I had read about Thien Nhan on Straits Times online a month back and felt overwhelmed by his situation. I suppose it’s cos I am now a mother and anything bad that has happened to babies and young children will affect me much more, as somehow, these babies or young children now have a face in TJ. Things like babies being abandoned in rubbish dumps, abused, killed or imprisoned as in the latest Austrian case, these make me sad and angry. How could this happen? Why should this happen?
I suppose it’s not easy to grapple with this sort of evil, and I still find myself asking God “Why?”. But if we just focus on the negative, we come up with emotions and behaviours that are similar to the perpetrators. We do have a choice in our reactions. And, what do we do with our reactions?
Before TJ was born, I had discussed with D that we should make it our family tradition to search and support worthwhile causes. Mainly cos I want TJ to learn to be a generous person, to know that even though the world is going to the deep end, we should not give in and think that we can’t do much anyway. If everyone thinks that way, or worse, thinks that their measly effort isn’t going to help much, so why bother, we will not be giving ourselves and our future generations a chance for something good to come out of all this crap.
I suppose monetary donation is the most practical way, although it is also the easiest to make oneself feel better. Seriously, how many people will actually give up their time to devote themselves to field work on a long term basis. Someone who really believes that he/she wants to make a difference and do something, instead of just talking endlessly about it. I know I can’t cos of personal and family responsibilities, but I think when TJ is older and can follow instructions, we can consider volunteering for some causes.
Thien Nhan made me think of my son and I am glad that he is now safe. I had made a lil’ donation on behalf of the Tan family and perhaps, when we do plan for a family holiday, TJ could visit this brave boy and get to know him.
Perhaps you could also help Thien Nhan today and contribute something to his medical funds or education (via Paypal or money transfer, more details on his blog).
Kancheong Spider 
Hi i totally agree with you and what you feel as a mother and a human being. Its probably because being a mom puts us in a position that allows more in-depth perspective into life. I felt a great deal too when i first came across Thien Nhan online whilst surfing one day in May. And it totally spurred me to think what we blessed pple in other parts of the world can do to help underprivileged children all over.
Thanks for putting my sentiments into words and i applaud you for your thoughts and actions. 🙂 Hopefully there will be more pple like us.
Many thanks for your generosity and prayers for Thien Nhan! All the best to you, TJ and the rest of your family.