A Time for Giving

A read a friend' blog today and felt a certain level of guilt. She is always better at giving than I am...darn her! She talked about giving something back, being appreciative for the wealth we have in this country, etc....yea, those are the great friends I have...they spur me on to be a better person. The thing is, I want to be giving; I want to volunteer, I want to contribute to something bigger than me...I just can't figure out what motivates me enough to do it regularly. I am a GREAT One- Time-Sally...just not on a reoccurring basis. The thing I started thinking about is that it is regular service that truly takes a commitment and means something extraordinary. I am not downplaying one time gifts, they are wonderful and do alot of good. For me, I realize how blessed I am in this world and it is time to give back...in a regular way. I guess it is a New Year's Resolution a little early. So, this new objective of mine has me thinking about what type of charity I can possibly commit to on a regular basis. I know I should just pick one, but like everything else in my life, I feel compelled to pick the one that fits me the best. I can't really picture myself handing out food in a homeless shelter..noble as that is, I just can't envision it. I am allergic to most pets, so those charities are out since I already own stock in Claritin due to our cat. Which left me with military charities, children's charities, and various religious charities. None of those exactly inspired me. I know, that sounds horrible, but those are also the ones that get the most volunteers. So, I did what any thirtysomething does...I googled it. A charity came up that I had forgotten about...The Ronald McDonald House. It is a charity that provides housing for families with children that are in a hospital away from home. Suddenly, a ton of memories came flooding back. When my daughter was born, she was really sick. She had to be in an intensive care nursery for a week. During that time, I was a little less than an hour away from home, but it was the middle of winter with record snow falls. Since I was so young, I didn't have alot of money for hotels and really couldn't afford the gas and food to travel back and forth to be with her. I don't remember how I found out about the Ronald McDonald House, but it was a life saver for me for that week. The house was nice, the people sympathetic, and I even had privacy. It was such an answer to my many many prayers at that difficult time. So, I have a charity now. I can volunteer to cook meals for families that are staying in the house, which is awesome because I like to cook anyway. Plus, I have been there, I have experienced what these families are going through..or at least a little snippet of it. I know that I was so lucky to have my healthy child come home with me a week later...most families that stay in the houses do not have that privilege....so the least I can do is make it a little easier for them in some small way. I have a really good feeling about this new volunteering thing. So, all you thirtysomethings, do something outside of yourself this upcoming year and this Christmas season. Give yourself the gift of giving back.