Morning Thought 3 for Wednesday October 19th
2011
Good morning. Today all the Jersey media will focus on
the elections. But this morning thought focuses on Romania and the poorest of
the poor there who do not enjoy the privileges and
benefits we take for granted her in Jersey.
In early December I plan to travel to Romania to
distribute the Mustard Seed Jersey Christmas shoeboxes this year. It is planned
that our first distribution will be at the village school in Tasad. On my first visit there 6 or 7 years ago there was heavy
snow. The road was impassable for our minibus so we had to walk the final half
mile. Somehow the van with the shoeboxes got through – I think a tractor helped.
Over the years of visiting that school I have seen a
number of changes for the good – now there are toilets
and sinks with running water, now there are computers. And
though the facilities not as good as in a Jersey school, things have definitely
improved there.
But what hasn’t changed is the children’s joy and delight
at being given a Christmas shoebox – you see big wide eyes watching you as they
wait. For these children that shoebox is undoubtedly their only Christmas gift.
You see them counting along the queue and the stack of boxes to work out which
box they will receive – that’s why decorating the shoebox and having similar
sized boxes is so important.
There are leaflets at all the Parish Halls which give you
details of the age groups and suggested contents. Do pick one up and think
whether you could respond. It will take time and maybe cost you £20, but it
will bring so much joy to the recipient. Compared to others in the world, we in
Jersey have so much.
I’ll end with another quote from Mother Teresa, that I reckon applies to many things in our daily
lives: “There are many people who can do big
things, but there are very few people who will do the small things.”