Perspective

I love my kids, but there are times that I think all my efforts of trying to teach them empathy and compassion are lost. I was reminded today that they are really decent people and some of the lessons are sinking in.

There was a house fire a few blocks away yesterday. We don't know the family, but some of our friends do. A family with 5 children lost their home and probably nearly all their possessions. I can't even imagine the stress they are feeling. They are all safe and I'm so grateful for firefighters that kept the fire from spreading to other homes in the neighborhood.

Since some of our friends know the family, I asked what they needed. Clothes are the immediate need. They have insurance and will be able to recover from this, however, there are things they will need right away. I went through our boxes of clothes and found a lot we could share. I had talked to the boys about how the family must be feeling. They realized that the kids can't sleep in their beds anymore. They are essentially homeless for the time being. I asked them if they had any toys they would be willing to share with them. Matthew was focused on this family for most of the day. He found a few toys and wanted to share some of his gemstones with them. He asked about the kids' ages and then made a picture book for them. He didn't put any words in it so the youngest child (a 3 year old) could still enjoy it. He picked a special blanket of his to give to them. I think he wanted to present everything to them in person, but we dropped it off at someone else's home to deliver.

I was so proud of Matthew's desire to help people he had never met. Sean expressed sympathy several times too as we discussed what it must be like to have a fire destroy your home and the things in it. I was truly touched to see their loving, compassionate hearts today.