Justin reminds readers it’s Christmas – a time for gift-giving.
As such Justin looks at orphans, foster children and victims of California
fires.
JRH 12/10/18
So readers, I’ve been using a seven year old laptop to fulfill the
old blogging habit. My lovely wife sprang for an upgrade.
I’m a relatively small-time blogger but with a consistently
growing readership despite some token censorship from the
liberal-oriented blog and social platforms.
Still looking to defray Christmas costs.
Whatever my readers can
chip in will be appreciated:
********************
Precious In His Sight
By Justin O. Smith
Sent 12/9/2018 4:58
PM
Take heed that ye despise not one
of these little ones; for I say unto you, that in Heaven their angels do always
behold the face of my Father which is in Heaven. ~ Matthew 18:10
Christmas Day is rapidly approaching for people all over the
world, but life and its joy and tragedies doesn't hold still for Americans, or
anyone, on that fact alone. In America, the wealthiest and most powerful nation
on earth, there is enough misery to go around for all. Although many are
suffering the physical ailments brought on by debilitating disease and old age
and seeing their deterioration and decline to a mere shadow of their former
selves hurts their loved ones deeply, and there are many thousands of Americans
suffering in poverty, or from homelessness, it is the plight of our children
that concerns me most this season.
Some may call it happenstance, but I like to think of it as
God moving Us to act, when we come in contact with great spiritually minded
people who have taken on a mission to help others. I had the opportunity to
meet just such a wonderful person, Ruth Meyer (Ruthie to her friends) who lives
in the Blackman Community of Rutherford County, TN., on December 7th, 2018, by
way of a casual question in Walmart and seeming chance.
Ruth's hat read "Mama Bear" and prompted me to ask
if that had anything to do with Sarah Palin. She told me "No" and
explained her husband had given it to her. And then she entered into one of the
most wonderful and precious stories I had heard in many a long year. She and
her husband had seven children, all of which she is very protective. Two are
their natural born children and five were adopted by them. They started this
eleven years ago, after Ruth was "called by God" and led her husband
to the same calling. And incredibly, she continued on to tell me that there
were many others involved in this effort, like the professional educators in
Smyrna, TN with four children of their own who recently adopted a sibling group
of seven from infant to seventeen years old.
As Ruth explained, "They almost always come to foster
care with absolutely nothing".
Today Ruth helps Shepherd's Closet, also known
as Foster Closet, here in Rutherford County, that is an organization
operated through the nonprofit Rutherford County Foster Parent Association (RCFPA) and serves to help clothe Rutherford County children in foster care; at-risk
children are also helped, but only through referrals. Since the children are
already going through such a hard time in their young lives, being uprooted
from their homes, Shepherd's Closet also does the best it can to provide
personal hygiene products, school supplies, toys backpacks and other items they
can call their own, and it receives some loving help from Lifepoint Church, on Legacy Drive in Smyrna, TN.
Ruth's story moved this old heart of mine to tears, and
after we parted ways, I gave the issue a bit more thought. A quick search
brought figures from 2013 that suggest, on average, more than two-hundred and
fifty thousand children in America enter the foster care system each year, and
although approximately fifty percent will return to their parents, the
remainder will not. [Blog Editor: Foster
Care Stats according to Vittana.org]
Struggling the most, there are also more than 100,000 legal orphans in America,
who are waiting in foster care in hopes of being adopted by some generous and
loving family. Many of these children watch on the sidelines from afar, as the
joy of Christmas is celebrated by others, and another year passes them by
without any presents, no Christmas tree, and seemingly no affirmation and love
from anyone and a family to call their own forever.
It was amazing to hear Ruth speak with such passion, as she
informed me that she and her husband were going to receive another child on
December 20th. What a Christmas present for them all.
Even more tragic in many respects, we see far too many young
children suffering with cancer. According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control in June of this year, about
fifteen thousand youths under age twenty are diagnosed with some form of cancer
every year in America. Between 2003 and 2014, there were 173.7 pediatric cancer
cases per one million people. However, more than eighty percent of these
victims of cancer are still alive five years later, which is a vast and
dramatic improvement in treatments over the past decades, as noted by the National Cancer Institute.
One of the best and foremost warriors in this battle against
cancer, America has been blessed by St. Jude's Hospital [Blog
Editor: Ways to give to St. Jude] and
its many benefactors, such as Marlo Thomas who is following the example set by
her father, Danny. St Jude's homepage on Google explains quite correctly:
"St. Jude Children's Research
Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and cures childhood
cancer and other life-threatening diseases. It is the only National Cancer
Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children.
... St. Jude freely shares the breakthroughs it makes... Families never receive
a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing and food -- because all a
family should worry about is helping their child live."
And all America can never forget the images of small
children and their families, as July's Carr Fire and November's Camp Fire
claimed a total of 92 lives and displaced over 100,000 Americans raged across
our country. Who will ever forget 70-year-old Melody Bledsoe soaking blankets
in her kitchen sink to drape over her great-grandchildren, Emily and James
Roberts, ages 4 and 5? The Salvation Army, Chico-based Enloe Medical Center
Foundation and the Tri-Counties Bank have all set up relief funds for California's fire victims.
[Blog Editor: Info to donate to fire victim causes:
Amounts 0f any amount may be submitted via check to: NVCF, 240 Main St
Ste 260, Chico CA 95928. Please indicate “Fire Relief” in the memo line – North Valley Community Foundation.
Community Disaster Relief Fund at Shasta Regional Community Foundation
has been enabled to receive
donations for those in the North State impacted by the Carr Fire. This
fund will focus on the short and long-term recovery.
ENLOE Foundation Camp Fire Relief Donation Form
Salvation Army Butte
County (CA) Camp Fire Relief Fund – Greatest
Need Box & Support
Wildfire Response Box.
Tri-Counties Bank 2018 Camp Fire Fund.]
Make an active choice to do something better this Christmas.
Give a week, a day, even an hour of your time to an organization that helps
these innocent children placed in unfortunate circumstances, through no fault
of their own. Give $5000 or more, depending on your circumstances; but I
daresay, these organizations will be ecstatic over each $5 bill collected, and
God too will be especially pleased and satisfied by those who give, when
perhaps they are not in the best place financially themselves. Let's set aside
the concerns of the politicians and government, the greedy and self-serving,
and focus solely on our most cherished treasure, our little children, red and
yellow, black and white -- Oh so precious in His sight.
Merry, Merry Christmas and God Bless You All.
By Justin O. Smith
__________________________
Edited by John R. Houk
Source links and text embraced by brackets are by the
Editor.
© Justin O. Smith
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