Day 14 ❦ A simple gift can ease the aching heart.

Day 14

The Gift: Gave video to host family

I cannot decide which is easier - to host an exchange student who has a challenging personality, one who just clashes with host families and we are all relieved when they leave to go home - or hosting an exchange student with whom we bond, care about deeply and grieve when they leave. Really the question is - do I prefer short term pain over long term heartache? Both have their value I suppose. But I can see that the host families of our current student are all headed toward the latter. Perhaps that is why I am including so many gifts to host families in this first month of giving exercises, I know the value of the gift and know it is meaningful.

Last week I tried to deliver the video I had made to Nina’s last host family and no one was home. So while I was driving around today I noticed the video sitting on the front seat and decided to drop it off. When youth exchange students go through training to prepare for their experience they are told that they will impact at least one hundred people. One hundred people who will be exposed to their culture, their personality, their ambassadorship. I believe that this number is low. Not only do I believe that this number is low, I believe that those people who are impacted will all be touched deeply and personally. Nina’s current host mother has a personal assistant who plays a role in the family that is more like a family member than staff person. She is someone who has been impacted deeply by Nina. Her sadness over Nina’s pending departure is apparent. She was home when I delivered the video and she eagerly accepted the gift.

❦ A simple gift can ease the aching heart.