Giving

At a meeting this morning with several fellow Kiwanians, a grandmother talked about her upcoming trip to Tanzania with her 13-year-old granddaughter - a child who wants to give her time serving the people of a nation that has electricity for only three hours a day and must fetch their water and carry it into their homes.  This darling grandmother has a tradition of taking her grandchildren on "vacation" every year with the only stipulation being that they spend two weeks doing volunteer work in whatever location they choose. 

Sadly, most children do not grow up with this type of influence anymore.

But I realized during this conversation that even as much as I feel I "give" to others, I could certainly do more.  I sat there in my cute knit hat with matching scarf - a frivolous splurge I'd purchased with Christmas money - and remembered the revulsion that had filled me for capitalistic American society after I'd read The Poisonwood Bible.  No - I don't live in a sprawling home filled with expensive electronics, nor do I drive a monstrous gas guzzler.  But I do own a significant collection of Lia Sophia jewelry and I don't have to do laundry very often because I always have plenty to wear.  I've stepped up my giving at church, sure - - but if I had cooked dinner the other night instead of taking the kids out to eat, I could probably give TWICE as much to the church.  Or I could buy several boxes of nonperishable food items to keep in the car and hand out to those poor souls I always see freezing on the street corners when I visit the Chicago area.  Shoot - we certainly didn't need to eat $30 worth of Thai food that night.  How many people out there have virtually nothing to eat, and yet I throw away food every week because it has sat too long in my fridge NOT being eaten?

And my other failure lately has been not writing this blog.  So why am I not taking my passion toward such worthwhile topics as giving more to others and writing about them?!?

I'm just as guilty as anyone...  I get so caught up in my own life and my own busy-ness that I put aside the things that supposedly matter to me.  And I really want to try to STOP doing that. 

So new goal - - - on top of budgeting my earnings to include saving for my and the kids' future (which is - realistically - an important goal to adopt, otherwise I may find myself desperately in need one day), I will include more giving.  And I won't treat myself to jewelry and other splurges (like the new leather boots I've been pining for) until I've committed an equal amount of money to someone who truly needs new shoes, or for whom a piece of jewelry would be a priceless, unique gift - not just one more item for an already excessive collection.

AND I'll be honest when I fail.  Because I will fail.  Let's just hope I'll fail less than usual.