Shop. Shop. Shop. Go ye out and fill the tills of the land!
Buy things to use, to cherish or to give to others. And in the latter case, may
these be to the needy as well as to your loved ones.
‘Tis the season to be jolly to be sure. It is also the
season to be charitable. Every religion we have worshiped throughout history
has taught charity. Whether you read the word as love, or generosity, both
meanings bump up against one another. You cannot give to strangers unless you
feel a love for them, a caring to fill a need they have, a need you can fill
for them.
We have much to be thankful for. You know that. I know that.
Even if you are in a state of need at this very moment, you know you have
things to be thankful for. Life itself is something to cherish and be thankful
for. The people in our lives that give meaning and purpose to life itself we
are thankful for. The air we breathe is an object of thanks. So to our homes,
seasonal warmth from hearth and furnace, ovens and stoves which pour forth
food! So many reasons to be thankful.
So too tragedy. We can be thankful for it if only because it
reminds us that most of us are not facing those same tragedies: fire, storm,
flood, earthquake, poverty, hunger, death, ill health. At many moments in our
life we do experience many of those tragedies. But we survive them because we
have encountered them through others at other times. We learn from their
experience. We capture glimpses of what we will one day also experience. Until
then we help them muster through.
Being cared for by others is a heady experience. You are
loved and know it. You are nurtured and embraced and pull energy and stamina
from it.
This is what America
did for Europe with the Marshall Plan. What America did in rebuilding Japan . What America does in Haiti ,
Indonesia
or any other place that has experienced stunning disasters. Their people hurt
and are in need. We respond. Either in government programs or personal and
private ways. Some of us even hop on a plane and spend a week or two
ministering to the needs of those who simply cannot do for themselves when laid
low by natural disasters.
This is what America
did for the victims of Katrina, Sandy
and many other storms. Just ask the people of Joplin , Missouri Homestead , Florida California following major earthquakes.
Because these disasters take a toll in human life and
health, as well as homes, food, transportation and basic infrastructure, it
takes a large group of people and organizations to make a difference. From this
FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) was formed. Companion organizations
in each state have also formed to coordinate with FEMA should the need arise.
For those states overly familiar with natural disasters, more companion agencies
have been formed in counties and large cities. They coordinate with local first
responders, then state agencies and finally with FEMA. Katrina taught our
nation well. We want to be prepared for the next time.
Because next time it may affect us. How many people in New York and New
Jersey know this intrinsically as we read and write
these words? Next time will be different won’t it? Thank God we know, we learn,
we care.
That is the basic line in the sand: we care.
For that I am thankful. This day and always. We are a nation
of carers. May it always be true. For now let us rejoice in that alone!
November 23, 2012
Be charitable but thoughtful about it. Some charities are downright dishonest or merely ineffective. Read their fine print to make sure the money is going for what you really think it is. And some charities mean well but are just ill-conceived. My kids were asked to make boxes for homeless, but most of the stuff went unused. Only found out after the fact what sorts of thing to really send. So check into it, even if it is local, and find out how effective it is. A proven winner: Heifer Project that buys farm animals for people, including in our own country. They are expected to give on to others when their animals reproduce. I know a woman who has traveled and seen projects, and I trust them to do what they say.
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