn region of the world. And it was breaking as he shared stories and statistics on the lives of children and young girls all over the world.

But beyond the heartbreak, I was completely inspired and filled with an overwhelming sense of joy for the children whose lives were being changed because 1 person decided to make a difference. One person. Who took a broken heart and did something with it. And that "something" not only changed the world, but changed the lives of many children around the world and gave them opportunities that once seemed like a distant dream.

Greg Mortenson is inspiring and he has used his life to make a profound difference in the world. He is proof that one person, with a lot of passion, can make a difference.

I want to be broken hearted. I want to hurt for those who hurt and feel for those who struggle. And I want that broken-hearted spirit to lead me on to find my own way to make a difference and impact the world around me.

I want to be inspiring. I want to make a difference.

And because I haven't shared pictures in a while, Here are some from my first "official" photography session-Senior pictures of my good friend Brittany who is graduating next month with her Bachelor's and her Master's degree from the University of Dayton.