Follow-up on Larry.

The last time you heard from me, I was asking for help with my tutor kid’s family. They are the ones whose house was broken into; their electronics, clothes, backpacks, and Christmas presents were stolen. Larry’s family needed support. Between the teachers of BT Washington, Relevant tutors, and many who heard about the situation, rest assured Larry and his family will have a very merry Christmas. Here is the story of how one family became a part of Larry and his family’s Christmas.
So I get a call from my friend Ben who was doing a little spell checking over the email I sent out about the Smith Family’s break-in. Ben said that he was with some of his friends and was just talking about the email. He said that his friends were looking for a family to help out this year. Ben remembered Larry and wondered if his family had been taken care of yet. I said this break-in happened too late for the family to be added to Relevant’s Ornaments of Hope and that most of my other options were exhausted. It sounded like they might be interested. So Ben forwarded my email to his friends to think it over. On their way home that night, Ben’s friends took note of a star that streaked through the sky.
Larry’s family moved from Alabama. I assumed they were running away from something, but now I think they were running to something. Their town was small and consisted mostly of hunting cabins and farms. They were the last of their family to move to Tampa. Larry’s mom Peaches is a CNA (certified nursing assistant), and she works long shifts from 6:00am to 6:00pm. She takes care of elderly patients who have seen better days. I’m sure that when Peaches moved to Tampa she wouldn’t have thought her family would need any help. After all she’s got three kids in school, her own place, and a good job. With so many signs held on street corners reading will work for food, she works not just for food but to restore what was taken. She models for these kids what it means to provide.
Sunday after church I get a phone call. “Hey this is Kim, Ben told me to give you a call about the Smith family, and we would like to help.” “Great,” I said. Kim continues with “but first I’d like to tell you a little something about myself.” Kim has a son Justin. Justin had a little brother, a half brother from a different marriage. Because the boys did so much together, Justin’s half brother was like a son to Kim. She went on to explain how they lost Justin’s brother. He was a heart transplant recipient. Sadly, his body rejected the donor heart and a little over 2 years ago he passed away. “We’ve accepted it,” Kim said with a shaky voice. Even though the loss of a loved one can be accepted, the void is never complete.
After the funeral Kim and Mercy, the boys mother sat on the front porch mostly in silence. Words could not express the grief and solace that they both felt. Mercy, a broken mother propped up by her son’s courage, and Kim whom loved the boy as if he were her own, pondered how to best memorialize such a loss. As the two ladies sat holding hands, the night sky revealed numerous shooting stars. They made a vow that when they saw a shooting star they would think of their lost son, Larry.
Kim wanted Larry’s mom to know about her Larry. These two sets of 9 year old Larrys share more than a name, they share a giving spirit. Kim and Mercy’s Larry had Jonas Brothers tickets for the family. But the doctor wouldn’t give permission for a concert adventure. But Larry wouldn’t dream of his brother or his family not going to the concert on his account. Larry Smith is learning to be a giver; during the cold snap when one of his school buddies didn’t have a jacket Larry Smith gave his extra. This seemingly small gesture doesn’t look like a world changing event but it does take on new perspective when you realize all his other clothes were stolen.
For two years Kim’s tree didn’t have a present for Larry. This year finally she had a place to put her present labeled: for Larry.

Violating Christmas Hope

This year I’ve been tutoring at BT Washington. Each week on Thursdays, Larry teaches me a little more about life. When I first met Larry he was donned with seriously cool dreadlocks which were the kind grown for years, not as a fad. I chatted with his mom, Peaches, over the phone one day. I’m not sure she knew how to take me, but I let her know what tutoring was about and that I was here to help if she ever needed it.

Larry moved from Alabama, and without prying I guess they moved back to Tampa for a second chance. The hum in the teacher’s break room about the new kid reflected that he was rambunctious and was goanna need a little extra help. I’m not sure what they left back home, but this was Larry’s new home and I became a little part of it.

The three’s times tables are the hardest part of our hour together. Well, focusing on something other than the computer racing games is pretty hard too. For some reason, B.T. kids look forward to the time with us old people. When a kid gets a tutor, it’s like they have entered into an exclusive club. Tutors are treated like celebrities. The reality is that I probably get more out of our relationship than he does. When he begs me to stay for lunch, he teaches me about being a father. He also sharpens my multiplication and checkers skills.

Life has hit Larry’s family pretty hard the past couple of weeks. Besides his sister’s frightening seizures that have bound her to the hospital for a time, the family apartment was robbed over the weekend. From the street their apartment looks appealing considering it overlooks the river, but driving through the streets, a closer look reveals the typical neighborhood role models. These role models include young people standing idle in unsavory groups solidifying their bleak future.

See, when Larry’s apartment was breached, so was his trust. This trust is the very basic trust that says my home is safe and full of hope. The bad guys not only took the electronics, school supplies and clothes, but they also opened up Christmas presents and left only wrappings. Larry’s family Christmas this year was unwrapped alright, just not by them.

So where does that leave Larry and his family? Simply, they need your help. First things first, they need clothes and school supplies. Larry is a Size 10 and his sister is a size 14. His brother is size 36. If you have any clothes you would be proud having on these kid’s backs then bring them on Sunday. If you don’t have kids this age or size, but would like to help, you can donate monetarily through PayPal or give on Sunday and designate your offering to the Smith Family. All donations to the Smith Family will be personally managed by the Relevant Church staff and officials from BTW to make sure the most vital family needs are met.

To be totally honest, when I got the email about this situation, I read the first few lines and almost deleted it. I thought it was sent to a mailing list. I didn’t realize until after re-reading that it was about my tutor kid’s family. This tutor thing is getting kinda real.