I was talking to a colleague the other day when I realized that he was the only one not eating lunch (we had ordered biryani). Curious me asked him why he wasn't joining the rest of us. His simple and most touching answer: "I am saving my lunch for my kids when I get home. They will love it."

Parents, including mine, sacrifice for their children day in and day out. They spend every single living moment concerning over their children, providing for them, nurturing them, and protecting them from the "world's evils." Knowing this and being the recipient of it, I could not help but feel emotional and sad after hearing my colleagues statement because this is not the first time I have heard this type of statement. In fact, I have witnessed it. Individuals here and in other developing countries are so poor that they are unable to fill their stomachs. I am sure you are familiar with this situation. But my heart goes out to those who sacrifice their health and well-being so that their children can survive, even though the food they receive may not be the healthiest. Imagine wondering every hour of every day as to how you will feed your family. Imagine wondering whether your child will survive or grow up to be a healthy adult. Imagine watching your child waste away before your very eyes. Imagine going to sleep hungry yet content that your child isn't. Most of us cannot imagine this because we have not lived through it and may never need to.

This reminds me of a story about my parents when we were living in Karachi. My mom and dad had cooked a meal with whatever little they had. We were not well off at all. However, they never got to enjoy that meal because my baby brother had well....urinated over the food. I mean he was just a little baby and he didn't know any better. I am sure I might have done something like that as a baby as well. The outcome? Brother was fed but my parents went to sleep hungry that night and who knows how many more nights they went to sleep hungry.