The evening air was pleasant as our group walked down the streets in the red light district of Tijuana. As we walked around downtown Tijuana we were praying for the city and the people we met. Occasionally we would hand out tracks printed in Spanish to prostitutes and homeless, and invite them to come get free hot chocolate and cookies.
Two things happened that struck me. The first was as we came to an intersection. A man, who looked homeless, was pushing a shopping cart full of wooden and plastic crates. He started to cross the street and as he did so his cart leaned over to one side and three crates fell off the top of his pile. I stepped up and picked up two of the crates that fell. “What the f**k did you do that for?” was not the response that I was expecting but was what I received! The man continued to say something but I couldn’t understand if it was English or Spanish that he was speaking. My friend gave him a tract and invited him for hot chocolate and cookies. I didn’t see him again but what struck me was the way he reacted to a simple act of kindness. Either he was drunk or he was not used to kindness or it could have been both. The fact that it could be he was not used to being treated with kindness filled me with sadness and a wish to be able to reach out to him and people like him more.
The second thing that happened reminded me how unfair this world is. Our group stopped to talk to a young woman and her daughter who were begging on the street. The mother looked worried; you could see it written on her face and in her eyes. You could see the daily struggle to support her family in the thin smile she gave you to be polite, and the slump of her shoulders as people walked by without noticing. Her beautiful little daughter was full of life when we visited with her. Guadalupe was her name and she had a beautiful smile that reached up into her eyes! She seemed so happy as she showed me her shawl that covered her shoulders and as she played peek-a-boo around her mother. She was so excited about hot chocolate that my friend Amy could not understand her because her words turned into gibberish. Seeing such an innocent sweet child light up with an act of kindness made my day. Knowing that we can affect adults and children with simple acts of kindness is an encouragement to us all. Anyone can encourage someone by a simple act of kindness. It may make their day you never know!
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
The Story of Big Tree
There was once a tree whose name was Big Tree. Now Big Tree was the biggest tree in the whole forest. His braches were wide and strong they did not drop like other trees. His trunk was wide and hard and the home to many different types of creatures. The top of Big Tree was so high that you would get a crick in your neck from the straining to see the top.
One day a family moved into the forest because they could not afford a place in the cities or the towns. Big Tree saw this family. He saw how the mother and father were clothed in rags and would try to scrounge food for their two small children. Big Tree saw how the meagre food that they found the parents would give to their children and eat the scrapes themselves. Even with giving their children the larger portions of food the children were still sick and weak from malnutrition.
Big Tree felt the cold north wind come one day and new that winter was coming. He felt fear for the first time in a long time. Big Tree hadn’t felt fear since he was a little sprout of a tree, when he was just coming into the world. Big Tree did not fear for himself but for the family who lived under his broad branches.
Big Tree gave up all of his leaves to give the family warm beds for the coming winter. He stood naked in the forest his beautiful branches bare. He stood open and vulnerable. The cold wind grew harsher and brought more cold with it all the time. Big Tree realized that the leaves were not enough. The family had run out of wood already. They could not find any more wood to burn to cook and to keep warm at night. Big Tree knew what he had to do.
One night with the north wind howling he let go of the ground with his mighty roots. He let himself fall to the ground with a crash! The creatures who lived in his trunk went scurrying in all directions. His once mighty form would now be burned for firewood by the family. The other trees of the forest watched as his once grand height now was being chopped up and burned in the fire. Some did not understand why Big Tree would do such a thing, some thought it was an inspiring sacrifice and others were mad that the family would do such a thing to their friend. But Big Tree knew what he was doing; he knew he did the right thing.
All winter long the fire burned to keep the family warm and fed. Big Tree’s mighty size helped the family make it through the winter. His ashes rose into the sky and were carried throughout the world until all the trees in all the forests new of Big Tree’s sacrifice. When spring came and the family moved on the forest was surprised by what rose out of the ashes. Fed by the nutrients of the ash from Big Tree a little sprout came up after the spring rains. The forest was happy that there friend came back to be with them!
One day a family moved into the forest because they could not afford a place in the cities or the towns. Big Tree saw this family. He saw how the mother and father were clothed in rags and would try to scrounge food for their two small children. Big Tree saw how the meagre food that they found the parents would give to their children and eat the scrapes themselves. Even with giving their children the larger portions of food the children were still sick and weak from malnutrition.
Big Tree felt the cold north wind come one day and new that winter was coming. He felt fear for the first time in a long time. Big Tree hadn’t felt fear since he was a little sprout of a tree, when he was just coming into the world. Big Tree did not fear for himself but for the family who lived under his broad branches.
Big Tree gave up all of his leaves to give the family warm beds for the coming winter. He stood naked in the forest his beautiful branches bare. He stood open and vulnerable. The cold wind grew harsher and brought more cold with it all the time. Big Tree realized that the leaves were not enough. The family had run out of wood already. They could not find any more wood to burn to cook and to keep warm at night. Big Tree knew what he had to do.
One night with the north wind howling he let go of the ground with his mighty roots. He let himself fall to the ground with a crash! The creatures who lived in his trunk went scurrying in all directions. His once mighty form would now be burned for firewood by the family. The other trees of the forest watched as his once grand height now was being chopped up and burned in the fire. Some did not understand why Big Tree would do such a thing, some thought it was an inspiring sacrifice and others were mad that the family would do such a thing to their friend. But Big Tree knew what he was doing; he knew he did the right thing.
All winter long the fire burned to keep the family warm and fed. Big Tree’s mighty size helped the family make it through the winter. His ashes rose into the sky and were carried throughout the world until all the trees in all the forests new of Big Tree’s sacrifice. When spring came and the family moved on the forest was surprised by what rose out of the ashes. Fed by the nutrients of the ash from Big Tree a little sprout came up after the spring rains. The forest was happy that there friend came back to be with them!
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