Hello All. This week, I’d like to talk about something that’s not directly related to our experience in this industry. But it is something that affects us nonetheless.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, our son started acting kind of on a fluke. Just looking for something interesting to do for the summer. It wasn’t long before we realized that he had a gift. Now, we don’t think that our child is any better than anyone else’s child because he is on television. We still raise him to believe that all people are equal and deserve to be treated as such. We also teach him that it is our responsibility as Christians and as members of the human race, to contribute to the society in which we live in a positive way.
This “gift” that we realized our son has, does not make him special. I believe that we all have gifts that have been given to us by our creator. Some people are natural leaders. Some are gifted teachers and educators. Others are great writers who inspire us with their stories. Then there are those whose gifts give them the opportunity to touch more lives than you or I ever could. Tiger Woods, Will Smith, and Beyonce, to name a few, are people whose gifts have made them wealthy beyond our wildest dreams because the world that we live in allows for that. But I think their gifts are meant for something else.
I refuse to believe that LeBron James has been blessed with his athletic ability just so he could be rich and famous. I refuse to believe that Denzel Washington became one of the most talented actors of our time, just because. I think that their gifts, just like yours and mine, were given to them so that they could be of benefit to others. Plain and simple. Our son has been blessed with a natural ability to do what he does. It is this ability that has allowed him to reach the position he is in right now, and it is this position that will allow him to be of benefit to others.
A few weeks ago, our family watched a 60 Minutes segment that dealt with the issue of child homelessness in our country. This program had a profound effect on our son, as he watched kids his age talk about having to sleep in the family car and wonder where their next meal would be coming from. He said that night that he wanted to do something to help. To that end, we recently got involved with an organization that has set out to provide assistance with one of these issues. No Kid Hungry is a non-profit organization that is committed to ending child hunger in America by 2015. They offer a variety of ways to get involved and help end this particular crisis. Our son is very excited about the opportunity to be a part of something so important that can impact so many.
In addition, he recently had the honor of doing a PSA for The Family Place’s “Be Project”. The Family Place is a Dallas, TX based organization that provides services to women and children who have been victims of family violence. Through their Be Project, they strive to "provide community wide change to build healthy relationships among youth and to promote bully-free schools." There are links to the websites of these organizations in the right column of this blog. Take a look for more information.
I have been inspired by my son to take a more active role in doing what I can to help others. We all have gifts that are meant to help make this world a better place. What’s yours? Stay tuned…
