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March/April 2004 Spirituality
The Best Trade I Ever Made

by Atira

Photo by Sgt. Rebekah-mae Bruns

Mary Ellen and I have been friends for many years. I ask her to save the small hotel shampoos and soaps when she travels on her book tours. I put the shampoos and soaps in care packages that I make for the street children when I travel to Egypt on business once a year.

The packages are small baggies filled with a sparkly pencil, a small toy, and some candy. Before my last trip I had discovered a great buy on small toy cars, so 22 bags each had one. Each day, in Cairo, I carry some of these gift baggies with me and look for children in need.

One day, in the streets of Cairo's teeming humanity, I went down a small and narrow street (about the width of 2 door jambs). The temperature sucked your breath away at 105 degrees, and I moved slower than usual as I watched the people around me. My eyes where drawn to three small boys ranging from 6-8 years old. The three poor, tattered and dirty children sat barefoot in the street ... their heads bent down...concentrating on a piece of cardboard with many lines drawn on it.

I watched the youngsters and tried to figure out what game they played. Obviously, it is their own homemade version with bottle caps, resembling a cross between checkers and backgammon. I thought how ingenious, that even with so little, they had created something out of toss-a-way things to give them so much joy.

I slowly walked up to the children, reached my hand out, palm up, and pointed to their game. I requested in my street Arabic "Give me that," meaning, hand me one of your bottle caps. A small head looked up, then at the cap, and then at my outstretched hand and then slowly... reluctantly... picked up a bottle cap and put it in my palm.

I turned it over, looked at it carefully, as if to examine it as a priceless gem. I nodded my head approvingly and smiled, put the bottle cap in my pocket, reached into my tote bag and drew out the carefully made gift package and handed it to him. His eyes grew wide as he accepted the bag.

I then reached my hand out, palm out, to the next child who quickly drew up the closest bottle cap to him and popped it with great speed into my palm. I then repeated looking at it, accepted it, and gave him a bag of his own. I then extended my hand to the third child.

This child had sat very quiet as he looked on, seeing his friends benefit from giving up something from their game. This child carefully looked over his cherished bottle caps. Some in very poor condition, they had seen better days, and others were newer and shiny. This child chose carefully, selecting his very best bottle cap, and handed it to me, turning his big brown eyes up as if to say, "I am giving you my best."

It took all my strength to hold back tears at his gesture. Up until now I had been enjoying the game....of giving. But this child showed me what giving truly meant. I once again carefully examined his cap, placing it in my pocket beside the other two. I gave him his bag and slowly moved across the street in the stifling heat to collect myself. He touched me deeply.

I turned and looked back at the three small boys playing in the street... as small boys around the world play with toy cars. As I watched, an Arab man attending his shop said, "Madam, these are good boys. Poor, but good. "There is not enough work and they are too young so there are too few ways for them to earn money, even for basic needs. This is a kind thing you have done."

Four days later, I again had to walk down the same street for my business connections. A strange thing happened; all the shopkeepers treated me with great respect. I can only assume more than one shopkeeper had looked on the other day and word had spread about the kindness given to the small children. It brought a smile to my face.

I still carry the bottle caps; they are the best trades I ever made! In trading, the children were not made to feel poor: They were giving and receiving something, and they were not begging. These children who have so little -- gave so much.

Note: on my arrival in Seattle I shared this story with my girlfriend Chris who is a Girl Guide leader.

Chris said her troop would create new baggies as a troop project for my next trip.

Atira is a mystic and intuitive living in Seattle, WA. For more information go to angelscribe.com/atira.html You may contact Atira through Mary Ellen "Angel Scribe" MaryEllen@angelscribe.com.