Friday, September 23, 2016

Words And Actions



Twenty-three years ago, my daughter, Hannah, was one month and one day old the day I flew to Guatemala to pick up our son. Kim and I had hoped to travel together, but with Hannah just being born, we thought it better that I go alone.

There are many events that I remember clearly as if it were yesterday. One of the most significant was the day after our consulate gave us the final approval for Wil’s adoption. We traveled to Casa Shalom, Wil’s orphanage, in order for me to see it and for Wil to say goodbye to Tom and Elizabeth, the orphanage “parents” and for him to say goodbye to the kids with whom he had lived for the better part of a year.

Two things happened that day. We stood in the living room, which was sparse and devoid of much of the trappings we would find in our own living rooms. There were two boys standing off to the side. The taller boy had his arm around the smaller boy who was crying. The taller boy whispered something to the smaller boy in Spanish and the smaller boy nodded, but kept on weeping. I turned to Elizabeth, who had overheard the statement, and she, too, was weeping. I asked what was said, and she told me that the two boys were brothers. The older boy told his younger brother, “It’s okay. Someday we’ll have a daddy, too.”

It broke my heart. I wanted to take them home with me then and there, but I couldn’t. Deep down, I knew that, but at some level, it touched me. I can still picture that whole scene and those two boys clearly today.

The other event that took place happened as we walked out to the car, got in and started our slow drive down the dirt track to the road. The kids, along with Tom and Elizabeth, lined up on either side of the road and waved goodbye. Some cried. Others smiled. In all, there was a sadness that I saw and felt.

The car we were in was a small Datsun hatchback. Wil pushed himself towards the front and held my hand. He started to wave at the kids, but couldn’t. He bowed his head and wept. I have to admit, I did, too. Saying “Goodbye” is hard. And, there have been a lot of “goodbyes” in my life. Yours, too, I suppose.

I ran across a story on Facebook and then on the ABC Nightly News. It was a beautiful story about the team manager or water boy with Down Syndrome. His name is Robby Heil. His team and the opposing team conspired together to get this boy into the game so he could score a touchdown and surprise his mother who has terminal cancer.

If you care to watch it, you can view it and the story at:

This nice thing is that this was a close game. I believe the score at the time was 7 to 7, so the touchdown had significance. A lot of significance, actually. For the two teams, for Robby, and for his mother. Probably a heck of a lot of other people, too.
And then there is a letter from six year old, Alex, who wrote a letter to President Obama, about a little five year old Syrian boy, Omran, who sat in the back of an ambulance by himself. He was covered in blood and dirt. A bomb blast had just killed his entire family, leaving Omran by himself.

Alex wanted his family to adopt Omran and even had a plan to share his bike and play with him. The story, and it is heartwarming and moving, can be found at: https://www.yahoo.com/news/boy-6-writes-obama-syrian-183600994.html

I think there is a direct correlation between one’s Words And Actions . . . if there is truth and sincerity. I believe one’s Words And Actions come from the heart. What the heart nurtures gives birth to one’s Words And Actions. In each of these stories, there is beauty, so much so, my words are inadequate. Woefully so. So today, I ask each of you to listen to your Words and to watch your Actions. They bear the fruit of what is in your heart. Something to think about . . .

Live Your Life, and Make A Difference!

To My Readers:
Please feel free to connect with me at:

Twitter at @jrlewisauthor



If you like to read thriller/mystery, check out:
Book One of the Lives Trilogy, Stolen Lives:
Two thirteen year old boys are abducted off a safe suburban street. Kelliher and his team of FBI agents have 24 hours to find them or they’ll end up like all the others- dead! They have no leads, no clues, and nothing to go on. And the possibility exists that one of his team members might be involved. http://tinyurl.com/Stolen-Lives-J-Lewis         

Book Two of the Lives Trilogy, Shattered Lives:
Six men escaped and are out for revenge. The boys, recently freed from captivity, are in danger and so are their families, but they don’t know it. The FBI has no clues, no leads, and nothing to go on and because of that, cannot protect them. http://tinyurl.com/Shattered-Lives-J-Lewis         

Book Three of the Lives Trilogy, Splintered Lives:
The FBI knows a 14 year old boy has a price on his head, but he and his family don’t. With no leads and with nothing to go on, the FBI gambles and sets up the boy and his family as bait in order to catch three dangerous and desperate men with absolutely nothing to lose.
http://tinyurl.com/Splintered-Lives-J-Lewis       

The Lives Trilogy Prequel, Taking Lives:
FBI Agent Pete Kelliher and his partner search for the clues behind the bodies of six boys left in various and remote parts of the country. Even though they don’t know one another, the lives of FBI Kelliher, 11 year old Brett McGovern, and 11 year old George Tokay are separate pieces of a puzzle. The two boys become interwoven with the same thread that Pete Kelliher holds in his hand. The three of them are on a collision course and when that happens, their lives are in jeopardy as each search for a way out. http://tinyurl.com/Taking-Lives-J-Lewis

2 comments:

  1. Beautiful! it brings to life your motto "live your life and make a difference! you certainly have. Hugs to you and your beautiful family.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you, Susana! I appreciate your kind words and your support. Thank you for taking the time to read my post.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for your comment. I welcome your thought. Joe