Journeys With Jani

Let’s talk about a kind of poverty that doesn’t show up in bank statements or pantry shelves. I’m not talking about needing bread, rent money, or a new pair of jeans. I’m talkin’ about the kind of hunger that sneaks in quiet—like humidity on a Georgia summer night. You don’t notice it at first, but before you know it, it’s clingin’ to your skin and wearin’ you slap out.

Mother Teresa once said, “Sometimes people can hunger for more than bread… That, too, is poverty.”

And let me tell you something, y’all—ain’t that the truth?

We look around our homes and see full bellies, clean laundry, and a roof over our heads, and we think, “Whew, thank God we’re blessed.” And we are. But sometimes we forget to check the emotional pantry. You know—the one where love, connection, and attention are supposed to be stocked up.

You ever been in a room full of people and still felt completely alone? That’s not just “having a rough day.” That’s a deep, aching kind of poverty. And honey, it can hit anybody—your child, your husband, your best friend… even you.

We rush around doing All The Things—working, cooking, planning trips (hi, it’s me), juggling babies and bills—and sometimes forget to look the people we love square in the eyes and say, “Hey, you good? Like, for real?”

Now, I’m not saying go full-blown therapy session at the dinner table (unless you want to, of course), but I am saying let’s stop mistaking being “taken care of” with being seen. We need affection. We need warmth. We need to feel like we matter—beyond the chores we do or the roles we play.

So maybe tonight, instead of checking your email or folding one more towel, you sit down beside your child, your spouse, or even your own reflection in the mirror and just be. Hug tighter. Listen longer. Let folks feel felt. Because emotional poverty is real, and the cure is simpler than we think: presence, affection, love.

Let’s not just feed bellies. Let’s feed hearts.

XOXO, Jani