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As winter quietly arrived in Vancouver, volunteers in their “blue sky, white clouds” uniforms went out on this Sunday morning, bringing Master Cheng Yen’s blessings to deliver supermarket gift cards to newly arrived immigrant families.
I participated in this distribution event on November 23rd with my two children. I specifically asked for leave from my daughter’s swimming class, while my son was initially reluctant to join. Thanks to the volunteers’ guidance, my son gradually adapted to this unfamiliar environment with their help.
Education Is Not Just Knowledge; It is a Form of Hope
Our first stop was a family from Afghanistan. This family of eight left their homeland due to war and had stayed in Pakistan for three years before arriving in Canada about a year ago.
Due to language barriers, they had been unable to find work, and their lives were very difficult. When we met the mother, she was preparing to attend an English class. She told us that women had no opportunity to receive an education in her homeland, and in free Canada, what she was most grateful for was the ability to attend school.
The light in her eyes made me deeply realize that for her, education was not just knowledge, but also hope. This also made me reflect on how many things we take for granted are hard-won aspirations in their lives.
Blessings and Sincerity Warmed Their Hearts
Next, we visited the second family, a family of four from Syria. They had lived in Turkey for fourteen years without stable jobs, and their lives were very hard.
After coming to Canada, the parents’ English was not very fluent; only the younger sister was attending a local school, while the elder brother could only study English at a language school. Although this family didn’t speak much, their gratitude overflowed from their eyes, especially when they received the gift cards. Their sincere smiles were touching. At that moment, Tzu Chi’s blessings and sincerity warmed their hearts.
The third family was from Ukraine, an optimistic and enthusiastic mother raising four children in Canada. Although she was raising her children alone and working long hours, making life not easy, she always kept smiling and proactively expressed her gratitude to us. This mother had previously volunteered at a city food bank, and when she saw the supplies we brought, she immediately expressed her thanks and hoped to join our ranks to help more people in need.
This composure and optimism deeply moved me; this was not just a material donation, but also a spiritual strength, making people believe that no matter what difficulties they encounter, they can still harbor good intentions and give back to society.
The story of the fourth family deeply touched me. A father who had been a general manager in a government agency in Afghanistan, after coming to Canada, had to work as a delivery driver. Although his income was significantly less than before, he still did not complain, but instead cherished every job opportunity, solely to provide a stable life for his family.
When I saw his hurried figure and his unspoken fatherly love, my heart was filled with respect and emotion. His persistence and dedication made me deeply realize the weight of family responsibility and paternal love.
Love and Kindness Will Take Root and Sprout in Their Hearts
During this day’s distribution, my children were initially not enthusiastic about participating, but as we interacted with these families, they began to quietly learn and observe.
The children saw these immigrant families persisting and striving in difficult circumstances. They proactively played with the Ukrainian children and, under the guidance of volunteers, learned how to help find their addresses. When asked if he would like to participate again, my son nodded and said, “Yes.”
At that moment, I deeply felt a small Bodhi seed quietly sprouting in his heart. Although it would require more patience and companionship, I believe this love and kindness will take root and flourish in his heart.
My children and I have only just begun our immigrant life. This was our first time participating in a winter supply distribution. Through this experience, I better understood the various difficulties and challenges new immigrant families face in a foreign land. And for these families from war-torn homelands, a difficult life is even more a part of their daily reality.
To some extent, I am also experiencing their plight. Only by truly experiencing and understanding can one better appreciate. I also realized, “A person’s happiness is not measured by how much they possess, but by how little they count.” In this land interwoven with diverse cultures, we even more need Master Cheng Yen’s Dharma and the wisdom of Jing Si Aphorisms to overcome linguistic, cultural, and economic differences and steadfastly advance on the Bodhi path.
I hope this distribution event allowed my children to experience the true meaning of “it is more blessed to give than to receive.” With hearts full of “gratitude, respect, and love,” we brought blessings and love into the recipient families. In the future, when the children face challenges, they might recall the resilience and optimism of these families and learn to view the world with a broader perspective.