The Adventures of Captain
Jack—Explorator™
October 2018—Episode 10
Word of the month—Giving
The giving of gifts (including time) with or without the
expectation of receiving something in return has been a social tradition for
thousands of years. It is based on religious practices to honor a favored
person or God.
Quote of the Month
“The most truly generous persons are those who give silently
without hope of praise or reward.”
Recap
from Episode 9: Captain Jack’s family knew they had
much to be thankful for and showed their gratitude in a multitude of ways like taking
donations to the animal shelter including blankets, pet food, treats, pet shampoo,
clothes detergent, and bleach. Shelters always have a need for these consumable
items and their staffs are always very thankful for people who bring donations
in to help them care for the animals. The last time his family took a donation
to the shelter, Captain Jack went on a road trip with them and saw all the
shelter animals. The puppy heard them say there are millions of animals across
the country in need of homes. Captain Jack was very, very thankful for his new
family and friends that day and each and every day.
Episode
10—October 2018
Captain Jack had heard people say it is much better to
give than to receive. But what if you
don’t have anything to give? Captain Jack asked his friends about this, and
they all agreed that everyone has something to give. Some people give things
like food, toys, beds, money, and other items. Some people cook for others,
clean for them, drive them places, and help them with health care. Captain Jack
didn’t happen to have any of these things in his life so that he was able to
help others. The puppy was feeling quite blue. Then it occurred to him that the
one thing he did have was time. Time is something that has great value and
doesn’t cost anything. He decided to find a way to share some of his time.
Captain Jack walked down to the beach and noticed an
old dog sitting all alone. The puppy went over to see if he could help the old
dog. It turned out he was lost and hungry. He was sure his family was going to
come back for him. He didn’t want to leave the beach and miss them. Captain
Jack didn’t have any food with him, but he invited the old dog to come to his
family’s home to get something to eat. The old dog actually looked like he was
starving. (Although it technically was not Captain Jack’s dog food to give, it
seemed to him that since his family was so good and caring, they wouldn’t mind.)
The old dog refused to leave that place.
Since he wouldn’t come with the puppy, Captain Jack
decided to run home and get him some food. He also decided to grab a bottle of
water. Captain Jack’s family had filled his backpack, and he carried it back to
the beach to give the old dog some food and water. To the puppy’s horror, the
old dog wasn’t sitting up any more. He was lying on his side and panting very,
very hard. His eyes looked all glazed over. Captain Jack was very worried about
him. The puppy dropped his backpack and ran back to the house barking at the
top of his lungs. No one was home, so he ran to the neighbor’s house. The puppy
barked and barked until someone opened the door. Since he was so upset, they
called and got hold of someone in his family.
Captain Jack didn’t know whom they talked with. But
within a few minutes, the puppy heard sirens and saw an ambulance going down to
the beach. Apparently, they thought he was trying to get help for a human.
Captain Jack really hoped he wasn’t going to be in trouble. Here he was trying
to give a little of his time to help a dog, and it might turn out to be a
disaster. As Captain Jack ran after the ambulance, all kinds of thoughts passed
through his mind. His family being
disappointed with him, putting him outdoors to live, or worse yet, finding him
a new home for causing such a problem. The puppy ran as fast as he could to
get there.
When he arrived, he was so surprised that he started
to cry. The ambulance was driven by his dad. He and his partner got out and had
a special face mask for dogs. They were giving CPR to the old dog and had the oxygen
mask on him. It turned out they were prepared for any problem, whether it was a
human or an animal in need. Captain Jack breathed a sigh of relief.
They looked over at the puppy with worry and relief on
their faces all at the same time. His dad had seen Captain Jack’s backpack at
the scene and had realized that Captain Jack had given the gift of his time to
get help for the old guy. His dad and his partner had given the old dog the
gift of life through their actions. As the puppy watched them carefully lift the
old dog onto a gurney, he realized that no act of kindness—no matter how small—was
wasted.
Each and every positive action to help another living
thing has a ripple effect to make life better in an exponential amount yet to
be measured.
Look
for what happens next in the 11th exciting blog episode about
Captain Jack—Explorator™ in November 2018.
Humane
Education Follow-up Activities:
Adopt a family and help them with items they might
need. You can contact your local Salvation Army, American Red Cross, or other
humanitarian group to see how you can help.
Donate your time to help at a food bank or a shelter
for the homeless.
Write about your experiences.
Story
Discussion Tips:
1) What
types of gifts do you enjoy receiving? Why? How do they make you feel?
2) What
types of gifts do you enjoy giving? Why? What makes you enjoy these the most?
3) What
is the best gift you ever received? Why did you like this gift the best?
©2017
Heddie Wittlin-Leger
American
Red Cross
