international children's day

today in slovakia is international children's day (medzinárodný deň detí), which is (ironically) celebrated on a different day of the year (not even always in the same month) depending on the country (and sometimes even the state or city). it's today in slovakia, and as i get ready for our party this afternoon, i decided to take some time to think about what this might mean. i looked it up on wikipedia and there wasn't a really clear explanation as to why or how the holiday started, but i did find that in the states i apparently was not the only one to get the "every day is children's day" response when i brought up the day as a child.

i was talking to fraňa about it and she mentioned that it's important to tell kids that you love them and it's important that they know how much you mean to them. as we talked i realized that it's true. a lot of kids don't hear that they are loved often enough. so then it got me thinking about all of the kids throughout the world and what kind of a world they might live in.

there are kids without running water, without shelter from the rain, kids who don't know where their next meal will come from. there are kids everywhere who will grow up in communities and countries where they will be told that they are less than others, that they are less than "human" by the simple fact of their birth, the language they speak, how their parents arrived in the town or country, the color of their skin.

there are kids who are so stuck in a culture of poverty that they can't see their way out. there are kids who are already being forced to grow up, to be the head of households. there are kids who are forced to join militias, kids who are abused, raped, assaulted over nothing, over everything, over religion, and over politics. there are kids who will grow up without parents because their parents died of aids. there are kids who die needlessly because the parents can't see any other option. there are children everywhere who need to know that you care about them.

so, what can we do?

do you have time? be a mentor, buddy, teacher, helper, foster parent, adoptive parent; be somebody that kids can trust and come to when they are in pain and need you. be reliable for them.

do you have money? donate it to boys and girls of america, to churches that are helping kids, to afterschool programs, to schools, to mentoring programs.

do you have connections? use them. connect people who can help with people who need help, connect volunteers with volunteer opportunities and programs.

no matter what there's something to do or give. connect those around you with this stuff. spread god's love to others. it doesn't have to be perfect, it just needs to be heartfelt. maybe next year, or ten or twenty or fifty years from now, we will be able to see a brighter future for children. one filled with love and laughter.

happy children's day. love the children in your life.