Live Today or Tomorrow?

Well, I don't like to put people into categories, but in HDF, I think there are two obvious groups of people.

Number 1, those that I am trying to get them understand the word 'future'. Understanding Something beyond their daily life, something meaningful but yet to be discovered by them, something in them that they have not known. Potentials, courages, discipline, self-esteem, confidence, I was trying to stuff all those things in one person overnight. Yeah, I am beware of the Microwave effect, hot outside but yet to cooked inside? (Interesting description I once heard from a friend). However, these are qualities that they don't seem to appreciate and even if they have, they are NOT PLANNING something out of it! Fighting for a scholarship, going abroad, going to school, education, expand their skills ...then again, one will argue, they have scars and wound that need to be sewed up, fixed....

Of course their 'parent'- the foundation is planning, thinking, improving their lifestyle all the time. One houseparent told me that when he used to be a boy in the Mercy home ten years ago, he has to work in order to help the centre survive. No plasma TV, dvd players, computer games, you can imagine how far they have gone from nothing to something.

Number 2, those who are fighting against their fate from God since birth, those who are fighting to live one more day, one more year. When I arrived, I persuaded myself not to think about the 'future' , and just enjoy their wonderful company. I had so much fun going to the beach, having drawing lessons, dancing with the cuties. Yes, they are living normally, going to school, representing the centre in alot of fundraising occations, Thai-dancing, even winning numerous medals in sports day! You wouldn't know if you aren't told that they are the HIV infected children....

Then again reality check, I was told that one boy( actually I overheard the conversation) that I admire very much, an artist, sportsman, potential-percussionist, is going through his 3rd stage of medication. The kids will take their medicines from 1st stage, and if their body don't react well to the medication, after some time they have to move on to the next stage. We don't know how long will the body accepts the medicines, can be years, months, but once it rejects the medicine, We have to pray for a better solution , hopefully some more advanced medication is available by then.

3rd stage is the final stage, 5 other kids out of 50 of them are on that same stage. I kept quiet for quite a while after hearing the news....

Then Tom said, " Don't worry, they will still be around when you are here. I think they can make it, Just live Today, enjoy Today, when there is one."

So yesterday, Me and my sister( Yes, my sister is here for visit!) sat with them and watched a really handsome- looking Thai superstar, acting as an idiotic-clumsy Spy and the movie is about how he Spys on a women's husband.

The images on the screen tell it all, you don't need to understand the language to know their humour or the story, but looking at the kids' expression... I can never tell what is in their head, and the way they deal with- Life.