There are times I really have trouble with the higher power and the concepts of fate, destiny, whatever drives us beyond ourselves. It's hard enough to understand a god that would make Dad leave so early or make Les hurt. I can't think too hard about destiny, because I get thinking about Les being taken from me early somehow, because god will decide that he's hurt long enough, rather than find him a cure, and that's no way to live, I know, with that level of fear, so I bury it for the most part and press on. But still...
I read a blog called Two Frog Home, a nice lady who lives in Montana. She brought to my attention today a tragic story that I have to share, in the hopes it'll keep me from aching and raging at the unfairness of life and instead propel me toward service.
The little girl is Hanna Cini. Last year, at the ripe old age of 5, she watched a commercial on TV, one of those feed the children ads, and in a dream that night, thought about how in addition to food, those kids could benefit from having art supplies...a chance to make their worlds brighter amidst their despair. She voiced this to her mom, who ran with it, and together they created Hanna's Dream, a foundation dedicated to the collection of monies and supplies for arts and crafts for kids in poor communities. They shipped off their first load to Fiji last October.
Hanna died Friday 4/17 from injuries sustained in a car accident. Her mom and brother were also in the car; they are expected to recover. Six years old and her philanthropy had already changed lives. Godspeed, little one!
I just started drawing again. It's difficult, at my age, to draw when you've spent a lifetime telling yourself you suck at it. It's hard to create art from scratch, requires discipline and hope and faith. I'm going to keep trying, because I want to give my own (hopeful future) children a good taste of the arts firsthand, and now I'm also thinking about ways to spread the word about Hanna, so that more donations can be made to her foundation. If she's touched people as far as Fiji and Florida, imagine how much further we/they could stretch the message thanks to modern technology and a little elbow grease. Changing your little corner of the world...don't we all wish that a bit for ourselves? To accomplish it at age 6 is phenomenal and a testament to the human spirit.
3 comments:
You are an angel in our midst. Thank you for sharing Hanna's message. Together we can change the world in her memory.
Thanks so much for passing this story on..
and you keep drawing.
Dear friend, the God of creation and love does not cause death and pain. Accidents, disease, suffering were all introduced by His enemy and we have all participated in the brokenness of this world by making horrendous choices. Sometimes the choices directly impact our life, but sometimes we are hurt by decisions of our ancestors, just as our choices may very well cause great pain and suffering to our great-great-grandchildren. The garden was perfect and Heaven will be too, but this in-between stuff sucks. My heart goes out to you as you mourn the too-soon loss of your Dad (and Hanna) and the pain that your precious Les is suffering. You may find that love and comfort can come from the darndest places.
If you haven't read The Shack, pick up a copy and read it with hubby. God Bless You
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