The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. —Eleanor Roosevelt.
My home is a place of great beauty and agricultural richness, as well as of war and natural disasters. When I was only fourteen years old, I was filled with 1 in spite of the terrible surroundings. The families living here, who tried to make their living from the land, 2 great losses.
I felt sorry especially for the children, but I 3 to be hopeless, I decided that where I was, I could do 4 to help them. I began knocking on every door and saying to each person who 5 my knock, "I know that you are 6and give the birds that come to your yard a little 7. Please consider me your bird. Give me only a handful of rice each week when I come to your 8. I will take it to the temple where it can be given to the 9 children."
No one seemed to mind giving me a handful of rice, even10they had little themselves. On Sunday, I would go to the 11 and give my handfuls of rice to the monks to give away to the children.
One day, I came to a house that had12 kinds to give. I told my story and asked if I could be their bird. The woman called her daughters, and 13 gave me fifty cents, as well as the handful of rice! (I began to ask for change and rice from the other "bird feeders", and they gave them to me. Everyone was happy to help those who were suffering, even 14 only this small way. The temple was soon able to help everyone who came to them for food and clothing. "Consider me your bird." My childish idea had not stopped the war, but anyway, it was 15 some peace.
