A friend of mine recently visited Vietnam and told me a story that touched my heart and brought tears to my eyes.

Thanh and his wife went out to eat one night in Saigon. As they ate, Thanh could not help but notice a ten year old girl hovering right outside the door of the restaurant. She was holding a little baby probably no more than two years old, and a little boy of five or six was at her side. She was staring at the food, and every time Thanh looked at her, she would look away, hurdled her brother closer to her, afraid and embarrassed.

 

The late night rain started. It wetted her unkempt hair, and the dirty clothes on her back. She tried hard to keep the baby dry, and her little brother out of the rain. Shivering and hungry.

Thanh and his wife invited the girl and her siblings inside and ordered food for them. Timid and grateful, the girl carefully fed her baby sister and brother. After the younger ones were fed, she ate their left-over leaving her full portion untouched. Puzzled and curious, Thanh asked her why she did not eat her meal while it was obvious that she was still hungry. The little girl looked up at him, tears rolling down her cheeks, begging him to let her take the portion home to her sick mother.

 

I have a twelve year old daughter named Vân, and two little boys, Vinh and Minh. Last night when I took them to McDonalds, Vân wasn't hungry and did not want to eat. Perhaps she was too anxious to get back to her teenage friends on the phone. I looked at Vân and the image of the ten year old girl in Saigon flooded my mind. Vân had no idea how lucky she is to be here.

 

I looked at my kids and thanked God for my blessings. There are millions of other kids in Vietnam that are not as lucky as mine. There are millions of American kids not lucky as mine. Thank You, God.

 

Vui

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