I fell asleep! hehe so here's yesterdays post:
I'm grateful today for being in a position to be able to give.
It's not nearly as much as i would like to - to the millions of causes all equally worthy of assistance... but what little i do, at least i Can.
Lately i've made a point to give money to every charity that asks. Well i've always been unable to say no to anyone pleading a case for a cause... but i make a note even to put coins into the little banks they have at the supermarket.
One of the joys of grocery shopping with the kids, is the Salvation Army people who sit with the white buckets, the kids will bound up to them and drop handfuls of money into the hole. Sometimes they get a little Magazine, sometimes a sticker. Sometimes just a smile.
They love it. I laughed when Tivi learned to read, and the stickers she received now had a message she could decipher... 'Jesus Loves me??' haha she pulls a quizzical face.
When she asked me who Jesus was, i told her the story - right up to the crucifiction and why to the best of my knowledge- people believed in 'God'.
What is god? She asks. Hehe... i tell her for people who believe in 'god' he's the person that made everything. But he also IS part of everything.
FOr weeks whenever she ate food, she'd say 'Im eating god!'
LOL... anyway sidetrack there. I'm glad i went to a Catholic school and had a wonderful teacher who schooled me on the major religions. I subscribe to none in particular, but at least my apathy is based on education rather than ignorance.
Anyway... back to giving. What sparked this chain of thoughts was a call from Medicins San Frontiers... (DOctors without Borders) I used to donate to them then had to stop when we moved to NZ and came back with nothing to give. A lovely man named Gary and i had a brief but pleasant conversation.
I told Gary that between the two kids we sponsor and our own kids, i couldn't make a commitment to another charity. Maybe even just $5 a week? He asks. Gosh... well when you put it like that.... then my mind flashes back to the stack of letters i have sitting in my 'inbox'... Being winter - all the appeals have arrived.
I tell Gary i probably couldn't promise him anything now, and he offers to call back. I hesitate. I'll take a look Gary, i really will - i've been meaning to allocate my funds for a while now.. all these causes are as worthy as the other. I just need a bit more time.
Gary and i end the call on very good terms. He lets me go at the mention of 5 kids 5 and under wandering the carpark as i was speaking to him... Haha...
Earlier on that day i had donated a small amount to another cause that crossed paths with my facebook life... the funeral of a 6 month old. How could i say no to that.
I discuss with Zane the possibility of taking on a 3rd sponsored child... an Australian child through a local charity. He surprises me by saying sure why not. Meaning it too. We're poor anyway, might as well.
I laugh because we aren't poor. Poor compared to who? We are incredibly lucky and that is why we can afford to give what we can.
Anyway i'm falling asleep, Playgroup party tomorrow. This was meant to be short... just to say how thankful i am to be in a position to give.
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