EVERY THREE SECONDS

      When I read recently that a child dies due to conditions of poverty something like every three seconds, I thought about the various three-second periods in my typical day: three seconds of savoring a delicious apple, three seconds of sitting beside a comforting fire, three seconds of writing on my silver laptop, three seconds of speaking with my grandchildren, three seconds of holding my wife’s hands. While I was taking pleasure in those experiences, five poor children died. Should I feel at fault? No. Should I be saddened and furious that there are ANY poor children, and that they die so needlessly and so often? Yes.