Dec 13 2007
What do I do when the holidays are over?
I am a little boy of 8 and my family is very poor. My mom is sick and my daddy has lost his job. Often we have some great meals of soup or beans and on lucky nights we have a hot dog.
My parents are proud and did not want to ask but our neighbor put my brother and me on the Angel Tree. When my mom found out she started to cry and was so thankful for the gift we will receive. My brother who is four and has nothing but hand me downs was excited that he might get a new toy. For me, the joy is gone because I fear what will come next. Don’t get me wrong I am grateful for the help and the pleasure my brother will feel.
The problems come when the gifts are opened and the charity is done and everyone goes back to their lives. You see while we eat a good meal at the local church on Thanksgiving and Christmas day, I always wonder what we will eat when the holidays go away.
My daddy lost his job right after my mommy got sick. He spent what we had on medicine for my mom and now we have almost nothing. He applied for some jobs but employment is scarce and he just can’t find a job. He does what he can with his odd jobs but that only barely pays the rent. I am not complaining because I know that he is doing his best. I do not mind the holes in my shoes even though the other kids laugh. I don’t mind wearing the same winter coat that the neighbor boy once had. I don’t even mind that often I am hungry because I know my daddy really tries.
My fear for me and my family as a whole is what will happen when the holidays are over and everyone forgets. Please can someone tell me what do I do?
