I was won over
pretty quickly, but being the dutiful (and scared that I might end up sleeping on the couch or in the garage) husband, I kept to the party
line. “We don’t need a dog.” Eventually, Kim wore down too.
And Bailey came
into our life. A beautiful Golden
Retriever. Two years old. Housebroken.
And near death.
When we picked
Bailey up, we could easily count her ribs.
She was more than shy, more than timid.
She was afraid. Noises. Quick movements. If I took off my belt, she’d run. It was weeks before we realized she could
bark. She was silent. Quiet.
Almost sullen. And like I said,
afraid. Neither Kim nor I said it out loud, but we didn’t think Bailey would
last more than one or two weeks. If
that.
The Vet said she’d
be fine, though she was malnourished. Started
her on a regimen of pills. Vaccinations.
Food. Water. Mostly love.
Now?
Still timid,
mostly with men and boys. Playful. Protective. Sleeps in Emily’s room, though Kim is her
favorite. Funny how that happens!
As a counselor
and teacher, I saw many kids like Bailey.
Afraid. Malnourished- not only from a lack of food and
clothes, but from a lack of care, of compassion, of love. One as sad as the next.
Without Hope.
When we would
have visitors in California, I enjoyed being tour guide. One of the places they wanted to see was
Hollywood Boulevard. There was a major discrepancy
in what they imagined it looked like and what it actually looked like. Gone was
the glamour, the elegance, the money.
Instead, dark, dirty, grungy. Run
down.
I remember
following one street kid. Probably late
teens, early twenties. Walked
quickly. Some popcorn had spilled on the
sidewalk and without breaking stride, he reached down and scooped up some with
his right hand and shoved it into his mouth.
A few steps later, there was a half-eaten Twinkie. Again without breaking stride, he scooped it
up and ate it. How hungry he must have
been.
It’s been years
since I watched that young man. As I
write this, I can still see it happen. I
see him. I picture other kids like him.
I’ve always
wondered what his life . . . their life . . . was like that would chase them
out of their homes and onto the street.
How bad it must have been.
Certainly no
love. No Care. No Compassion. No . . . Hope?
A rather
one-sided view, I’m sure. Don’t know the
reasons these kids landed on the street.
Just that they are there.
Existing, not living. Functioning
day to day, night to night. Surviving.
You know, I
believe in kids. Always have. Their resilience. Their toughness. Their ‘smarts’.
I think as
adults, beyond food and shelter, beyond clothes and a place to sleep, we need
to give our kids a future. We need to
give our kids lessons of love, of compassion.
We need to care. We need to help
them understand that they have a place in life, in our homes, in our hearts.
We need to give
them The Gift Of Hope. For it is with
The Gift Of Hope where our children see their future, our belief in them. Without The Gift Of Hope, there are no
dreams. There are no wishes. There is no future. Hope gives our children a chance, an opportunity. We need to do this for our children, for
ourselves. We need to do this. Something to think about . . .
Live Your Life,
and Make A Difference!
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Thank you for your comment. I welcome your thought. Joe