FROM YOUR DEACON'S DESK            Sep 2008

LUCY
 

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When a tornado touched down in a small town up North, many families were left devastated. Afterward, all the local newspapers carried many human-interest stories featuring some of the families who suffered the most.

One Sunday, a particular picture especially touched me. A young woman stood in front of a totally demolished mobile home, an anguished expression twisting her features.

A  young boy, about seven years old, stood at her side with eyes downcast. Clutching at her skirt was a tiny girl who stared into the camera, eyes wide with confusion and fear.

The article that accompanied the picture gave the clothing sizes of each family member. With growing interest, I noticed that their sizes closely matched ours. This would be a good opportunity to teach my children to help those less fortunate than themselves.

I taped the picture of the young family to our refrigerator, explaining their plight to my seven-year-old twins, Brad an Brett, and to my three-year-old Meghan.

"We have so much, and these poor people now have nothing," I said. "We'll share what we have with them."

I brought three large boxes down from the attic and placed them on the living room floor. Meghan, my youngest, watched solemnly as his older brothers and I filled one of the boxes with canned goods and other nonperishable foods, soap and other assorted toiletries.

While I sorted through our clothes, I encouraged the boys to go through their toys and donate some of their less favorite things. Meghan watched quietly as her two older brothers piled up discarded toys and games.

"I'll help you find something for the little girl (one of the tornado victims in the newspaper photo) when I'm done with this," I said.

The boys placed the toys they had chosen to donate into one of the boxes while I filled the third box with clothes.

Meghan walked up with the newspaper photo pointing to Lucy's worn, faded, frazzled, much-loved rag doll that she hugged tightly to her chest.

She paused in front of the box that held the toys, picked up her rag doll, pressed her round little face into it's flat, painted-on-face, gave her a final kiss, then laid her gently on top of the other toys.

"Oh, honey," I said, "You don't have to give your rag doll, Lucy. After all, you love her so much."

Meghan nodded solemnly, eyes glistening with held-back tears.

"Lucy makes me happy, mom. Maybe she'll make that other little girl happy, too."

Swallowing hard, I stared at Meghan for a long moment, wondering how I could teach her two older brothers the lesson she had just taught me. Because, you see, I had just realized that anyone can give their cast-offs away; and that true generosity is giving that which you cherish most.

Honest benevolence is a three-year-old offering a treasured, albeit shabby rag doll to a little girl she doesn't even know with the hope that it will bring this child as much pleasure as it brought her.

I, who had wanted to teach, had been taught.

Meghan's two older brothers had watched, open-mouthed, as their baby sister placed her favorite rag doll in the box. Without a word, Brad rose and went to his room. He came back carrying one of his favorite action figures. He hesitated briefly, clutching the toy, then looked over at Meghan and placed it in the box next to Lucy.

A slow smile spread across Brett's face, then he jumped up, eyes twinkling as he ran to retrieve some of his prized Matchbox cars.

Amazed, I realized that the boys had also recognized what little Meghan's gesture meant. Swallowing back tears, I pulled all three of them into my arms.

Taking the cue from my little one, I removed my old tan jacket with the frayed cuffs from the box of clothes. I replaced it with the new hunter green jacket that I had bought the previous week. I hoped the young woman in the picture would love it as much as I did.

Listen. It's easy to give that which we don't want anymore, but harder to let go of something that we cherish, isn't it!!!

~Author Unknown~

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