I was watching the NASA channel last night and the picture was from the space station in orbit over Earth. The view was a night shot over Ecuador with city lights vi sable and an occasional flash of lighting from a summer storm in the area. The strange thing that came to this strange mind of mine was, just think about all the different people sleeping or even not sleeping at this moment in Ecuador. Think about the Indian and his plump little nutbrown wife and small children asleep in the mud hut (do they still have mud huts in Ecuador?) out in the jungle, the dark is very black there and the stars are shining bright with no city lights to interfere. Maybe the baby is crying and the mom reaches across the grass mat to comfort it as it falls back to sleep. There is a dog barking in the distance but it soon settles down and the night is quiet. If you were looking down on a sleeping Ecuador from the space station you might imagine the farmer and his wife in their little square cement house. His children are really tired and sleeping soundly after a hard day in the fields. The donkey is quietly munching grass in the yard and a hawk silently swoops down to snatch a mouse from the door step. All is quiet here. Imagine there might be a tourist couple asleep in a tent on the only flat spot they could find on the side of the mountain they are trekking up. The campfire is still snapping and popping a little as it slowly dies. The wind is blowing more here on the side of the mountain so the tent sides are swooshing in and out, adding their music to the night sounds. The couple are sleeping deeply, tired from the climb. Moving toward those bright city lights you can see from space, you might imagine the student lying across his bed in the dormitory of the city collage. He is still fully clothed, the lamp is still lit and his papers are strewn about, books still open, tired from a night of studying for the important test in the morning. He may get a few hours sleep before daylight, lulled by the quiet sounds of distant traffic. Not too far from the collage, in the new apartment they just found, you might find a young couple, both up, in the dark, trying to comfort and quiet the new baby girl, just born, not old enough to know the difference between night and day. The mother sings quietly to the baby in the darkened room while the new dad in the dimly lit kitchen fixes the bottle. All will be quiet here again withing a few minutes and the night can go on. As we get closer to the city the night is brighter and the quiet is shattered with the sounds of the activity that never stops, daytime or night. This is sad but we know it is true, imagine the children as young as 5 or even less, no bed to sleep in, huddled on the damp side walk. Sleeping, with bare arms and legs entwined, trying to get any warmth they can from the only family they know, more children just like them. Many went to sleep hungry, unable to find any food at all that day but they know that tomorrow will be another day and another chance to try and survive. Many do not know the feeling of hope. Lets say a prayer for them as we move on. All those bright city lights we can see from the dark of space can reveal more then we want to know as we move in closer. The night is not dark here, or quiet. You cannot see the stars from this street. What you do see are the many girls standing in the lit doorways with the smiles on their faces. You cannot help to wonder what is really behind those fake smiles. What is it that those girls would rather be doing the this that life has brought them too? We say another prayer for these girls, they are people too, with feelings, wants and hopes. Some there under very unfortunate circumstances, thinking there is no hope left in the world. Moving on away from the brightest lights we might imagine the delivery man, missing his bed as he folds the newspapers for early morning delivery.The black coffee helps but nothing but the bed, still warm and inviting could make it better. It is darker here and quiet and in the big white mansion, behind the tall iron gates we know that the politician is sleep soundly. He has "people". His water will be hot for his morning shower, his coffee will be within arms reach and his breakfast will be right on time. As the space station moves on across the sky the sun starts to rise and we move past Ecuador, across the ocean and Africa shows itself below us but we know that back in that jungle the birds are starting to sing their morning songs, the little, plump, nutbrown Indian wife is stirring the fire getting ready to feed her family. The farmer has been up awhile and is rousing his children from their beds. The donkey has stretched, yawned and greeted the morning in his special donkey way. The tourist couple are up early, cursing the hard ground and rubbing their sore backs, but the view and a cup of hot coffee make it all worth the climb. The college student barely made it to class in time but his chances are good to pass the test. The newborn baby girl is sleeping now that the sun is rising but their is no rest for the mom and dad. Their long day is just beginning. The small wad of children asleep on the cold sidewalk is starting to stir. It is time to start another day of survival. The lights are out in the doorways now and the girls have gone to their beds, alone this time. The newspapers have delivered but it is not back to bed, another job and another 8 hour day is on the agenda. The tall iron electronic gates have opened and a long black car is passing through, on its way to the large building downtown. The space station will pass this way again soon and things will be much the same. Life goes on.