Question of the Day

On my walk to school the other day I was approached by one of the Primary school boys who I have started to befriend. He is a VERY sweet and timid boy who I have taken a liking to. His kind nature makes him very easy to be around and he has begun to feel comfortable around me and so, unlike some of the more shy students, he has started chatting with me. As we and the other fellows and students walked down the dirt path to the school, "B" (for privacy I will give only the students initials) tugged on my skirt and asked me a question. "Sister, may I ask you a question", he asked. (Some of the students think I am a nun and so they refer to me as a sister, though I have told them I am not, I don't think they understand. Most of their encounters with white women have been nuns.) "Yes B.Of course you can ask me a question", I responded. B looked up at me with all the innocents in the world and asked, "How do children in America survive?" He stopped me dead in my tracks. How do I answer that? How did his little twelve year old brain conceive that question? What has he experienced in his life to have a thought like that even come into his realm of reality? I thought for a moment and decided to answer him as honestly as I could. I told "B" that I was a very blessed child and I had both of my parents and grandparents to raise me.  They brought me up and took care of my needs.  "B" nodded and looked at the ground. I also explained to him that there are children in America, similar to him, who are raised by other adults that are not their family members but who love them and care for them very much. "They, like my parents, only want what is best for you", I told him. I told "B" that we have to take the lessons that our loving care givers tell us and use them and hard work to succeed in life and that it can be hard for children all over the world to do that. "Did that answer your question?", I asked hopefully. "B" nodded again and walked by my side the rest of the way to school.

It is incredible the things these children have faced in their sweet young lives. So many of the children are dumb founded when they discover that myself and the other fellows still have both of our parents alive and that we live with them. That concept is more foreign to them than the moon. And despite all that they still have hope and love and ambition. They generally have a good outlook on the world and dreams of succeeding in it. Much of that I give credit to the wonderful work done by their teachers, administrators and the Dominicans. These children are gifts! They are wonderfully insightful and have seen more hatred, anger and violence than I ever hope to in my life. Please keep them in your prayers.....