 |
 |
 |
 |
|
teachers
egypt story
egypt story 2
peace
smile
happyNEVER FORGETMeaning of Numbers|
|
| ||||||
 The Best Trade I ever made or The Gift of Giving Author: Earth Angel Atira, Seattle WA Mary Ellen and I have been friends for many years. I ask her to save the small hotel shampoos and soaps when she travels on her book tour. I use the shampoos and soaps in care packages I make for street children when I travel to Egypt on business once a year. The packages also contain a sparkly pencil, a small toy, and some candy. On my last trip I found a great buy on small toy cars so 22 bags each had one. Each day, in Cairo, I would carry some of these packages with me and look for a worthy child. One day as I started out to face the streets of teeming humanity in Cairo I went down a small and narrow street (about the width of 2 door jams). The temperature was 105 degrees and I was moving slower than usual. I was taking note of the people around me. My eyes where drawn to three small boys ranging from 6-8 years old. The three poor, tattered and dirty children were sitting barefoot in the street ... their heads were bent down...concentrating on a piece of cardboard with many lines drawn on it. As I watched these youngsters I tried to figure out what game they playing. It looked like a cross between checkers and backgammon obviously their own home-made version with bottle caps. I thought how ingenious, that even with so little they had created something to give them so much joy. I slowly walked up to the children, reached my hand out, palm up, and pointed to their game. I requested in my street Arabic "Give me that," meaning give me one of the bottle caps. A small head looked up at me, then at the cap, and then at my outstretched hand and then slowly reluctantly picked up a bottle cap and put it in my palm. I turned it over and looked at it carefully as if to examine it as a priceless gem. I nodded my head approvingly and smiled, put the bottle cap in my pocket, then reached into my tote bag and drew out the carefully made care package and handed it to him. His eyes grew wide as he accepted the bag. I then reached my hand out, palm out, to the next child who quickly drew up the closest bottle cap to him and popped it with great speed into my palm. I then repeated looking at it, accepted it, and gave him a bag of his own. I then extended my hand to the third child. He had been very quiet as he looked on, seeing his friends benefit from giving up something from their game. This child carefully looked over his cherished bottle caps. Some were in very poor condition, others were newer and shiny. This child chose carefully, selecting his very best bottle cap, and handed it to me, turning his big brown eyes up as if to say, "I am giving you my best." It took all my strength to hold back the tears at his gesture. Up until now I had been enjoying the game....of giving. But this child had just shown me what giving truly meant. I once again carefully examined his cap, placing it in my pocket beside the other two. I gave him his bag and slowly moved across the street to collect myself. He had touched me deeply. I turned and looked back at the three small boys playing in the street as small boys around the world play with toy cars. As I watched, an Arab man attending his shop said, "Madam, these are good boys. Poor, but good. "There is not enough work and they are too young so there are too few ways for them to earn money, even for basic needs. "This is a kind thing you have done." Four days later, I again had to walk down the same street for my business connections. A strange thing happened. I was treated with great respect by all the shopkeepers. I can only assume more than one shopkeeper had looked on that other day and word had spread about the kindness given to the small children. Yet, it brought a smile to my face. They were the best trades I had ever made! In trading, they were not made to feel poor: they were giving and receiving something, and they were not begging. They were just children who had so little and gave so much. NOTE: on my arrival in Seattle I shared this story with my girlfriend Chris who is a girl guide leader and she said they would make the baggies a troup project for my next trip. "No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted." Aesop |
 Sign Guestbook |
 View Guestbook |
 lindamaupi@webtv.net |
|
. |
| Visitors: 00544 |