Life as I have Seen It

Author(s): Urmila S Dholakia
Publisher: Urmila S Dholakia

Page 90

Life - As I've seen it
evening with sweets and savory dishes they loved! I noticed that the girls were tired but still very happy that they had opportunity to serve the needy people. I couldn't help but think that a tree of selfless service to help others was planted today and with sufficient encouragement it will grow and bear sweet fruits of compassion and more service to benefit the society.
At the end of the flood relief operation we realized that we still had a substantial amount of funds left with us. It was my responsibility to ensure that the money donated by others would be used in appropriate cause. I was anxiously looking for such a cause when with God's grace I saw a fitting opportunity!
Once during my usual stroll 1 passed by a small hut and saw inside a young child moaning and lying sick with fever. I went in and looked around the shack but saw no one. There was a piece of bread and a glass of water left for the child but he was alone! I was shocked and sad to see the child in this condition! I decided to stay with him until someone from his family would come. After a while his parents came. I asked them how they could leave the sick child alone. The mother said 'Ben, what can we do? We have to go to work, otherwise there would be no food and he will starve! Everyday we have to first go out to cut 'Daatan' (small sticks cut from a tree that are used for cleaning teeth) and then sell them in the market. We use whatever we earn each day to buy food.
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