So there’s a lot of stuff going on in the world today. I can’t fix most of it. I can’t even make a dent. I can’t repair what Dems have done, or Mamdani in NYC or any of it. It’s beyond my small grasp. That’s true of every single one of us. As a single human being, there really isn’t much we can do.
Except that there really is. The edict to help others is not just Christian, but runs through most faiths in the world. That desperation to help someone runs deep in the human psyche, to the point where some of us feel horrible if we can’t help others. There are limits, of course. But the fundamental idea of helping someone find food, shelter, a job, a working vehicle, or a quiet night without a screaming infant… these are within our grasp.
@obsessedwmc #itstime it’s time!!! throughout the years #mariahcarey #christmas ♬ original sound – queen mariah
So at this time of year, just as Mariah Carey comes out of her icy slumber, I make the same offer. If you need help, please let me know. I don’t have tons of cash, and I don’t have a big house anymore to stash people in. But if you are hurting bad enough, I have a couch. I have food. I will make sure you don’t starve. If you are feeling down, page me or call me. I will talk to you. I will listen. And for all that’s holy… please know, I would rather spend hours listening to you cry about your life, than thirty minutes at your funeral, so if you are feeling suicidal or dangerously depressed, please please please reach out.
I’m an interfaith minister, among the other zillion things I do. I’m not a psychologist or a shrink, but I know how to listen. I can give advice, if asked, but I usually just listen.
I don’t ask for anything in return. If you find yourself in a place, sometime in the future, where you have the ability to give back… Well, you pay it forward. Go help the next person who needs it. M’kay? I don’t have much… but I have enough. My fridge is full, and so is my freezer (so full that we’re not buying meat for a while because I desperately need space in there in case we get a deer this year). My pantry is bursting with canned goods, which aren’t our favorite, but which will see us through if we can’t afford fresh. I have everything I need to bake bread and treats for the holidays and the holy days. In all that, I’m rich.
Excellent article, Allyson! My philosophy, if you know someone who could use help, dont be afraid tbo do so.
I have a friend who’s disabled but can do some work (she works as a photographer but isn’t physically able to handle full days very often). She does what she can, when she can. It took her years to get her disability, and then her partner died suddenly and his sons from his first marriage took off with most of their stuff. She’s been left destitute, and the one thing she’d wanted to keep was the house the two of them had built from the ground up. Alas, she’s been unable to keep that. She’s looking into moving into a retirement community. The problem? They recently reduced her food stamps from $200 a month to $26. She’s barely making it as it is. $26 a month isn’t enough to cover food, and all her money is going to lawyer fees because of the sons. It just sucks.
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So I’m doing what anyone would. I’m quietly gathering up a box of food, and I’m going to make a trip down to see her one weekend soon. I know she’ll use every scrap I give her. She usually has a garden (though the sons screwed that up this year) to supplement her grocery money. She knows how to make a penny scream. It’s well worth it helping her out. Besides, I owe her for taking such lovely Handfasting photos of me and my sweetie. 🙂
I have never been much on donating money, but show me a bake sale and I am there!!! I have seen $10 worth of ingredients easily become $50 or morefor the cause. I have pulled in hundreds of dollars for Toys for Tots via bake sales. Our new home is really big on casserole and bake sales to help folks with doctor bills or to fill a fridge for someone recovering from surgery, or to just help a little kid get that junior cheerleader camp and outfit she wants so badly (they start cheerleaders out young in TX). I strongly recommend supporting these sales – the money invested not only goes to a specific need, but also gets and gives the most ‘bang for the buck.’