That thought flitted through my mind tonight, watching all
the youngsters leaving school. Not the world wise, friend centric Emily's, in
high school, but the pre-teens and barely teens in middle school, the Laura's,
who still run up the stairs two at a time and can walk five blocks to art
class, thank you very much, Grandma.
Watching for Laura to come from her after school jazz band
practice tonight, I saw Liam come out and begin scanning the parking lot. Liam,
Joe’s skippy little brother, whose mother was thrilled to find Laura in band,
too, and we could car pool into their high school future.
I texted his mother at once, Is Liam in jazz band? I just saw him. I’d be happy to bring him home in
future.
Laura appeared, put her stuff in the back and herself in the
front. She was well into describing some new rhythm when my phone beeped, and I
asked her to check. Laura read He is!!!!
Wow..that would be SO helpful, Joanne!! I have been running out of work for the
past two days!!!!! Can I give you gas money?
Tears started, but I didn't let them fall. Laura wondered if
she should answer and I said No, I’d catch it when we got home. “So, what other
songs are you learning for your concert?”
Back at home I replied Don’t be silly! It only makes sense. He
already knows me; just tell him I’m in the front row for a faster getaway.
WooHoo.
The answer Laura read caught me up short and took me
straight back to the days Beth started school, and I was a working mom.
Apparently moms were not to work back then because the school bus that took her
from home in the morning would not drop her at the day care center after
kindergarten. We sued them and lost; I’m paraphrasing, but the answer was they
did not have to and so would not.
Beth spent kindergarten at my parents, going to Forest
Hill, the last class of Mrs. Pollock, my kindergarten teacher. The next year,
in first grade, I left work every day to pick her up and take her to day care
and go back to work. When Shelly started school I employed the local cab
company to take her from school to day care.
I know our problems are our own to solve. On the other hand,
if there’s something to be done, step up and help, if possible. My parents did,
why don't we? I know Liam and Joe’s mom is a single mother, a school teacher,
an English teacher. I’m happy to make her task a little easier by a two block
detour.
And now I will stop, and leave the question the news brings
to me every day for the universe to ponder—how are we raising so many young
people who believe senseless and brutal murdering can improve their world.
Last year
the world breaks my heart almost daily
ReplyDeleteand lack of any human kindness, look at a computer or phone screen and drive off into the sunset, I wonder so often what will happen in the future, are we ancient monoliths to even wonder such things.
ReplyDeletealtruism has been turned into a dirty word I guess. people are getting arrested for giving the homeless food.
ReplyDeleteThe world is filled with good things
ReplyDeleteYou are an example of this
The description of Liam as "Joes's skippy little brother" is brilliant.
ReplyDeleteAnd isn't it wonderful that you can finally do for someone else what you needed yourself at one time?
I often despair - and am also often brought up short with the reminder that there ARE people who care. People like you - who reach out when they can and are bringing up people to understand that we are all in this together.
ReplyDeleteThank you for being who you are.
Thanks above, you all are very kind. I think the broad issue is how can we let children go to schools with no good books, good music, good teachers. How can be permit there to be an economy without jobs, that turns their parents hard and desperate and uncaring. How can we be so uncaring we are throwing away our world and our children. What can turn the tide.
ReplyDeleteHari OM
ReplyDeleteEach little act of thoughtfulness fights back. Each little act of love, heals. It has ever been thus. YAM xx
How did we get to this? I ask myself every day,then see what many people view as important...then I understand exactly how we got here.
ReplyDeleteJane x
It only makes sense to car pool and help out like this whenever possible. I'm glad you were able to help Liam's mom.
ReplyDeleteI don't know about this world. It is sad how it is going.
betty
I avoid bad news, but sometimes I have to face up to it. It breaks my heart.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
I think Yam's comment sums up how I feel, too. We do what we can within our own areas of influence. And there are many good things being done by people everywhere - it just doesn't make the news very often, but it's there.
ReplyDeleteI love John's answer. I see the world with despair sometimes, but nothing will stop me from hoping for the best. Most people in this world of ours only want food and shelter and a good tomorrow for their children. How do we allow those few bad guys (governments and mean people) to put what we know is right and good in jeopardy. There are more of us then them so do not lose hope.
ReplyDeleteLovely of you to help out with Liam, people like you make the world go round.
ReplyDeleteyour last paragraph makes me sad though. What has gone wrong with young people today?
Are they left too much alone because parents need to work 24/7 to make ends meet?
I feel your sadness but the only response I can think of is - I just don't know.
ReplyDeleteOh, I know bits and pieces like gun lobby thinking, send children With no parents back to Mexico or the build pipelines for money in spite of it destroying our environment, etc. the world has turned mad for money.
What was it you told me on the veteran post? Wasn't it something along the line of it being inevitable that someone would stop and help, and 'you did'?
ReplyDeleteBack atcha.
Despair leads to more despair... toss the stone of kindness into the pond, then try to follow the ripples.
there are enough of us who believe in kindness and a helping hand....we shall overcome
ReplyDeleteQuestions like that make the heart bleed Joanne. No sooner one conflict ends than another begins.
ReplyDeleteIt's a strange world we're living in now. When I was a child living in Oakland, CA the murder of 1 college student horrified the whole state. Now murders are a daily occurrence. We live near Savannah, GA which is not a big city, about 100,000 people. Since last Friday there have been 12 shootings, including the murder of a 2 year old child.
ReplyDeleteThis is not the country I grew up in.
Yam said it all; it is the little acts of thoughtfulness and love. A week ago I was standing in line at our local grocers and a very young woman was being chastised by the teller, she had to remove some of her items because of the cost and her lack of money. “If you can’t afford them then you should not have them in your cart, holding all these customers up”. I was appalled by this lack of caring and stepped forward and told her to put the items on the counter that I was paying for everything. When it was my turn I said nothing to the rude teller even though I would like to have given him a real lashing.
ReplyDeleteI think your silence was beautiful. I doubt the cashier even knew what had happened.
DeleteIt might have been a good thing to talk to the teller's supervisor. An attitude like that probably is not in the company business plan. Good for you, Doc, for helping out that young woman.
DeleteOh my goodness!! That cashier was in the wrong, he needs a session or two of retraining, I hope somebody reported him. Speaking to customers like that is just not allowed. I worked checkout for many years and the number one rule is respect your customers.
DeleteYam has put it all in a nutshell.
ReplyDeleteI know there is no easy answer, we are only able to look after our own and make sure they know the world can be a evil place and to be on their guard, you are doing a good job as are so many others.
ReplyDeleteMerle............
Maybe because we hear/see so much about these violence crazy acts, children get use to them? Nobody should ever get use to violence. Of course, news about a tragedy needs to be released but not in the manner it's done today. Also, it would help if more effort was spent by the media following up on the situations related to the violence. Violence is not new to the world. We should still never accept it and always try to reduce it.
ReplyDeleteVery thoughtful of you to help that family. You are one of the kind persons of the world needs more of.
It seems to me that the less one haves, the less one gets in life. I'm so pleased to hear you've made someone's life easier. As you say, it's such a simple thing, but to her, it's life changing and tales some of her stress away. Stress is such a destructive thing. I always feel very reticent about asking for help but, when I do, people invariable give it without any problem.
ReplyDeleteSo good of you to help, Joanne. Today, I think, there often is a neglect and open disinterest: when I see a parent with a baby buggy, talking into their cellphone, child utterly ignored and overlooked, my heart bleeds (the child learns its lesson, I am sure of that: thinking I am less worthy than a machine). Hustle, bad language, egoism -- a long list. Feeling of having not enough consumer goods - though what they really need is attention and love - not the 110th gimmick.
ReplyDeleteBut then I see such a lot of other people doing good, spending time (in the way of "giving", as a present), and I am happy again.
Oh, this whole post is just a heart-flipper. To be in a place, literally and metaphorically, to pay forward something you didn't get (help with the dance of work versus driving kids around), well, that's tear worthy, indeed.
ReplyDeleteYour closing question is, of course, so complicated. My little world is outrageously free of violence and kids who have the internal struggles and external evils that might make them violent; it leaves me ill equipped to understand the sources of violence, really. Then I go to work, and I see, in my college classroom, so many students who are tough, angry, ready to lash out, and it breaks my heart.