Dreams often begin when we lack something. We want something better, something that seems out of reach. Some dreams become more vivid at Christmastime or when our birthday is near. But for many children, dreams are more urgent. They dream of a proper education, sufficient food, or shoes when it rains. These dreams left unfulfilled can leave a constant, dull ache for a better way of life.
No child should be left wondering if there is someone out there to take care of them, to love them. And no able-bodied person should be left out of the process of making a dream come true. In Brazil there is an organization that is doing something about this. Helping Hands unites the many religious and volunteer organizations in communities to serve hospitals, refurbish old schools and build new ones, plant gardens, and deliver baby kits to new mothers needing the essentials to care for their infants.
“Somewhere over the rainbow . . . the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true.”1 The service rendered by Helping Hands is fulfilling the dreams of needy children, bringing the rainbow within reach. Imagine a day without want, a moment without pain, a future with a little hope where once there was none. Each of us who are able should look for opportunities to lend a hand, to give wings to a heart that aches to soar over the rainbow, if even for a moment.
Program #3892
1. E. Y. Harburg, “Over the Rainbow,” The Wizard of Oz.