Our Family Helping Others

We believe that it is important for our son and daughter to know how important it is to give others. So we planned to make school kits that the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance gives away to children who are not as fortunate as we are. My wife bought the school supplies during the regular school shopping spree for our own; collecting those sale items that she knows will be needed later or next year. She also labored in making cloth bags to the right specifications, complete with handles and we spoke about how this would be a great family activity. I mean it is the beginning of school, they got some new school supplies and now other children and young people would be equipped too.

The day was set, the assembly line was readied and our son and daughter were called. Well, we called them, but they didn’t hear us. One was on the computer playing Minecraft with headphones on, while the other was in her room in another part of the house watching her favorite “ihasCupquake” YouTube video, with headphones on. No problem, a more direct request with a louder voice which was the point when some grumbling and gnashing of teeth began, first with our own and then with us.

Speaking through our smile, teeth showing, while sharing how this is helping those not as fortunate, the good graces with us didn’t last long. There was a whine here and a “Why do we have to do this?” there and all through both of them connected to some device with a screen. Our Son had reluctantly gotten off the computer – he may have been playing Minecraft with this friends, skyping them as they play on the same server, now he had replaced the desktop with his Kindle. Plug out – Plug In, you guessed it with his headphones on and our daughter had just walked in with Kindle in hand wearing her headphones. Then the bumping into each other began and the attempt to be the first one to complete a bag and . . .

Needless to say, our family service project didn’t go as planned.

Sometimes our best attempts are foiled, but at least we did it. We took the step to help others and now children and young people will have school supplies. My hope is that when our children grow up that they will at the least have a vague memory that we helped others and that’s what we are supposed to do.

http://www.pcusa.org/site_media/media/uploads/pda/pdfs/giftofheartcontents.pdf