Enough Already!

I've heard that saying, "Give till it hurts," but I haven't found it particularly accurate. Giving feels goooood and it's possibly one of the very best things we can do for ourselves.

We have an exchange table at work. I can take clothes we no longer wear, books we've read, that bread machine I don't use, etc. and the stuff finds new homes. Likewise, I've scored some good stuff there. We also have a bushel basket at work that we fill with food for the local food pantry. It's just so easy to pick up an extra bag or two of beans or rice or some cans of soup when I'm at the grocery and take it to work.

I also belong to Freecycle.com. Look it up online, maybe there's one in your community, too. You can post things you need and things you want to give away and local people can email you to arrange pick up. Even things that you wouldn't normally think of as important can be helpful to someone else. For example, one lady wanted old stained or torn clothes, towels, even dryer lint because she was stuffing a bed for a dog. Not only is it a great way to share things, it keeps stuff out of landfills.

Don't forget GoodWill, St. Vinny's, Salvation Army, etc. Not only are they my favorite chain stores, they are a great way to give things.

The ability to text a message that allows you to give to a relief fund for Haiti is just the coolest way to give money to a cause I've seen lately. I think we'll see a lot more of this method. Many non-profits allow you the option to make a regular donation that's taken straight from your bank account. The littlest donations make a difference this way, and you probably won't even notice.

But things and money aren't the only things to give. You can give time,talent, even good energy, too. You can read to preschoolers or to people in nursing homes. You can plant flowers or veggies for someone who can't physically do that or perhaps for someone who doesn't have time or know how. You can bake an extra loaf of bread and take it next door. You can volunteer to walk dogs at a local shelter. You can hold the door for the person behind you at the bank and though it sounds cheesy, you can give a smile to people you see all day. You can give. And it doesn't hurt a bit.

I have never once - not one time - regretted giving someone to someone, though I've often regretted purchases I've made for myself. And I have never once - not one time - not had enough. Obviously, I've always had enough. I'm here. And enough is all we really need after all. And I've noticed that I have the energy with which I give. That is if I give with joy I have joy. And if I give grief and fertilizer. . . well, that's what I tend to have.

May you always have enough. And I hope you'll give till it feels gooooooood.