After all the sadness of the tragedy in Tuscon, stories about the heroic acts of so many of those involved emerged. Here's one that's sure to grab your heart and give us all hope. A local nine-year-old Tuscon boy was so touched by the shooting that he sold his toys and his treasured bracelet to send in his get-well card to Gabby Giffords.
Isaac Saldana told The Huffington Post that he and his brother were about to go walk the dog when they saw those reports of the violence. He shared that he was so upset that he decided to take action. What Isaac did was gather up some of his toys and sold them at school to raise money for Gabby. This little boy even parted with a special bracelet that was given to him after his dad returned from "one of his deployments as a U.S. Marine."
"I felt really bad about Gabrielle being in the hospital and getting shot, so I just wanted to help her," he said. Initially, his school was concerned that Isaac was selling his toys to his classmates and took his backpack away. Upon learning about his objective, the school became supportive and made an exception.
Aracely Saldana, 30, said that she had no idea what was going on until until she was contacted by Craycroft Elementary. She said that when she learned her son had raised the money and mailed it to Giffords without her knowing, she was so touched that she teared up. "For him to go out of his way risk getting in trouble to do a good thing -- that was just awesome," she said. "I was crying. I am extremely proud of my children."
Capt. Mark Kelly, Rep. Giffords' husband, spoke about how touched he was when he received the get-well card, along with the $2.85 that Isaac raised. It might not be the largest donation ever, but it's very well the most touching. Kelly had assumed that the $2.85 was the youngster's lunch money. Imagine how much more he will be moved when he learns the true extend of Isaac's gift!
Mrs. Saldana confided how personal it became to Isaac when he learned of the tragic senseless slaying of Christina Green, also a nine-year-old. At the Tuscon memorial service, President Obama said. "I want us to live up to her expectations. I want our democracy to be as good as she imagined it. All of us -- we should do everything we can to make sure this country lives up to our children's expectations."
I would say that little nine-year-old Issac Saldana, by this act of compassion and generosity, has indeed set a high standard for the rest of us -- in order for our country to "live up to our children's expectations."
"And don't let anyone put you down because you're young. Teach believers with your life: by word, by demeanor, by love, by faith, by integrity...Cultivate these things. Immerse yourself in them. The people will all see you mature right before their eyes!" (1 Timothy 4:12,15 The Message).
You can watch the boy talk about what he did in this video from KVOA:
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