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Out of the blue, a situation arises. It tugs at your heart strings.
An inside "knowing" says YES, I’m going to help this person NOW,
No Matter What!
In the spur of that unquestioning moment,
the momentary blip in life‘s movie for two people
has been changed and altered with lasting joy.
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Julia's Momentary Heart Strings! |
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My Parent's Generosity, No Matter What!
When I think about giving, I think about my parents' generosity. In times of wealth and in times of lack, they never hesitated to give or help when they could.
... Buying groceries for someone who needed help in the grocery store parking lot and then driving them home.
... They let a mom stay with us during a rough time in her marriage when she didn't feel safe at home.
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A couple needed a car, so my mom offered one of our cars. Ten years later, the couple recalled this story with such amazement, since my parents were having a hard time then and yet they still helped them out. That act of kindness left such an indelible impression on them, I have no doubt they told this story to their children and passed on kindness to others. |
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This past month, I found myself listening to my heart strings play "YES, this situation needs my help NOW. Little did I know what joy, peace, a sense of closeness and community would result.
...Holding a friend's new born baby so she could shower and pack up their house. The baby and I nestled into one another for three hours of bliss.
...Making a meal and bringing it over to my neighbor when I found out she was feeling sick and alone. A huge smile and touch of her hand welcomed me in.
...My daughter and I were playing rock, paper, scissors and a grumpy guy in line at the sandwich shop turned to stare at us. We invited him to play. We all giggled like kids again. He smiled as he waved good-bye.
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Gylian's Momentary Blip in Life's Movie
...Lasting Joy!
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Wayan- 9yrs old
with Gylian
May 2006 Bali
My dear friend Joyce and I rented my friend’s beach house in Ahmed, a small fishing village on the Indian Ocean.
A group of 20 children walked the beach daily selling their hand-made glass bead necklaces. “Buy from me, buy from me” was their incantation that we heeded daily which amounted to pennies.
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One of the little girls had an engaging personality and smile that entered my heart. Besides being one of the sharpest of the kids in how she handled selling her beads, she was a natural beauty with long dark hair, light brown skin contrasted with big dark brown eyes that lit up when she smiled. Yet, I sensed a deep sadness buried inside those young eyes.
I asked Nengah, the house manager, about her. “She nine year old. Her name Wayan,
no brother, no sister. Her father like woman, too many woman. He gamble money. Lose lots. He drink. Mother dead. Kill self. Wayan live with grandmother. Father only come for money. So no money for Wayan for school sometime.”
Wayan already missed a year of school when her mother committed suicide. She needed uniforms and school supplies. A year’s support was about $50US. Joyce heard my heart wheels turning and gave me a sideways glance.
Answering her unspoken words, “Joyce, I am going to support this little girl through school. There's something special about her. She needs to feel loved and important.”
With concern and honesty in her voice, Joyce stated the obvious, “How can you make that commitment when you just got divorced, no alimony, you don’t have an income or working prospects or even a place to live yourself? "
My determined reply “I’ll figure it out somehow.”
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Wayan 15 yrs old
with Nengah &
his wife Putu
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Wayan 18 yrs old
with Nengah
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Putu handled the $50 I sent yearly and took Wayan shopping for her school and clothing needs. Wayan became part of their family, feeling their warm loving care. She told all the guests who stayed at the Beach House about her "Mama Gylian." By the time school started July 2011, seven village children were in sponsorship.
My friend, the owner of the Bali Beach House, goes to Bali every May with a gift from me, and returns with a hand-made gift and letter from Wayan to me. In each letter, she calls me Mama Gylian, tells me she loves and misses me. When will I visit her.
MY HEART JUMPS WITH JOY.
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Wayan's 3 hand-made Bracelets of color stones |
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Wayan's carving painted on stone |
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Since 2006, even when I had to scrape it together, the money and my love has been there for Wayan. She continued onto High School ($100 per year), graduated, and went to College ($300 per yr). After the first year, she wrote me that she dropped out of College to spend a year learning English.
She did and was hired by NCL Cruise lines to be on their cruiseships traveling the world, supporting herself.
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We think: we need hundreds of extra dollars to make a difference.
We think: millions of people are hurting in the world;
we can't help all of them,
We think: our small contributions won't make a difference.
The above stories and others have impacted our view of helping others,
1 person at a time,
sometimes at the spur of the moment.
Kindness is worth more than anything...
Trust your Heartstrings and Say YES!
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