I would like to put a question forth to all of you that may be reading this. What is your idea of giving during this time of year? Do you do something special?
I have always been sensitive during the festive holiday season. Always extremely aware of how fortunate I am versus others that may not be as much so. I find if I am in a store, I can't just walk by a Salvation Army kettle without putting at least $5 in it. Nor can I leave a store if they have a Christmas tree filled with children's wishes for a toy to be present under their tree on Christmas Day. While I certainly am not rich, I find that I can't help but spend my money on others - I want to give it away.
Prior to having Kaelen, I tried giving in the form of volunteering. I was one of those people standing and ringing the bells at the Salvation Army Kettles. The one serving lunch and dinners to the homeless people at our local shelter. The one that would organize through work the adoption of at least two families to provide them with food for a month and a small gift for each member of the family to open on Christmas Day.
Whenever you watch TV or listen to the radio at this time of year, it all seems to be about the unfortunate. The desperate pleas of help by social services groups to fill their coffers and hampers to help alleviate the burden of those that can not afford it. I am sure that this is prevalent across the continent, but it seems extremely so this year in Calgary. As you may or may not know, Calgary is experiencing a boom - a huge boom of growth and wealth. But with that comes the inflated prices so there are families that can't find or afford housing. There is just nothing available. There is an extreme labor shortage, yet the wages are low in relative comparison to the cost of living.
I find though that no matter how much I give, it just never seems enough. Does anyone else feel this way? What do you do to help out?
Friday, December 08, 2006
The Spirit of Giving
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1 comment:
man, i hear you. it's such a big concern and you can feel so little in trying to help. some years we have hooked up with an organization that gifts unfortunate families. we buy things for them, wrap them, then the organization delivers them. they even provide lists of what they need / want. last year we got baby clothes for a woman who had just had a baby and had 2 other kids. she had been relocated due to domestic abuse and they really had nothing but the clothes on their backs. so we got toys for the older kids. give them a little holiday cheer, you know? anything we can think of to do helps. however small. the impact may be big.
hope that helps a little.
also--i totally tagged you! are you up for it? see my blog for details!
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