If you have a few dollars to spare, The Shade Tree Shelter in Las Vegas, Nevada would love to hear from you. It’s a shelter for women, children and their pets, and it’s such a wonderful, worthy cause, I had to share it with you all.

Peace and Joy,
Laura

I would wish fer all universal free health care for the world. If ya need help, ya gets it. Period. Mental health, physical health, fitness programs, senior programs…we needs ‘em all!

And in the meantime, give food when ya can, give toys when ya can, give anythin’ when ya can. All year.

Hellie, a couple of years ago, I would have agreed with you. But in my area at least there are many people who are desperate now. We have families in our church who were living a comfortable middle-class life until the economy took a nosedive. Now some of them have been jobless for two years; they’ve lost savings and homes and cars. Our church benevolence fund has been exhausted because we’ve helped so many people buy groceries and pay utility bills so they can keep their kids fed and warm. I think want is very real all around us. And I haven’t even touched upon those who lack nothing materially but are lonely and hurting and in want emotionally.

There is a very high homeless rate there and my children were confused by a small child living in the park with her parents, behind the shrubs. My kids were 4, 7, 10 at the time. I explained they had no home or toys or all the things my kids had. Well they noticed the little girl had no shoes all the time and begged me to go buy her shoes and toys and candy to leave by the shrubs.

Now mind you I would not hesitate to do this, but at the time things were really tight and we were broke, but I caved and did it. My kids watched from the apartment for hours until the little girl came back and they saw her smiling and twirling and so excited, like Christmas in June. All three of my kids had tears running down their faces! Including my four year old!

They then decided they would leave her a little something each day!! OMG! Now look what I started. So through the summer they left little things for the little girl and one day in the park the mom came up to me alone and reached out taking my hand she said “Thank you”. I was so stunned, she knew what the kids were doing and after that, she let the little girl play once in a while with my kids.

My children are all grown now and they are so giving and they are always donating to food shelves, Toys for Tots, Giving trees. Anything that would help a needy child or family.

When my friends ask, how did you instill that in your kids, I tell them , I showed them the lowest point of someones life one time and they never forgot!

I think my wish would be for everyone to be really treated equal, I think we have come along way. But I dont think we are there all the way!

Melissa – That sounds like a great community. I’ve been on the receiving end of anonymous support several times in the last five years and am very grateful I’m in a position to give back. Last year we helped feed the homeless at a local church and it was a great experience. I doubt I can even calculate how much kiddo got out of it.

Even though it’s cold (17 below this morning), the caring community in my rural area is why I’m thankful my son and I are here. I see first hand neighbors help neighbors in many subtle ways. Free will donations for dinners occur almost weekly – throughout the year, although less in summer. The food is donated and home made – and those who can afford it give $20 (above and beyond) and those who can’t, give $1. Technnically, these are fund raisers, but a fund rasier for the next dinner. There is a food shelf with an open door policy, no questions asked, and the shelves are always full – - not a sign of less need, but a sign giving. There is an angel tree program for Christmas, where if you can donate a gift you know it might go to your neighbor’s child. The program also provides a complete meal, boxed with all the fixings for a turkey dinner. There is a sliding fee scale program for medical and dental care (provided by a private grant from a paper company)where preventive care is mimimal cost (a co-pay) and a gas voucher is provided for the 40 mile one way trip to the clinic.

I grew up statistically poor, in this very community, but didn’t really know it. I think it must have been this way – giving what you can, receiving when you need it, for a long time. I think it’s a parent’s right to keep some things from their children. When you’re poor, the one thing you hold on to most is your pride. This is a good thing. It means an awareness of a give and take. I hope my child will be generous in a big way later in life and in better circumstances. My wish is that he goes to college and lives the “good life” but doesn’t forget to give back.

Wonderful blog. Lisa.

I like this wish. Except I don’t think the majority of people living in the US know what want really is. They might hear the “free of want” speech and think it meant that everyone got a free Wii or iPhone.