Monday, April 18, 2011

Licking Honey - Donna Lee Guest Post

When I arrived to Naples, 3 years back this April, I immediately searched for a place to help out.   Living in Israel for most of my life, it was very important to me to volunteer and give back to the community.   I am blessed with 3 beautiful children, a wonderful life and feel the need to share my good luck and energy with others who need some assistance or comfort. 

One afternoon volunteering for Naples Equestrian Challenge I  helped one mother getting her son out of the car seat and ready to mount Bailey, one of Riley's favorite horses.  And this is how I met Stacie, Riley and little Ronan, who, today, is now my biggest helper.

Below, Sunday April 17th Om and I visit Riley:

In Israel  I was fortunate to work at a very unique school for children with special needs. Its name
is Beit Izzy Shapiro and is in my hometown, Ra'anana.  This is where I studied and gained much 
knowledge and understanding about cerebral palsy, autism, down syndrome etc. But most of all,
I witnessed how it affected the parent's lives.  We often had workshops, which included a parent describing what her/his life is like, what an average day consisted of.  One mother, who's adorable little boy, was in the classroom I worked in, spoke and brought tears to all our eyes.  A religious American woman, who had 5 children, including this beautiful curly blond, big blue-eyed boy, who was lacking not hours or days of sleep, but months, described her average day . This mothers talk had a HUGE impact on my life and awareness.

I never complained about my lack of sleep again, or daily challenges with my little ones. My life was a
breeze, " I was licking honey", as we say in my country. (This phrase is very complex, here is a Jewish tradition.)

So, getting back to my buddy Riley, the first time I saw Stacie, my heart went out to her.  I approached
her, offering my assistance .  Knowing how hard it is for parents to accept, lucky enough, Stacie was
tired enough to say YES!!!!.  For me, that is an honor, because any parent who feels safe enough to 
allow me to hold and handle her most precious cargo, I feel special.

More to come.............

B'ahava
Nameste, 
DONNA LEE

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Donna lee...what a gift you are to them...but if i had to guess..I bet you get the better end of the deal...love the pic of you holding Riley.

Unknown said...

Thank you Southern Girl:-) Donna certainly is a gift to my family! btw - lovely post today. Stacie

sarah mallari bucu said...

i definitely enjoyed reading your posts.and thank you for inspiring us all.

happy holidays.

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