Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Life Is a Coin.

File:Coin...
You can spend it any way you wish, but you can only spend it once.

Anita Septimus has worked as a social worker for HIV-infected children since 1985.  In the first few months she worked with her tiny clients, three of them died.  Despair began to overwhelm her.  She made a commitment to stick with the job for three more months, during which time she could not get a friend's words out of her thoughts, "You have not chosen [sic] a pretty profession."

She had to admit, her friend was right.  It took resolve to accept that fact and simply do what she could to help families make the most of what remained of their children's lives.  She is still there.

Over the last ten years, her clinic has grown considerably.  Today, Anita and her staff care for more than 300 families with AIDS children.  They go into their homes, teach infection prevention, and help the parents plan for the future.  The children are regularly taken on trips to the zoo, the circus, and summer camps. 

One AIDS baby wasn't expected to see her first birthday, but she recently celebrated her tenth.  Such "long-term" clients give back to Anita what she terms "an indestructible sense of hope"--a precious gift.

For what is your life?  It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.
James 4:14

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