Heart of Gold
In
1971 Neil Young began his search for a Heart
of Gold. Had his
quest continued for another dozen years or so, he surely would have
discovered one in a baby girl, born in the northern part of Bedford
County, Pennsylvania in 1983.
And it didn't take long for those associated with the proprietor of this heart of gold to realize that the young lady possessed something not only vast in size, but rare and precious, too.
A
young witness
At
about three years of age, this same little preschooler apprehensively
observed an antlerless
deer trotting
through the neighbor's property one Saturday morning. As the doe
crossed a highly traveled road, the tiny tot anxiously hoped and
prayed that the deer would make it safely to the open field on the
other side of the highway. But, it was hunting season, and within
seconds of entering the field, the little one witnessed the doe fall
to the ground as it was shot and killed by a hunter.
Her
mom tried to console the little one with a lengthy explanation of
hunting season and its intended purpose, but it did little to
suppress the child's anger, frustration,
and sorrow.
With tears in her eyes and a genuine concern in her heart, she
inquired, “What
are we doing to save the world anyway?”
And
her heart continued to grow
An
animal's class, order,
or species made
little difference as the little girl began growing up and going to
school. Always interested in animals, she was eager to learn
everything she could about them.
Her
concern for tadpoles, frogs, bunnies,
and baby turtles
developed into more of a fixation as she felt the need to care for
all of God’s critters.
She
put to practice what she felt in her heart, too. It was common to
find a pet turtle in her room at home and later
again in her
dorm room throughout her college years.
Room in her heart for people, too
Her
chosen field of study further exemplified the young lady's desire to
offer care – but now, her concern was not only for animals, but for
children as well. Choosing a career caring for special needs
children seemed like a perfect fit. She also included sign language
courses in her studies
to better assist
those children she may encounter with hearing disorders.
Truly,
one of a kind
I
had the pleasure of knowing this young woman her entire life and she
was an excellent student in my science class when I taught school.
On a personal basis, I’ve never met anyone quite like her.
When
I organized river floats for various charities along the Raystown
Branch of the Juniata River, she was there bright
and early every one of
the six years of the event. Manning her table, she sold t-shirts,
collected registration forms,
and sold raffle
tickets until well into the afternoon. And she willingly gave up her
Saturdays to do so.
I
also attended some funerals and viewings through the years when local
residents passed on. Her eulogies, spoken on behalf of her
grandparents at their funerals,
were moving and
memorable, too. For those attending the ceremonies, there was no
doubt in anyone’s mind that her words came from her large heart –
a heart so soft and kind, yet made of a precious metal.
Even
Christmas takes a back seat
Her
family remembers well an incident that occurred during a Christmas
celebration at her parents’ home one year. Worried that she was
late in arriving, they later learned the reason behind her tardiness.
The
young lady was driving on her way to the holiday
get-together
when she saw an elderly man along the roadway.
It was a cold and windy day with snow on the ground,
but she felt
compelled to stop. She discovered that the man had
lost his dog and
was out in the frigid weather, searching for it. She arrived at the
gathering later, informing the family of the good news. With her
help, the man did locate his lost pet.
And
none
of her family members were surprised to learn the reason for her
delay.
More
rescues
One
of the future aspirations of this lady with the heart of gold is to
open a dog rescue center for the abandoned, old, sick, or disabled
dogs that people no longer can care for. But, in the meantime, she
has opened her home to at least three dogs
that she personally
rescued
(and assisted numerous
others with adoptions) from
situations where they had little hope of having a caring home of
their own.
She
recently opened her home and her heart even further when she offered
to foster one of the special needs students in her classroom. Later,
with her heart ever swelling, she adopted Tiffany as her own child.
Today, the mom shares her heart of gold with her daughter and the
rescued dogs. There seems to be no limit to what this caring lady
will do. She lives every
day carrying out
her desire to help and assist, with love, in every way she can.
One
minor difficulty lies ahead
Knowing
this individual as I do, one
problem comes to mind.
I’d gladly bet my Social
Security check
that her driver’s license lists her as an organ donor. As
thoughtful and caring as she is, how could she not be?
Herein
lies the dilemma. Should doctors choose to transplant her heart
someday into that of a recipient, they’re very unlikely going to
find the available space in any other human. The chest cavities
of most humans
simply lack
the volume to accommodate her huge and affectionate heart.
Yes,
if Neil Young is still searching for that Heart
of Gold today,
he’ll find it inside a very extraordinary teacher working with
students in her life skills class in the Chestnut Ridge School
District. Her name is Kecia Scott. You too, will find her there,
doing everything she can on a daily basis to “save the world” in
her own special ways.
Above: Kecia with her daughter, Tiffany.
Below: Kecia with some of her dogs.
Author's
Note:
My
attempts at writing old stories will come to an end with this
calendar year. It has been a pleasure reminiscing those good old
days with my readers.
