Paying Attention

I pride myself in paying attention.  I remember stupid little details that are insignificant, and some significant.

Today was a good day.  I was able to spend time with my neighbor.  She has been looking for a job and I took her to an interview today and than the store.  It was nice to hang out with her for a bit.  I love her kids, they are so much fun.  Four of her five kids come over every day after school for homework help and we are hoping to do some projects with them.   The neighborhood elementary school is rough at best.  The kids lack the attention they need to learn due to the many issues the school faces mostly because of our demographic ie.. immigrants, poverty, parents without adequate education, lack of food, drugs and the list goes on....

I took this picture from my front porch last spring.  Somewhere around the tree
on the left side of this photo is where it happened. 

Which brings me to my lack of paying attention today.  My older girls get home from school around 2:15pm and I pick up Anaya at 3:00pm.  The older girls sometimes walk but I think that will not be happening anymore.  The neighbor kids come over around 3:30pm and stay until 5 "ish".   A little after 4pm this afternoon I heard a commotion across the street in the local dog and cat toilet, trash collection area for the end of the street,  the Colisee's own personal parking lot cleaning disposal, just yesterday a man in a truck used it for a urinal, and it's also been known for a "quickie" for some paying adults.   (we are also guilty of throwing our dog stuff on this piece of land)  It's a triangular lot, 1/16th of an acre at best. This piece of land is owned by an old man who wants way too much money for it and basically know one cleans it up.  Around 6pm while I was getting dinner on the table, (it was tacos tonight- and 6pm for dinner is pretty good for our family on a Friday night), two cops showed up looking all through that piece of land with flashlights.  I started praying they would find what they were looking for, they didn't.  This time they were free to share what they were looking for and would have loved to get a small piece of information - Who was the woman that gave the girl the pair of pants after she was raped this afternoon a little after 4?  I wanted to vomit in that moment.  I was home.  I heard something and just figured it was the other neighbor kids playing.   I am usually so much nosier than that.    What if I would have left the comfort of my house to check it out?  I know it's not my fault but I feel as though I failed today.

The need is great in our city, and unfortunately this story is not a new one.  I pray that God will allow justice to move quickly for this girl and she will get the help she needs.