If you want to know what to do about Katrina, ask a child

Last night before bed I was telling Madeline about the hurricane in the States. I told her about how there was a big storm, with lots of wind and waves and rain, and that a bunch of boys and girls didn't have houses or toys anymore because there was water everywhere. I asked her, "Do you think we should help those boys and girls? Should we get them some new toys?" And she said, "Yes. They could have my toy house because it doesn't have any water in it." She was talking about her Fisher Price Little People house which is her absolute favourite toy that she got on her first birthday and has played with almost everyday since. She also said that we should "go to Superstore tomorrow and buy them some new toys. That would be good."

Then Marc came in and she told him about what had happened to the kids. He told her that those kids didn't have any clothes or food either. He asked if we should send some money so they could get some clothes and food. She said "Yes. And we should go and build their house for them, too." Marc said that he didn't think that we could do that, but we could send money for them to buy hammers and wood, etc.

And he's right. We can't go. I don't think a nursing mother and her two year old child would do much good in Louisiana right now. But it made me stop and think of the sentiment behind what she was saying. You think, "oh she's just a kid, she doesn't know about it." But, really, she's a kid... so she knows everything about it. Her mind isn't racing with her "to do" lists for the next month. She isn't thinking about how helping these victims would inconvenience her. She isn't thinking about how if she gave them money, she wouldn't have money for her things. It is the simpleness of a child's mind that says "You need a house without water? Take mine. It doesn't have water in it." "You need to build a new house? I have two hands. I will help you build it."

I told her that we could pray that Jesus would help the kids not be afraid. I told her she could tell Jesus what she'd like to say to the kids and He would tell them for her. She started talking about how they didn't need to be afraid of the water because Jesus is always with them. That's standard Madeline-when-she's-afraid speak. But then she started talking about being afraid of monsters. I thought she was being side tracked in her little 2 year old brain. But now I think she was just relating the fears of those kids to fears that she has (like monsters and the dark). She was putting herself in their shoes. And I think we need to do that too. The hurricane survivors don't just want our money, they want our empathy. But at the same time, they don't just want us sitting here feeling sorry for them, they want us to take action to help them (and probably the best way is through money). My little two year old taught me that. Ask your kids. What do they say we should do for these people? And what would happen if we all (and our leaders!!) started doing the things they said?