Family Friday: Inspiration from ‘Beatrice’s Goat’

My previous post on children’s books mentioned Beatrice’s Goat. This book has inspired our family to take action and make changes, like the ones below.

As I wrote earlier:

This book, with its lovely pacing and beautiful illustrations, would be great on its own. But the fact that it is a true story makes it even more joyful. The story introduces Beatrice, then a little girl from Kisinga, Uganda, who dearly wants to attend school. However, the cost is out of reach for her family so attending school seems like a distant dream at best. Then her family receives a goat, who Beatrice names Mugisa or Luck. The goat is well-named and the lives of Beatrice and her family greatly improve because of her. This is a great book for showing how small acts can lead to real change.

Beatrice Biira is now a young woman and the gift of the goat, from children in Niantic, Connecticut through Heifer International, changed the course of her life. With the money her family earned from the goat, Beatrice was able to attend school in Kisinga and became a top student. She won a scholarship to a Ugandan high school, then to a prep school in the US, then to Connecticut College. She graduated from Connecticut College earlier this year and is pursuing a master’s degree in public service, with a focus in international development. She intends to return to Uganda after graduation so she can help other children.

This book quickly entered our bedtime reading rotation. As we read, the girls started asking questions about the goat. Who gave the goat? How do you give a goat? How do you pick a good goat to give?

To help answer these questions, we went online to Heifer International. There we saw that all kinds of creatures, from bees to water buffalo, could be selected as gifts. The online forms made it very easy to make a donation. After a quick discussion, the girls decided to give a dream basket to help someone else’s dream come true this Christmas.
Richard and I have had numerous discussions lately about how fortunate we are. Our daughters are healthy, we have food, clean water, and a warm place to live, and we have each other. As we looked at our two beautiful daughters, debating which gift families would find most helpful, we both thought about how easily we could be in the position of Beatrice’s parents. We looked at each other and said, “Why don’t we give two?” It was a big donation for our budget but was the most treasured Christmas gift we gave this year.

The best part was the girls’ reaction when we received a thank you note from Heifer. It featured a picture of two smiling children holding a goat. The girls jumped up and down, thrilled that their shares of a goat from the dream baskets had helped these children get a goat, just like Beatrice. It quickly became clear that they thought this picture was of the family who received the baskets we donated. And it just may be.

The book has also sparked some thoughtful discussions with the girls about school. Heading back to school after the winter holidays was hard and the girls grumbled about having to go to school. We started to talk about how much Beatrice wanted to attend school and all the things they would learn at school. They still preferred to have a “PJ Day,” as they dubbed the relaxed days off, but they were excited to tell us all the things they learned to make their brains stronger over dinner that night. Beatrice has become a model for them when it comes to enjoying school and all the opportunities it has to offer.

The book has also helped me refocus on what is important in our family. Would I be able to keep my eye on the big picture like Beatrice’s Mama? (Her “First things first” statement gets me every time.) Am I doing that now or am I getting caught up in things that don’t matter? As a result of reading this book, I’ve been rethinking many of my reactions to the minor frustrations of everyday life.

I recently came across a quote I had tucked away. It weaves together the themes of this book and this week, with its candid speeches and calls to action, for me.

These dark days will be worth all they cost us if they teach us that our true destiny is not to be ministered unto but to minister to ourselves and to our fellow men.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt

I hope I can be as strong and as clear-headed as Beatrice, her Mama, and the parents who shepherded their families through the Great Depression.

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