[Lioness]

I recently wrote an essay for my application to Governor Dummer Academy. The topic really made me think, and I hope it will maybe show you something we need to be thinking, about, and what gift you can give, not just would if you could.

The question was:

You have one gift to give. What would the gift be, and why?
To whom would you give the gift, and why?

I have one gift to give. I am going to give this gift to a young girl in Afghanistan. The bombs the United States and Great Britain are dropping on the Afghani people have killed her family. She has no home, no one to care for her, and no hope for the future. She is just eight years old, and severely malnourished, and so skinny that her ribs are grotesquely visible. Her thin face is drawn tight, and she doesn’t have the healthy, cheery smile that every child should have. Her black hair is thin and tangled, and it hasn’t been washed more than once in the past few months. She has wide dark eyes that stare up at me in unfathomable sorrow. I long to reach out to her, to do anything I can for her. I realize how lucky I am to have food, a home, education, and a family that cares for me. I realize how lucky I am to live in a rich nation that protects it’s people, and gives them all equal rights. As I start to cry over the tragedies of her life, I know what gift I am going to give her. I will give her the gift of opportunity.
I will take her home with me. The first thing I will do is give her a bath, with as much hot water as she wants, and lots of soap and shampoo and bubbles. When she comes out glistening, I will give her some of my old clothes to wear. Then we will go to the mall, and I will buy her whatever clothes she wants. I will make sure she has a warm coat and clothes for all seasons. Then we will go home and I will let her change clothes as many times as she wants. She will model them for me and I will be so happy when I see her eyes light up with happiness for the first time in a long while. Finally, I will get supper ready, but I will let her choose what we have to eat. For dessert, we will have ice cream, because I doubt she has ever had that. We will eat our ice cream together, and then she will fall asleep in a warm bed, safe from harm.
The next morning I will take her to school. Because she has never gone to school before, she has to start in Kindergarten, but her teacher says if I work with her at home, she will improve quickly. In Afghanistan, very few girls have ever stepped foot into a school, and I am incredibly pleased that this little girl will get a good education. At the end of the day, I come to get her, and her smiling teacher tells me that she is very bright and eager to learn. She grins at me, and shows me the picture she drew. It is a picture of a landscape, and I cherish it, although it is only a child’s scrawl. Perhaps one day she will be a great artist, or sculptor. At least I have given her the opportunity to succeed, and that is why I believe that is the greatest gift I could give.

Thanx for reading,
Lioness