I Wish I May, I Wish I Might…
It’s no secret that I have a heck of a lot of nieces and nephews. Between my two brothers, I’ve scrounged up a total of nine plus my adopted nephew, Joseph, equals ten. Being a “good” auntie seems to get harder every day, but I try.
I think it’s really important that these kids learn to understand how good their lives are in comparison to a lot of kids in the world. For the most part, they KNOW that. They KNOW that there’s some kid somewhere sleeping in an alley who hasn’t eaten in nine days. I want them to do more than “know”. I want them to feel that they can make a difference.
I was watching an episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition that brought me to tears. (I know what you’re thinking… they’re ALL like that. But this one was more than a mere tear-jerker for me. It was not a pretty sight!) It was about a woman who adopted three boys — two of whom were HIV-positive. She also had a son of her own. These kids talked about how life was so difficult for them simply because they were HIV-positive. Even the boys who did not have the virus were often ostracized because other kids assumed they were carriers and were contagious.
I thought it was really sad and started to wonder if any of my nieces and nephews would befriend these kids. I was very honest with myself and concluded that six of the ten probably would befriend them. Not bad, but could be better. My goal is to improve that.
In talking with the kids, we’re going to try a new tradition. We are going to work with the Make-A-Wish Foundation to make one child’s wish come true per year. We’re still working on the details, but I’m hoping that the kids learn the importance of helping those in need and genuinely begin to enjoy it.
Poverty is the topic for this year’s Blog Action Day and folks, we’re not as far from poverty as we think. Merriam-Webster defines poverty as the state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions. You don’t have to join the Peace Corps or do missionary work in a third-world country to have a hand in reducing poverty. We’re going to try and do something small to make a big difference in someone’s life and I hope you all do the same in one way, shape, or form.
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Hey Gem,
Great blog entry! I’m currently training to be a mentor to youth at risk. There’s a huge need for people that are willing to make a difference. So glad that you are one of them and your nieces & nephews are learning from their fabulous Aunt Gemma!
XOXO
@jenn. that’s awesome that you’re training for that. we’ll need to plan an event together or something. :)