She said being needed is the most wonderfully reassuring thing.
It was still raining, yet her eyes shone as though they were touched by the glow of sun.
Her name is Hua Li. Though retired, she still devotes most of her time to Tzu Chi, which was first established in 1966 when a group of people in Taiwan donated fifty cents to increase the production of baby shoes. In 2006, Tzu Chi came to Suzhou. It is located somewhere miles from the noisy streets of Suzhou’s urban, tranquil, yet powerful.
“After I retired, I thought about what can I do during my spare time. Meanings…meaningful things…I think about this, and my heart also feels that I am still valuable. Although I do not need to go to work anymore, Tzu Chi allows me to do something meaningful.”
She said this with a sincere smile. The amiable laugh lines on her face marked the truehearted happiness she felt by helping others. Through her spare time, Hua participated various charity activities organized by Tzu Chi, such as accompanying children in voluntary schools, helping families in need, promoting environmental protection, organizing book clubs, etc. The three main voluntary vocation that Tzu Chi do is (1) charity, (2) medical treatment, (3) education, and (4) humanities. . She herself, as an enthusiastic volunteer, often participate in charity activities and enjoys them deeply.
“We provide services for all kinds of people that urge for help. As for kids, we nurture them with knowledge and basic practical skills to lay out a seed for goodness, so that those kids would one day do the same to others and pass this mentality all over the place. We also aim to help elderly individuals who are in their twilight years living alone. For these empty nesters, their quintessential need is companionship, so we give it to them when they need it.”
Hua Li at local Medical Care Service
In Suzhou, there are approximately ten thousand empty nesters. Volunteers in Tzu Chi encourage the elderly to do contributions within their capacities, while at the same time provide them with medical cares and societal support. In this community, these elderly people are both care givers and care recipients. Hua explained that Tzu Chi Voluntary Vocation Park has been recognized as a charity space by the Civil Affairs Bureau and is used exclusively for public welfare.
When we asked Hua what the most unforgettable moment of her working experience in Tzu Chi was, she told us a story about a 6-year-old kid with leukemia.
By the time Hua saw this boy, he was alive and kicking. However, his state has comprehensively changed after finishing bone marrow transplantation. At 2 am, he was close to death, and his mother asked for our help in despair. Hua said that at that moment, these two “strangers” treated them like family.
“At that time, I felt myself doing such a meaningful thing. She (the kid’s mother) thought about Tzu Chi at their most hopeless moment.”
As a single mom, the woman showed great gratitude to us and has always come to see us in the following year. She concluded,
“For this boy and his family, what we did was like a gust of warm wind. We offered friendly support and silent companionship. It way outperformed giving money. It was the time I found myself being so important” This profound realization has supported Hua’s commitment to continue working for Tzu Chi. For now, she has been a volunteer for more than ten years.
Hua Li doing voluntary works
Even before the face of the most devastating challenges, her will has never faltered. Since 2019, the Covid-19 pandemic has ruined the world for three years. We were quite concerned about the pandemic impact to Tzu Chi and tried to find out whether or not this catching disease has affected Hua’s and her group’s initiative.
“The more severe the condition is, the more work we will do. During the pandemic period, people from Tzu Chi voluntarily did tons of volunteering work such as doing NAT (nuclear acid test) and health monitoring. In general, our motif of helping those in need has never been affected by this appalling disease.”
Hua Li in community service
Joining Tzu Chi made Hua realize that everybody could be a superhero as you behave like a lighthouse, igniting others from darkness. Her mindset is clear and simple: using her own force to help the surroundings.
In this self-interested society, Hua belongs to the fewer population who are almost selfless and sacrifice their time and stuff to the public. When we asked her how could she maintain such a selfless manner for years, she said it takes time. When you clear your mind and immerse in this job, nothing will ever compare. Being patient and persistent while confronting difficulties would eventually take you there.
“When Tzu Chi came to China during a hypersensitive period of time, especially when it comes to religion and political elements. Our founder strongly reminded us never to act like a preacher and just focus on our work. And our job is to advocate environmental protection and charity. Charity isn’t something which can only be done by a group of people though. Personally, I used my money to help those victims who suffered from the flood in Eastern China and my mindset was to pass this heartwarming action to everyone around us.”
Hua Li cleaning up local wastes
When we finished the interview, the rain secretly stopped. Looking up at the sky, we saw a beautiful rainbow bridging us to a distanced yonder. The voice of Hua still lingers with us,
“It way outperformed giving money. It was the time I found myself being so important.”
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