I was sitting in the school library, speechless at what I just heard. Not that amazed kind of speechless or that wind-knocked-out-of-you speechless. It was more like a sympathetic kind of speechless. For the last couple of days I have been working with a nonprofit, service organization called Wings for L.I.F.E based in Roswell, New Mexico. They work primarily with children whose parents have been in and out of jail or come from situations where their family is usually incarcerated. As an aspiring psychologist, being objective is key; you can't let stuff get to you, or so I've been told. And for the record I'm pretty good at it.
But not this time.
All the kids were leaving or were being picked up from the program except three siblings. As some of the volunteer helpers were giving them some supplies for school, I asked about their story so I could get a baseline of what kind of problems they were facing. Their story: no parents, no family, in and out of jail themselves (some had multiple arrests by the age of 10), and they were sleeping on the floor of their grandparent's living room with little food in the house and no school supplies. This is how they will spend Thanksgiving this year.
This week, I've had the humbling privilege of working with kids like this. Never have I ever had to worry about where the next meal will come from, who if anyone will remember to pick me up from school, or how I will avoid getting abused. Never have I ever had to think if I will make it to adulthood and never have I ever had to worry about what options if any I will have once I make it there. Never have I ever had to worry about knowing what I was thankful for during Thanksgiving. But most of these kids do.
Never have I ever had to worry about being thankful. I used to think that not being thankful for something meant I was a selfish kid, but this week has challenged me - what if you have a hard time being thankful for anything because you have been given nothing to be thankful for in the first place? Most of these kids I got to work with don't know the saving grace of Jesus Christ, or have a family that cares, or even have a family at all. They ache for attention, they long for someone to love them, but they never get either. One girl was so wanting attention that she would bite herself and show off her wounds to get attention - she was 7. Another girl lost her mother the year before in a traffic accident that could have been avoided - she was 10. One boy's father was incarcerated for gang related behavior which made him weary of all men and possibly even weary of trusting in God - he was 9. These kids will have a hard time knowing what to be thankful for this year, if anything. Me? I'll have hard time finding something to not be thankful for.
So, listening to the story of the siblings without a home made me speechless. But what made me speechless wasn't that these kids necessarily came from a broken home, albeit it is very tough to hear. What made me speechless was that despite these kids coming from some of the worst situations imaginable, they still found something to be thankful for. They still found something to be thankful for something. As we went around in a circle saying what we were thankful for, I wondered what these kids would say. What did they say when I asked them what they were thankful for?
"I'm thankful for you."
What a humbling statement!
What are you thankful for this year? I am thankful for a lot of things, more things than I think I could count. If you're like me, then you might have a hard time this year finding something to not be thankful for. For some people, it might be hard to find something at all to be thankful for this year. But if God has taught me anything about thanksgiving, it is that the simplest act of compassion, the simplest act of attention, or the simplest act of care that you give someone might be the thing they're most thankful for this year.
Just as our Savior's act of compassion on the cross is the most love this world has ever seen!
And for that, I'm thankful.
KB
You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God -2 Corinthians 9:11
Wow I was not expecting that comment either. Children are so amazing, how they have this unconscious desire to be optimistic. I seen children who have been to hell and back and turn into the sweetest most caring people you will ever meet. Keep up these kids because they obviously understand what a good influence is
ReplyDeleteWow. Just...wow. That must have been quite the experience. It's amazing how kids in situations like that can be joyful and thankful for things.
ReplyDeleteBut maybe it's not as surprising as we might think. These kids live in such complete darkness that when a light comes in, it's blinding and incredibly noticeable. All of their attentions go to it and they rush excitedly towards this new, warm, bright fire. But with a kid who is surrounded by good parents, good food, enough money, and good friends, how can you really tell what a good thing is when you don't know what a bad thing is? Maybe that gives us just one more thing to be thankful for--that we have been surrounded by people who love us, who have helped us to live a life lit by love.
I needed to read this tonight...I have had a pretty crummy day. Thank you for sharing! I don't feel needed or missed when I am gone from certain functions and because of this some things are changing in my life. I am thankful we met during the musical. You are a great guy and I hope you are doing well. Keep encouraging people, we all need a smile every once in awhile.
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