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Today was yet another day to learn the lessons
of life. All the people I talked to today at the
shelter in Arizona Veteran Memorial Coliseum had
many stories to share.
A man from Mississippi, who is in the insurance
business, came to talk to us about the assistance
we offer. After talking to us, he said that he
does not need the money now, and since we are
a private organization, we should save the money
for more unfortunate people out there that needed
the money more than he did. He showed me pictures
of the coast of Mississippi wiped out by the storm
and tidal wave. He also showed me his house on
the beach, almost completely destroyed by the
tidal wave, the only part of the structure remaining
were the beams of the house. It must certainly
be heartbreaking for those families who, after
working hard all their lives, and having accumulated
so much through their hard work, lose it all in
one night.
An artist from New Orleans told me that when
he and his wife heard of the coming storm, they
decided to go far away on a cruise in order to
avoid it. When they returned, their house had
gone; all they had with them were their T-shirts
and some other clothing. However, they still have
plans to return to New Orleans; he is a Mardi
Gras artist, and hopeful that New Orleans will
be rebuilt, and regain it's unique character and
greatness.
A positive older man kept thanking us when he
approached our table. He said he had read our
brochure, and was touched by the work we do. He
kept on smiling, held my hand, and thanking us
sincerely for our great work, and the assistance
we were giving to the victims of this terrible
act of nature. It was very touching to see the
sincerely grateful look on this man's face.
A couple who had received checks from Tzu Chi
yesterday saw me again today in the shelter. I
said "Hi" to them as I recognized their
faces. The husband came over to me and looked
at me with a sincere look of gratitude. He did
not say a word when he came to me, he just hugged
me very tightly and said thank you, and God bless
you so many times.
He said he was so very grateful that we were
able to help him out. He had an urgent need of
$200 to pay his utilities deposit. Although the
housing department helped them find an apartment,
and waived security deposit for the apartment,
there was still a $200 utilities deposit required.
They had been in desperate need of that $200 yesterday,
and Tzu Chi was there to provide emergency money
to them. The husband told me that he has our information,
and will contact us later. He also told me that
every cent he receives from us, he will pay back
in order to help others.
Another couple came to our table and told us that
their home had been destroyed by the storm. A
boy whom they had raised, and their nephew, had
both died a couple of weeks before the storm.
They now felt very sad and helpless. They said
they feel ashamed to receive help now, since they
had lived a good life before the storm, and were
both working. I told them about the experience
I had encountered during the Southern California
wildfires disaster relief efforts. There were
some rich people who lost their homes during the
wildfires, and they escaped from their house with
nothing but underwear (they did not even have
their IDs). Even though they were rich, they put
their money in their houses and other material
things which were now gone. Therefore, when the
fire destroyed their cars and houses, they had
nothing. Tzu Chi came to provide them with emergency
cash to help them at a time when they most needed
it.
I told this couple there is nothing to be ashamed
of for receiving help now. Very few people have
good lucky forever, sometimes in each person's
life there will be times when they need help.
Therefore, during this time of a tragedy, it is
OK to receive help from others, and our hope is
that in the future, because of this Tzu Chi demonstration
of unselfish giving, they too will devote their
time, or money, to help others who are in need.
As we talked, we concluded that everything happens
for a reason. Perhaps these disastrous events
happened in their lives for a good reason; from
this we can learn and grow, and be better people.
Later on, we can share with others, our experience,
and lessons learned, in order to help them.
I am very grateful to have learned so much from
all the survivors that I have met, and the other
organizations I encountered at the shelter. Just
as Master Cheng Yen tells us, when we help people,
we have to extend our gratitude to them, since
it is because they allow us to employ our charitable,
compassionate spirit, we will truly learn, grow,
and finally achieve purity. When we help others,
the people we also help are ourselves!
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