Last spring around Children's Day, I remember riding the bus back from the orphanage in Masan past the big Shinsegae Department Store. I saw the moms carrying, pushing and towing their kids in and out of the store's huge glass doors. The store is just a few blocks from AeYukWon, and I imagine the kids there see similar scenes just about every day. I wondered then how it felt to them, seeing something that to the rest of the world is mundane and expected -- shopping with Mom -- that they would never experience. To have that part of their lives missing. And I felt thankful for my family, who have given more than any family should have to, to put up with me.
Now it's September and the "Korean Thanksgiving Day" -- Chuseok -- is upon us. This is a time when Koreans all over the country travel to grandparents' houses and eat, play games and celebrate their family ties. For non-Christian Koreans, the holiday includes worship and incense at the burial sites of ancestors. But for everyone it's a time to be thankful for what they have because of those who have gone before. (It's also a time of MAMMOTH traffic jams, which makes me glad I'll be in the Philippines for this Chuseok.)
Some of the AeYukWon kids will visit family members they do have over Chuseok. But none of them will feel the full embrace of family the way I always did growing up. I can't replace that, but in the hope of making happy memories of their own, we're going to do something special this year.
Next Saturday, Sept. 25, we're having a barbecue picnic for the orphanage kids. It's the tail end of Chuseok holidays, when many of their friends will be traveling to or from grandma's house. So we're going to introduce them to a good old-fashioned North American barbecue: burgers, hot dogs, chips and cola, the whole thing. This should be really fun, because the kids love food, they love our visits, and they love doing new things. But it won't be cheap, which is why I'm bringing back the old "Donate" button up there. The AeYukWon doesn't have a grill, and while I'm hoping to borrow one or find one second-hand, there's still the matter of charcoal and all that meat. It's not that we can't do it without your help. But here's a chance for you to be part of making a holiday special for some really special kids. I know times are tough back in the U.S., but if you've got a spare five or ten bucks, I promise you that it will make a difference over here.
Thanks for everything, everybody. May God bless all your hearts and give you even more to be thankful for this year.
