I need to make this entry short today, and I’m pretty sure that my new friends, Kim and Danna, will appreciate my reasoning. My daughter just walked away from me, after wanting us to watch a YouTube that is important to her, I responded in regrettable fathering, saying, “Give me a minute, you know how I am when I am writing.”
She is a great kid, “I know daddy, just your saying that a lot lately. I’ll show it to you when your done,” and off she goes to her household activities.
Hit’s a direct bulls eye at the core of my heartstrings, and after this evenings interview, I know where I need to be – ASAP: With my daughter.
Both Kim and Danna have this wish for the future and for the world, “We wish for the family to be restored.”
For both of these women of service, family is of the utmost importance. And I am certain that if they were here, they would peel me from my keypad. So with that said, I’m sharing with you cliff notes from our interview.
Regarding “women of service:”
I meet Kim and Danna outside of a supermarket where they are contributing their time to teen challenge international (www.teenchallenge.org), an amazing organization that has, to date, changed the lives of over 86,769 teens struggling to escape the tragic grasp of drugs. I find it kind of interesting to run into them after yesterday’s comments from Lauren regarding the devastating effects of addiction.
For five days a week they are either camped, as they are tonight, in one place, or going door to door in raising donations for the efforts of the organization.
What drives them to give such an enormous amount of their time to the cause?
To quote Kim, “We all need to find time to let go of ourselves, and realize everyone is of value, and we need to learn to put others before us. We have an obligation.”
A very spiritual person, Kim goes on to share this in her council to the world, “Be still and know he is God.”
Danna smiles at Kim, “Oh I like that! It’s the truth, and very simple, he’s going to handle it, we can rest in that.”
I’ve always had a bit of an issue with grace, I believe in it, but feel that we also have to do the works in life. If we do good, we receive good; I we are tolerant, we are accepted; If we give service, we receive sustenance; and so forth.
So in meeting Kim and Danna, my notion is confirmed: Two good people doing what they do in one shared purpose, and they are putting their actions where their hearts are.
I am inspired!
Kim expounds with this thought, “It’s cooler to see a lot of people doing a little, than a few people doing a lot.”
So I ask myself, “Am I doing my part? …I hope so.”
Both Kim and Danna combine their voices in making this plea, “That any of us with hearts of stone, work to turn them to hearts of flesh.”
Here is one observation I make that may shed some light on the heart of flesh thing.
As we are talking, both Kim and Danna are actively engaged in hellos to all who pass, most of whom either contribute, or, at least, are open and friendly to the message of these two selfless women.
But every now and then comes a person who is belligerent or dismissingly rude, some even physically showing signs of repulsion to even look at either Kim, Danna or myself.
I ask us this. “Of the above mentioned, which passer byes carry the hearts of flesh, and who is burdened with the stone?”
It seems to me we can all dodge the stone arteries with even the simplest of gestures; old school stuff like, hello, a smile, or sadly, the lesser and lesser used, thank you.
Perfect timing, my little chef has just come up to me, “Daddy, want noodles?” I forgot to tell you, she is a nine-year old epicurean.
I’m off to the dining room.
Until tomorrow, my friends.