I'm not going to write about the sea. My baby brother is always Screaming and being sick, my Dad keeps shouting at my Mom, and My big sister has just got pregnant, so I can't think what to write. (Amy, age 6)
What a tragic note from this little girl, Amy, age 6. It is the kind of notes that drew me from teaching to counseling. I interacted with so many warm funny and wonderful kids that had such thorny home situations that my heart was always on the verge of breaking.
Karen and I took two brothers home with us on Christmas one year because they, and their sisters, would have had no gifts and no celebration unless we reached out to them. Robert and Maurice came to school dirty, unkempt and unready to learn. Robert was pretty smart but Maurice was dead last in every subject I covered.
That was in 1961 in another state so I have no idea where they are or what they are doing. But I often think of Maurice and Robert and wonder if they ever rose above the multi-generational poverty they inherited along with the dark hair and round faces.
It was apparent that these boys were not only biological products of their parents, grand parents and great grandparents but also inherited their social and spiritual DNA. Back then I thought a visit to our church or Sunday school would quickly straighten them out but after a few years of trying to teach kids who got no support at home I lost some of my enthusiasm.
I learned over the years that such desperate homes leave emotional and spiritual scars that also keep their victims in chronic poverty. Yes, of course we can help some scape but turning such a long term situation into a positive mental, emotional and economic life style is very, very difficult.
The only hope is for Christians and churches to "adopt" a few families and keep them involved in positive activities so they can learn positive behaviors and habits. Add prayer for emotional healing and personal tutoring some of them will thrive. Rescuing just one family would be a wonderful thing.
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