I know that my child is well off.
We're not rich, by any means. We're still in the post college, young years of marriage, just "starting out". Our car has 126000 miles on it, we don't own a home, (yet.) We rent. But she has everything she needs, and then some. We have an endless supply of love to give her, and most of all, we're happy.
Her room could rival that of any other little girl as to the content of Barbie dolls, stuffed animals, and hair ribbons.
Her days are filled with the basics, learning to read and write, ballet classes, reading stories, even watching some cartoons. She is learning every day.
Lately, she's learned a few things I wish that she hadn't had to. Like when we turned on the tv the morning of September 11th and I gasped, my hand rushing to my mouth to stifle my urge to scream as I saw a jumbo jet fly, full speed, into the South tower of the World Trade Center.
A lesson that began with the innocent question, "Mommy, what happened to the airplane?"
That first painful inquiry was only to be her first, followed by many more questions.
"What about the people in the building? What about their kids? What about the firemen?"
Heartbreaking answers were all I have had to give, and I tempered them as best I could with love and reassurance.
Other lessons have included her learning the words to God Bless America, along with me, her mother, who never learned them because of growing up a JW. She sings them now, loudly, proud as can be at the top of her little, healthy lungs. And on key, too.
But with all the lessons she's learned recently, I didn't imagine that she'd teach me one herself.
Today, she surprised me.
It was my first opportunity to tell her about President Bush's request that every child put a dollar in an envelope and send it in to the fund for Afghan children. When I told her, the words weren't even finished passing my lips when she turned, bounced up the stairs and then called back "Mom, I can't reach my bank!"
I explained that coins don't travel well through mail machinery, so she opened up her little plastic Mickey Mouse wallet and pulled out some money.
I asked her if she'd like to put a note in with her money. She said yes, and since she is still learning to spell, I asked her what she would like it to say. She replied, "I want to help the children, and the other human beings, the grown ups too."
I explained that it'd be hard to fit that all in, and said "How about saying that you wanted to help the kids?"
So she took her favorite gel pens, chose a different color for every word, and slowly set about fashioning her letter. In the end, it came out in sweet, childish block text with each word a different rainbow hue. Her simple message made me cry, and I wonder about the look that will be on the face of the person who opens it and sees her heartfelt plea:
"I WANT TO HELP THE CHILDREN."
Her words were followed by a large number 5 (her age, for another few months) and the date, 10-16-01. On the other side of the page, she wrote her full name in huge letters, and drew a very large red heart.
I know that all parents are proud of their children. Today, I felt a pride that I never could have imagined. In her little gesture to want to help her fellow beings, she gave me so much hope for the future.
I heard today that they've already gathered 90,000 dollars in contributions from America's children. Surely, it's "nothing" compared to the hundreds of millions that the government is spending, but...
...as far as giving me hope for the future, for all of us, and most of all for children who are being told over and over by JW parents (like my ex husband) that they should pay no mind to the suffering around them...it made me so glad to know that she's getting a different message.
If our children can learn from the mistakes of their elders...maybe there will be a better future.
The goodness in the heart of children never ceases to amaze me.
With the love of this child with a huge heart, and my husband by my side, I was reminded today of something that I have known a long time.
That I am one of the richest women in the world.