So many young children out there who face fear, homelessness, abuse, neglect and abandonment right now.
Right now as many of us are heading off to church. We have lunch in the oven or are planning on going out. We will get to come home to our safe homes and rest and refuel for the week.
Right now I know children who are waking up wondering...what will I eat. Who is here? What kind of mood is so and so going to wake up in. They lie in bed with their hyper vigilant ears and senses waiting for the first signs of the day. The different sounds of footsteps and voices. The feelings. The moods.
Right now children are waking up to another invisible day where they walk as ghost throughout our lives. Wanting attention and avoiding it. Seeking love and shoving away. Wanting someone anyone to let them know that they are valuable.
But...we are going to our buildings of worship and back to our safe homes. We eat at restaurants and don't look the waiter/waitress in the eye and leave token tips or none if they didn't bring us our favorite drink refill. Who cares that they were beat up or worked another job all night and are worried who they had to leave their kids with.
My brother was left at age 3 in a hotel room for three days alone. His Mom forgot about him. He survived on water left in a sink and a bag of popcorn. No one wanted him. He hoarded food and kept people right outside his heart. He wanted love but found it difficult to accept.
The human brain is an amazing creation. Built for love and relationship. Built for connections and attachment. Built for great capacity. All it needs is nurture, time and engagement, structure and challenge all within a loving relationship. We take for granted that the work we do of feeding and providing for our children is a critical act of nurture. Or looking them in the eye rewires the brain patterns.
The brain also has shown great capacity for healing and recovery. Ready to be changed by nurture, attention and unconditional love.
What if I told you that you could make a life long and eternal difference in the life of a child this summer? To support, volunteer, provide and love a child in a week of camp. This week provides one on one attention, encouragement and support.
I trained last year and saw changes happen. My life will never be the same.
Please check out Royal Family Kids and see if there is a camp in your area. http://www.royalfamilykids.org/site
We can't save the world but we have the absolute power and responsibility to impact one child. One life changed.
So as we get our families off to places of worship this morning and we fill rows of neat and dressed up pews. Please don't turn your eyes away from the children right outside your door.
That brings to mind a little girl (well she is right between the ages of my kids...so probably 11). She says her mom died of cancer. If we are out in the yard or getting in the car when she is getting off the bus she always stops us and asks us what time it is. She doesn't want to go home until she absolutely has to. One day I saw her sitting in a field reading. Which isn't a bad thing until I start thinking she REALLY doesn't want to go home. I remember after school WANTING to go home....so this breaks my heart. We try and talk to her each time we see her and she is always in my prayers.
ReplyDeleteBless you Joy! Those little things can make BIG differences!
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