Although I don't post very often, I feel extremely compelled to share with all readers a very personal and touching experience I encountered today -- a day when once again our media is dominated by another violent hate-filled act, this time of course on a college campus in Virginia.
Back home in Lakewood, I came home from work & perused my junk mail, and as always, tossed it in the trash.
However, today would soon be different.
My 8-year-old son's eye caught one piece of mail from a non-denominational charity that helps feed & clothe poor children, particularly in the Caribbean and Latin America. The "brochure" was a cleverly-designed, realistic dinner plate -- on one side it showed a full plate of turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy & the works. On the reverse side was only a small spoonful of white rice with the words, "This is all he has to eat this Easter ... " the accompanying letter showed a picture of a crying little boy from the country of Hait.
My son saw the "plate message," saw the picture of the little boy and immediately started crying. He said he felt so sorry for the child and that we needed to send money to him for food.
Of course, I was wrapped up in my own world of financial stresses & told my son that I would send something when I got paid. That was not good enough for my boy. He wanted to help IMMEDIATELY. I was a bit taken aback at how sincere and heart-felt he was.
Last year my son received a sum from his First Communion. He'd been saving the money, which of course made me feel proud that he was learning about saving at such a young age.
This afternoon he did something that REALLY made me proud. He offerred to withdraw some of his money to send to "the hungry little boy" right away. So at his request, this evening I took him to the credit union to make a withdrawal. Tomorrow I will proudly mail a check to the charity, along with a letter explaining how this donation came to be.
Tonight at bedtime we said our prayers as usual, & my son held back the tears as he still thought of the poor children in Haiti and beyond. I had my own tears as well -- tears for ALL the forgotten, needy children here & abroad, tears for the victims & families in today's horrific tragedy in Virginia, and tears for a longing for more adults to have hearts like children .....
Hearts that see beyond race, religion, geography, social & economic status -- hearts that simply see and feel another human being in need.
It's as simple as that.
I guess this is what is meant by "seeing the world in the eyes of a child."
I learned a valuable lesson from my child today, on an unlikely day at an unlikely time .....
Peace,
Natalie
In the Eyes & Heart of a Child
Moderator: Jim O'Bryan
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Natalie Schrimpf
- Posts: 26
- Joined: Tue Sep 27, 2005 8:44 pm
- Location: Lakewood, OH
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Kenneth Warren
- Posts: 489
- Joined: Sat Mar 26, 2005 7:17 pm
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Mark Crnolatas
- Posts: 400
- Joined: Fri Mar 25, 2005 10:32 pm
- Location: Lakewood, Ohio
...
My family gets that same feeling when we take bags of clothing to W.32nd and Lorain Ave., to Catholic Charities. What you would see there is nothing less than what is seen in those pictures. We try to take a bag each month. One visit there, and I would guess it would change anyone's day, if not permanently.
We don't care about which denomination attaches it name on it. In this one, we have seen that what gets donated goes directly out to people standing in line, homeless, and hopeless, or at least most feel that way. The goods are not used for some financial gain by anyone.
What astounds me, is we were driving down a side street of our city, and I happen to see a large amount of garbage bags on a tree lawn, one opened and quite a bit of clothing laying partly out. I looked at the bags, and we put 16 full garbage bags of good clothes into our large sedan.
We donated them, of course.
No one thought to donate them, and those clothes were headed for the INCINERATOR, when so many people within a 15 minute drive do not have shoes at all, or will sleep in some doorway or who knows where tonight, perhaps without even a shirt, fed by the charity, which hardly dents the mass amount of people in need.
All this pain and loneliness in our sight, yet we have TWO new sport stadiums. One wasn't enough. I wonder where the benefactors are for the homeless? Where are the political activists of either party that raise millions, that will speak for those people on 32nd and Lorain and more so raise monies for those that cannot help themselves?
How many more administrations from either parties will continue to ignore the homeless in greater Cleveland ?
If you take a ride to this homeless center, and talk to those that donate their time, or more so, talk to the people that go there, it is a mind boggler to say the very least. The words to describe the emotions just do not exist.
At times I look at my collection of sneakers, 99% which are not new, I search for nearly new and have my ways of restoring them, (I actually collect them as a hobby), and wonder if I'm justified in having even this quantity of shoes when so many have nothing to wear on their feet at all. I I admit it affects me, so I give some away with each bag.
I think for me, it's called "guilt" ?
At any rate, I agree with Kenneth. Thank you for your story, and maybe someone reading this one might think of a short ride to the homeless center rather than bagging things up that are needed desperately by so many others, rather than letting those items literally go up in smoke.
Mark Allan Crnolatas
We don't care about which denomination attaches it name on it. In this one, we have seen that what gets donated goes directly out to people standing in line, homeless, and hopeless, or at least most feel that way. The goods are not used for some financial gain by anyone.
What astounds me, is we were driving down a side street of our city, and I happen to see a large amount of garbage bags on a tree lawn, one opened and quite a bit of clothing laying partly out. I looked at the bags, and we put 16 full garbage bags of good clothes into our large sedan.
We donated them, of course.
No one thought to donate them, and those clothes were headed for the INCINERATOR, when so many people within a 15 minute drive do not have shoes at all, or will sleep in some doorway or who knows where tonight, perhaps without even a shirt, fed by the charity, which hardly dents the mass amount of people in need.
All this pain and loneliness in our sight, yet we have TWO new sport stadiums. One wasn't enough. I wonder where the benefactors are for the homeless? Where are the political activists of either party that raise millions, that will speak for those people on 32nd and Lorain and more so raise monies for those that cannot help themselves?
How many more administrations from either parties will continue to ignore the homeless in greater Cleveland ?
If you take a ride to this homeless center, and talk to those that donate their time, or more so, talk to the people that go there, it is a mind boggler to say the very least. The words to describe the emotions just do not exist.
At times I look at my collection of sneakers, 99% which are not new, I search for nearly new and have my ways of restoring them, (I actually collect them as a hobby), and wonder if I'm justified in having even this quantity of shoes when so many have nothing to wear on their feet at all. I I admit it affects me, so I give some away with each bag.
I think for me, it's called "guilt" ?
At any rate, I agree with Kenneth. Thank you for your story, and maybe someone reading this one might think of a short ride to the homeless center rather than bagging things up that are needed desperately by so many others, rather than letting those items literally go up in smoke.
Mark Allan Crnolatas
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Ivor Karabatkovic
- Posts: 845
- Joined: Sat Sep 17, 2005 9:45 am
- Contact:
Mark,
Then went down to the other church on detroit and west clifton where a few classmates of mine were spending the night. Here I was with my friends and classmates, one who didn't have a religion like me and one who was muslim. They both donated money, and me being the hard-headed person who doesn't have a religion and doesn't want to contribute to religion in general thought "eh, I won't donate."
To this day, the guilt of not donating a simple dollar to the cause haunts my thoughts. I went home and talked with my mother for three hours (into the night and morning) about why her and my father never pushed their religions on us, and what religion really is since I never had someone explain it to me when I was young.
My mother told me, "you can always donate in the future, and just the fact that you donated will help you come over that guilt". well, I've donated, donated more, and donated even more, but that guilt still remains. The feeling that I am dirty, selfish and self-centered haunts me like a vulture, and my giving won't get rid of it.
I say to all that are reading, save yourself from this guilt. Don't be passive. If you want to give, give. You can make a positive difference in your community, wherever you may live!
During the homeless sleep-out that two churches had here in Lakewood in the winter, I was taking photos. I stopped and chatted with Bret Calentine and we had a nice chat. I didn't think about donating.I think for me, it's called "guilt" ?
Then went down to the other church on detroit and west clifton where a few classmates of mine were spending the night. Here I was with my friends and classmates, one who didn't have a religion like me and one who was muslim. They both donated money, and me being the hard-headed person who doesn't have a religion and doesn't want to contribute to religion in general thought "eh, I won't donate."
To this day, the guilt of not donating a simple dollar to the cause haunts my thoughts. I went home and talked with my mother for three hours (into the night and morning) about why her and my father never pushed their religions on us, and what religion really is since I never had someone explain it to me when I was young.
My mother told me, "you can always donate in the future, and just the fact that you donated will help you come over that guilt". well, I've donated, donated more, and donated even more, but that guilt still remains. The feeling that I am dirty, selfish and self-centered haunts me like a vulture, and my giving won't get rid of it.
I say to all that are reading, save yourself from this guilt. Don't be passive. If you want to give, give. You can make a positive difference in your community, wherever you may live!
"Hey Kiddo....this topic is much more important than your football photos, so deal with it." - Mike Deneen
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Justine Cooper
- Posts: 775
- Joined: Thu Jan 12, 2006 10:12 am
- Location: Lakewood
Natalie,
Thank you for giving me goose bumps and ending my day on a really good note. And for reminding me that children teach us more than we teach them in many cases! We can look around Lakewood and see children in need to. I see them often lately and someone commented to me about how dirty this one little girl who comes to play is and how rude she is. I told them I don't see that, I see her bright eyes and blame her mother for not teaching her manners. She is too busy with drugs. That night my five yo was lying in bed with me and I turned out the light and I swear to God when I looked at her face I saw the little girl's face!! I was not drinking wine either! Every child is our child.
Thank you for giving me goose bumps and ending my day on a really good note. And for reminding me that children teach us more than we teach them in many cases! We can look around Lakewood and see children in need to. I see them often lately and someone commented to me about how dirty this one little girl who comes to play is and how rude she is. I told them I don't see that, I see her bright eyes and blame her mother for not teaching her manners. She is too busy with drugs. That night my five yo was lying in bed with me and I turned out the light and I swear to God when I looked at her face I saw the little girl's face!! I was not drinking wine either! Every child is our child.
"Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive" Dalai Lama
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Gary Rice
- Posts: 1651
- Joined: Wed Aug 23, 2006 9:59 pm
- Location: Lakewood
Ivor,
I might hazard a guess regarding your lack of religious background.
In the corner of the world where you came from, three great religions met on the field of battle.
And they battled there for a thousand years.
Each faith believed that there was one God of love. Each Faith was dynamic, that is, charged with the solemn task of propagating, which is to say, expansion. Each faith held long-established traditions and values.
Many of them were ironically shared by the other faiths.
And each was stopped in its tracks by the other one, in the land of your birth.
In the World Wars, adherents of these faiths tended to side with one side or the other. Some donned uniforms of the German SS, and others took the side of the Soviet Union.
After WWII, Tito made one country out of several, and held it together for awhile. Then came his death, and you know what happened next, when the age-old tensions flamed again.
You have the opportunity now to look at these faith traditions from your own perspective, to accept or reject them.
I would only suggest that you try to look to the good in all faiths. The bad is easy to see. It is harder to look for the good, but I believe that it's worth it in the long run.
Above all, try not to be bitter. That can destroy a person.
Oh yeah, that thing called "guilt"? It's really only love seeking action.
I might hazard a guess regarding your lack of religious background.
In the corner of the world where you came from, three great religions met on the field of battle.
And they battled there for a thousand years.
Each faith believed that there was one God of love. Each Faith was dynamic, that is, charged with the solemn task of propagating, which is to say, expansion. Each faith held long-established traditions and values.
Many of them were ironically shared by the other faiths.
And each was stopped in its tracks by the other one, in the land of your birth.
In the World Wars, adherents of these faiths tended to side with one side or the other. Some donned uniforms of the German SS, and others took the side of the Soviet Union.
After WWII, Tito made one country out of several, and held it together for awhile. Then came his death, and you know what happened next, when the age-old tensions flamed again.
You have the opportunity now to look at these faith traditions from your own perspective, to accept or reject them.
I would only suggest that you try to look to the good in all faiths. The bad is easy to see. It is harder to look for the good, but I believe that it's worth it in the long run.
Above all, try not to be bitter. That can destroy a person.
Oh yeah, that thing called "guilt"? It's really only love seeking action.
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David Anderson
- Posts: 400
- Joined: Mon Jun 05, 2006 12:41 pm
Thanks for sharing this story, Natalie.
Kids have a special way about them, don't they?
I credit my amazing wife with establishing my family's support of three poverty stricken children from across the globe through an international Christian sponsorship program.
Interestingly, my wife decided to choose children with the same birthdates and ages as our three kids. So, as we celebrated my son Reese's second birthday last Tuesday, two extra candles were added for Diego, a little two-year old boy in Mexico. My four-year old daughter obviously understands more about our intentions in this regard than Reese and she made sure to include Diego's name in our birthday song.
Thanks again for sharing.
Kids have a special way about them, don't they?
I credit my amazing wife with establishing my family's support of three poverty stricken children from across the globe through an international Christian sponsorship program.
Interestingly, my wife decided to choose children with the same birthdates and ages as our three kids. So, as we celebrated my son Reese's second birthday last Tuesday, two extra candles were added for Diego, a little two-year old boy in Mexico. My four-year old daughter obviously understands more about our intentions in this regard than Reese and she made sure to include Diego's name in our birthday song.
Thanks again for sharing.
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Justine Cooper
- Posts: 775
- Joined: Thu Jan 12, 2006 10:12 am
- Location: Lakewood
Gary,
I never heard that guilt was love seeking action! That will be on my mind all day now! I was going to tell Ivor that guilt is a waste of our good energy! But some guilt pushes us towards better things sometimes!
Ivor,
Most of us could fill up a library of books of "regrets" and "mistakes" that we have made along the way. But the truth is, they are not mistakes if we learn from them, and grow from them. You made a choice that day to not donate for a reason inside you, and since that day, you have changed and grown immensely. You are so ahead of your years. There are a lot of teenagers who can't get past immediate gratification to even spend the time pondering things like that. I was one of them and it took me a lot longer than you to get it!
I hope that you can focus on the amazing qualities that you possess, and they did not evolve from a sheltered or gifted life, but in spite of circumstances no family should have to go through. Donating is not always dollars anyway. It is the time, energy, and heart that you put into life.
All,
Thank you for heartwarming stories amidst another American tragedy in Virginia.
I never heard that guilt was love seeking action! That will be on my mind all day now! I was going to tell Ivor that guilt is a waste of our good energy! But some guilt pushes us towards better things sometimes!
Ivor,
Most of us could fill up a library of books of "regrets" and "mistakes" that we have made along the way. But the truth is, they are not mistakes if we learn from them, and grow from them. You made a choice that day to not donate for a reason inside you, and since that day, you have changed and grown immensely. You are so ahead of your years. There are a lot of teenagers who can't get past immediate gratification to even spend the time pondering things like that. I was one of them and it took me a lot longer than you to get it!
I hope that you can focus on the amazing qualities that you possess, and they did not evolve from a sheltered or gifted life, but in spite of circumstances no family should have to go through. Donating is not always dollars anyway. It is the time, energy, and heart that you put into life.
All,
Thank you for heartwarming stories amidst another American tragedy in Virginia.
"Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive" Dalai Lama