On the flip side...

My Peretz

Among the emails that get passed around are announcements about funds and collections for families in need. Even when I can verify that it's not a scam I just delete them. At best I'll say a short word of prayer. I don't care until it touches me.

Last week a friend of mine's family was shattered. Their car skidded and rolled while they were driving. He and his mother landed in the hospital while his father and sister did not survive. It's now a week later, he's at home weak and depressed, his mother is still in the hospital though thankfully out of the ICU.

A story is told about a little boy who slips and cuts his leg. As he is sitting there crying, one of his neighbors sees him, scoops him up and starts carring him home. He turns onto his street and from the distance a woman sees her neighbor walking, carrying a crying little boy. She calls out "Don't worry mamaleh, it'll be ok!" As he get closer she again calls to the little boy "Don't cry, don't cry."

The man and the boy come a few houses closer and the woman can now see the little boy clearly. She drops her gardening fork and runs toward the pair. "Osseleh! My Osseleh! What happened?!"

What changed between the calm reassuring woman and the panicked woman running up the street? The fact that it was "MY Osseleh". Everything was fine and everything would be ok until the hurt little boy became HER hurt little boy.

Do I really feel other peoples pain? No.

Do we have to?

Thoughts?

If you would like to contribute to the Golding Family Emergency Fund, you can help a mother and son who now have no income and some hefty medical debts.
Thank you.

posted by YS @ 11:24 AM