Tonight I was going over the Christmas list, checking it twice and feeling a bit overwhelmed with trying to buy gifts for people who have so many gifts in their lives already it's unbelievable - I decided I needed a break and instead went for the small pile of accumulating bills and along with online banking took a minute to dispense with that; then I began to process the money requests from charities. In addition to and after our local gifting, one of our favorite international charities surfaced quickly - Episcopal Relief and Development.It didn't take me long at all to realize that some of the dollars, maybe not all, but some of the dollars that would have been spent on frivolous items to be opened and tossed aside quickly, are going to be sent from us in the name of friends and family. Who cannot want to contribute to the micro-loans that give women (and men) in poor and desolate countries, the chance of a lifetime to start their small businesses, or the idea that anyone in this world is going without clean water or that children and babies are contracting malaria when a $10.00 contribution will buy them a mosquito net. I could go on but you get the picture. Isn't there some favorite charity that could use your $10.00 or $25.00 or even $100.00 contribution to make this world a better place? It probably beats the heck out of those sweater vests you're going to send your grandchildren that they'll never wear!!!
Do you have a favorite charity to which you're donating this year? I know Tess and Mary and Kigen are keen on this idea - how about you?
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=8aac7aa8-91c1-4cda-a1a8-b45b38c02047)
This is such a great idea. I did gift a goat in honour of Tess via Oxfam.ca. I am going to talk about goat-gifting during my reflection on Sunday at Mass. As I wrote in a note to Tess, nothing says that Christmas is just around the corner like the scent of a goat.
ReplyDeleteI am participating in an online challenge: the Ten Dollar Challenge. I multiplied mine.
ReplyDeleteHere's my post:
http://writingwithoutpaper.blogspot.com/2009/12/casting-net-for-life.html
My husband and I are also giving closer to home to help meet local needs.
Barbara, I love your "scent of a goat" comment:) I hope some of your talk on Sunday seeps into your upcoming posts.
ReplyDeleteMaureen, thanks for comment here and leaving the link. We, too, feel a need in our community for local gifting. Even in a town where many would actually say "we have no poor" in our town. They would be sooo wrong.
Best wishes to you both, thanks for the comments.