How Blessed We Are

Recently my wife, Amy, started a blog called "Never A Dull Day".  It's a blog about the joy and pain of motherhood.  Yesterday, she posted a blog that blew me away because I truly never would have thought about the Syrian Refugee Crisis from her perspective.  For me, every time I see the coverage on the news, I feel that it is sad, but I also think unless you have several million dollars to give to them there's not much an individual can do.  I never really thought about it from the perspective of how I might feel if it were my own family.  I never got into my feelings, so to speak.  Bad stuff happens every day, all over the world.  This is another bad thing.  But, it's not just another bad thing.  This is mind blowing because of the amount of displaced people.  She has received hundreds of likes and emails commending her for writing the post but also a few not so nice emails.  But, with anything that seems even remotely political, whether was the intention or not, that is to be expected.  Her heart was totally in the right place.  Please read her blog, like and share her page at www.facebook.com/NADullDay and follow her on Periscope @amyredditt  And as far as the refugee crisis, there has to be something we each can do, no matter how small.  Lots of small things can add up to one huge thing, that will make a difference.

Blessings,

Sheldon Redditt

"How Blessed We Are"

Posted by ~ Amy Redditt on 09/20/2015

I have recently started utilizing a new form of social media, called Periscope, that was made by Twitter.  It can be a really fun way to watch people do some pretty silly stuff but there's a lot of rich content on there too, like self development type stuff.  Truthfully, one could never imagine from day to day what you might find on there.  This morning though, I was blown away by the content that I found.  There are a couple of people that are covering the Syrian refugee crisis and they are traveling with them as they struggle to find a way to get through the next border.  I watched as they sat in a ditch between two borders last night, while policemen stood guard.  They did not have any idea what their next move would be and nightfall was coming quickly.  They signed off but I will assume that they spent the night in that ditch.  This morning they shared another Periscope and they had made it across the border via some transportation  supplied for them by the receiving country.  Later, they signed on while the they were in another part of Europe, only to have Police Officers standing amongst them in what seemed to be riot gear.  

When you're a mother, all thoughts in regard to human suffering seem to take you full circle back to your own child, every time.  At least that is inherently the case for myself.  I looked over at my baby girl snuggled up next to me, sleeping so peacefully and I began to think about the defeat the parents must be feeling.   Admittedly, I do not know enough about the turmoil in Syria, but I do know enough to know that this has been said to be the largest humanitarian crisis since World War II.  So, I know enough to know that these refugees are displaced, no matter their social status or income bracket.  They just are.  These people woke up one day in their homes and could not definitively know that it was going to be their last morning to wake up in their own beds or the last night to safely tuck their sweet babies into their beds.  Our most primal instinct as a mother is to protect our children.  But what do you do when you can't?  You go into survival mode and you shield them as best as you can. But that is in all senses of the word, a failure for a parent.  No mother wants their children to HAVE to grow up faster than they already will.  

My mind goes back to an episode of "Ellen" that I saw a week or so ago, where she was interviewing Malala Yousafzai.  If you don't know of her, I implore you to look her up.  During her interview on "Ellen", I began to piece together who she was again.  I remember hearing about a young Pakistani girl, a few years ago, that was writing a blog under a pen name in an effort to share what her life was like under the rule of the Taliban while simultaneously attempting to promote education for girls.  I remember hearing that she was later shot in the face by the Taliban but survived.  She was only 15 at the time.  On "Ellen" I learned that she is now the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for her work to promote education for girls.  I learned that she has also opened a school and is as selfless of a person than one could possibly imagine.  But what brought her to mind today was that she said, "No child should be denied the basic human right of education."  Basic human right.  That struck a cord.  I then remember seeing something in the media in regard to the amount of Syrian refugees that are children and hearing that there is a good chance that none of them will ever have a chance at receiving a formal education again in their lifetime.  Let that sink in for a minute.  Never, for the rest of their life, will they have a chance at formal education again.  We take so much for granted in this country.  But imagine for one minute that your child, YOUR CHILD, could never get a formal education again, EVER.  The chance of your child ever getting to have a real shot at a life of abundance, both of knowledge and or worldly things, is almost guaranteed to be gone.  How would you feel?  I can not even begin to explain how I would feel.  My heart aches for these people, these parents and these children.  The world is so full of injustices.

Once again, I look over at my sweet girl and brush a curl behind her tiny little ear.  I thank God for allowing us to provide a safe place for her to live and food to fill her little tummy.  I thank God that while she is not in school yet, He has provided me with the knowledge and education to be able to teach her the foundations for her later learnings.  Learnings that I KNOW she will have the privilege of getting.  I pray that the media was wrong when they said, that these displaced children have no hope of ever having a formal education again.  I pray that their parents can find homes, employment and a way of life that will allow them to breathe a little easier while their children grow and flourish.  I thank God for the roof over our heads and the peace I feel watching her sleep.  And once again, I thank God for people like Malala and those that will follow in her footsteps, that will fight for everyone's basic human rights.

Follow me on Periscope @amyredditt