Give What You Can

Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God which He has given you. Deuteronomy 16:17 (NKJV)

Sometimes when I daydream, I think about what my life would be like if I won the lottery. Of course, you have to play the lottery to win, so these thoughts will always be daydreams. I envision the joy of being able to pay off my debts and buy each one of my kids each a brand new vehicle. Something with a roof rack to hold kayaks and surfboards. I think how nice it might be to have a pool. We had an in-ground pool when I was growing up and for a time when our kids were little we had an above ground pool. I used it most of all of us. What a treat to just get in it in my dirty, sweaty gardening clothes and cool off after a day of weeding. There’s a house on the Rainbow River that has my name on it. It has a greenhouse on the side and a wide porch lined with hummingbird feeders. I want a horse trailer and a Florida Cracker horse. An RV to take on a trip across America. Remember, I’m just daydreaming now. The real dream that I would like to see come true would be to be able to give whenever there is a need. What fun it would be to write a check for $100,000 to organizations that molded my sons into mature young men. Or secretly make a deposit into a man’s account who was there when our family was in a crisis. To fund the restoration of a historic building. Buy a new bus for our church. Send a financial thank you to my college. Stand behind someone in the grocery line and pay for their cart load of groceries. Help a young person buy a house. Contribute to a couple’s desire to adopt a baby. Send a hardworking minister on a cruise. Underwrite the cost of sending children to summer camp. There is so much that I could do if I had the money. I think all of us tend to view giving as a task for those with great wealth, but each of us has something to give that will help our friends, family and neighbors. We may think it minuscule, but to someone, our time, talents and funds, no matter how small can make a difference. I was thinking about it while I was felting my newest creation, the little purple horse pictured above. He is for a raffle to be held for our local therapeutic riding association. Kids with disabilities get to ride horses which improves their physical well being as well as their emotions. In felting, as you pull the little bits of fibers together with a barbed needle, they draw together giving up their own shape for the good of the final piece. Whether you are a lottery winner or whether you survive off a little bit of social security, you still have something to contribute. Look around you, there’s someone in need and you can help.