“Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” The Bible, Matthew 18:4
We often believe as adults that there is very little that we can learn from children. We believe that the natural order is that children learn from adults. As a parent, I can attest to this common misconception. I had an experience this summer with a seven year old girl from B-SAFE @ St. Luke’s/San Lucas in Chelsea that reminded me why children are so precious, why this work is so important, and how much we can learn from one small child.
On our first full day field trip of summer 2011, B-SAFE @ St. Luke’s/San Lucas went to Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm in Newbury, Massachusetts. The youth participated in various activities and learned about this national historic landmark and life on a farm through hands-on activities. The morning was dedicated to feeding animals, learning about pumping water from a well, and a guided tour of the grounds and historic home. In the afternoon they played games, went on hay rides, and did arts and crafts. It was the latter part of the day when I experienced a selfless act of a young child.
I sat with a small group of youth making bracelets with beads. When the beads were presented most began making bracelets for themselves with their names spelled out (myself included). One little girl by the name of Grace showed to be diligently searching for various letters in a large pile of beads from which many youth where searching. Other children would come, sit, make their bracelet, and be on their way to do other activities. But Grace patiently and persistently kept working, searching for letters for her bracelet. When
other young people came to our area, she would step back, allow them in, patiently wait, and then continue on with her pursuit.
I looked at my watch; it was almost time to go. Many had come and gone, but Grace continued working and searching. I grew concerned that she would miss out on the other fun activities. The staff from Spencer-Pierce-Little farm announced the last hayride of the afternoon. I knew Grace had not gone. I asked her if she wanted to go, and she replied no. It was time to go, and at that point I realized that Grace was not working on a bracelet for herself, but for her two older siblings.
I asked Grace if she made one for herself and she replied “No, but what’s important is that I was able to make them for my brothers.” I was present when she gave one of her brothers the bracelet she had worked so tirelessly on. When she presented that bracelet to him, I realized that they joy she felt from giving him that bracelet was much greater than the joy that she would have felt from a hay ride or having her own bracelet.
This was a reminder to me, and I hope to those reading this, as to why the workof B-SAFE is so important. We must continue to nurture these young spirits knowing that our own spirits are being nurtured as well; just like mine was on that Friday afternoon.
Posted by Mauryn Perkins, B-SAFE @ St. Luke’s/San Lucas (Chelsea)
