Here we go again. We’ve been seeing posts regarding Christmas and the policies involving the display of signs on public buildings.
Bah, Humbug.
My family and I don’t understand the conflict involving the passing of good wishes to everyone during the holiday season. We have heard the arguments, understand the dilemma faced when religion meets government meets litigation.
Why have we become so “eager to be offended?”
While we’re talking about “whatever happened to Christmas,” you may have noticed I have been featuring some videos on the site that display how uber-capitalism and has replaced the celebration of humanity and spirituality during the season. Instead of wishing each other a Merry Christmas, or a Happy Hanukah , or any other expression of peace and love, perhaps we outta just say “We wish you a Merry Walmart and a Happy Best Buy.” Here’s one of my fav’s:
Have we lost it?
We feel all of this is counter to what we believe is the true meaning of the holiday season- whether Christian, Jewish, Afican-American, Hindu, Muslim, Neptunian, Blogger, or whatever. It’s not about being unyielding, inflexible,or even confrontational.
It’s about love for our fellow man.
Our family said enough is enough. Since last Christmas, our family has pledged that we will be spending less on ourselves and giving more to others. It’s a simple as that.
Well, not quite that simple.
My eight-year old daughter used to get dozens of presents for Christmas, and will have a tough time adapting to the sudden downturn of goodies headed her way under the tree this year. But she will be learning what I think is a valuable lesson as she goes through her life. I hope she takes away from this lesson a certain capacity for compassion for her fellow humans- something I think might be a key element in our idealistic view of the future of humanity.
Let me start by saying I don’t think that what we’re doing is necessarily the right thing to do, nor may it be right for any of you. We are not evangelists, we aren’t putting our values up against yours, and we are not better than anyone else because of our decision.
I simply want to tell you about how our family decided to counter-steer a bit and try to head back toward what we believe is closer to the true meaning of the holiday season. It’s just right for us, and it might be a something you wish to consider as well.
Donating time, talent, and treasure to religious and social organizations will continue. But in addition to throwing dollars to the needy or sheckles in the kettles, we’ve discovered an innovative way to invest in the future of those less fortunate than us.
It’s called micro-financing.
Here’s how it works:
You take a Jackson and a fin and you give it to a micro-financing organization such as kiva.org. They take your $25 and add it to a pool of other donations that gradually add up to a sum that constitutes an amount of money that has been applied for by a person in need. You even get to peruse the applicants and decide for yourself who to help out. It could be to buy a goat in Eastern Europe, beauty supplies to be sold in Senegal, or even a struggling business owner right here in the U.S..
But it is a loan.
So, after a certain period of time, your loan will be repaid! Your original investment is available to you and you have the option of taking your money back or re-investing in another loan. That same $25 can be used over and over and over again.
Of course, there is the chance you’ll never see your $25 again. But catch this: The default rate on these loans at Kiva is under 2%!
See, these people are so dedicated to their chance to dig themselves out of poverty that they treat their loans as a crucial part of their character. In fact, if one loan recipient is having trouble paying back their loan, it’s not uncommon for other loan recipients to step in and assist them in order to keep the program running in high gear.
Here’s a short video describing Kiva; there are several others out there if you are interested. Just search for kiva on youtube.com.
Instead of turning beggars into survivors, we can turn them into providers. Instead of just feeding the poor a fish, or even teaching them to fish, we’re financing a local fishing entrepreneurship that can be built upon for many others benefit..
If you think this is something in which you might like to participate, it couldn’t be simpler. Just go to Kiva.org and they walk you through the steps. It takes all of 10-15 minutes and can make a huge difference.
Once you make your loan selection, you can tie it into one of many “groups”. We’ve started a Kiva Fire EMS group It’s a good way to show how much firefighters and EMS workers care about their fellow man.
So whether you choose Kiva or any other micro-lending organization, we’re sure you’ll find it rewarding to feel the true meaning of the holiday season begin to reappear.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of you.
In the spirit of brotherhood,
-J
After taking delivery of their beautiful new ladder truck, they were confronted with a problem. It was too big to fit in any of their stations.
So the boys were shopping and had finished grabbing the food items for the day. With a heavy day of training ahead, we were looking for something quick and easy. We found ourselves a pot roast to throw into the crock part with a big jar giardiniera peppers (set it and forget it and it makes the best Italian beef sandwiches).
Candy corn- ahh, the ‘Fruitcake of Halloween.’ First, we used to nibble off the white tip, then decap the yellow part before finishing off the orange section. Then we used to just scarf down handfuls of them. Then we headed straight into the bathroom….
Raisins- First, we tossed the wrinkles nuggets, then used the box as an improvised kazoo!
Pennies- my kids won’t even stop to pick a penny up off the street!
Chuckles- many of you might not remember those sugar-coated jelly wedges that looked like slices of lemon, lime, or orange. After tasting one, you would never forget it.
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