Over the holidays my 6 year-old nephew, Saajan, was over at our house and read the article printed in the Guelph Mercury about our office offering dental care to the Syrian refugee families coming to Guelph. As an inquisitive young boy, on the drive home he proceeded to ask my brother and sister-in-law questions about the Syrian refugee crisis. As they were answering his questions he asked, “What about the kids, do they have any toys?” My brother and sister-in-law explained that many families had to flee their homes with very few of their personal belongings. Saajan immediately responded by saying, “I would like to give some of my toys to them”. Upon further conversing with his parents, he decided to write a letter asking his friends for donations of books and toys to help the newly relocated Syrian families that will be visiting our dental office.
I was overjoyed with pride that my young nephew (who I vividly remember holding on the day he was born), was able to identify a situation where others were in need and selflessly decided that he needed to take action to help. I immediately thought to myself…’the innocence of a child’.
It’s a cliche that we often use to describe situations in which a child blurts out an embarrassing truth or a simplicity overlooked by adults, but Saajan’s thought process made me think a bit harder about this expression. We often put innocence and wisdom on the 2 extreme ends of a spectrum and therefore we would never use the term, ‘The Innocence of a Grandparent’ or ‘The Wisdom of an Infant’. Implicit in the words “innocence” and “wisdom” are connotations of either a lack of, or an abundance of, experience. While I cannot argue that wisdom often requires experience, I do not see why innocence or purity must fade with experience. I have often been guilty of allowing time and the stresses of day-to-day duties eat away at the filter-less innocence of a child within me. So I urge you to do what children do so easily; express the innocence that is within us all and give generously to those in need.
Whether it be a Syrian family moving to Canada or someone else in need, let’s start the New Year off in a truly Canadian way.
Through Saajan’s initiative, we will be aiming to provide toys and books to these new residents of Guelph as they come into our office. One of the biggest obstacles that many families will face will be learning a new language; so if you have any books that would be helpful in teaching English (to either young or old), they would be greatly appreciated.
Well done Saajan, your generosity, which we often label as childhood innocence, is bound to make a difference in the lives of others.
My Nephew’s Letter
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