To have the power to do good is a privilege. Some can meet emotional needs. On the other hand, I have always been better at meeting concrete needs. Don’t call me when you need a shoulder to cry on. You call me when you need money to pay for your rent, a medical emergency, or a birthday gift for someone. I’m good at that. I don’t want to hear how you had a terrible day at work, I don’t want to deal with your moodiness, and I definitely don’t want to hear how I need to change. Just take the good and accept the bad. There is an inherent selfishness in all of us. It’s human nature.
For many years, I had the power to meet concrete needs. Then, for several years, I lost that power. Now, I am on the verge of obtaining it again, and it feels good. I met new children on this trip to Ukraine. Eva and her brother Dennis, whose mom died recently and, left them alone in the world. Alina, who loves to text me just to say hello, and many others. They were so grateful for the Christmas gifts and so happy about the activities. To see the joy on their faces was worth all the money in the world. I don’t doubt that some selfish need within me gives that satisfaction, some desire for meaning and purpose in this life when I could be kidding myself. Countless children have suffered long before I took some orphan children to a trampoline Park, and countless more will suffer after I’m gone. What good is a pair of shoes or dinner at a pizza place? But I can hope that I made their lives better for one moment in time. If I give “a cup of cold water,” it means something. Let’s face it; the stats are not favorable for these kids after graduating from the orphanage. Drugs and homelessness are real possibilities for some of them. Sometimes, our attempts at real change are successful through adoption or long-term sponsorship, but for every kid saved, several more fall through the cracks. I’m left with the hope that small things do make a difference.
