Note to Self: Help Others - do it often and do it unexpectedly

Been thinking about helping others.

It's so easy to get caught up in "me" and forget about "we" - meaning family, friends, the larger local and global community.

I heard about an anonymous gentleman who walked into a bookstore and handed the clerk $20 and said, "use this to buy a few books for kids." Nice.

I love the random acts of kindness thing. Or, rather, the intentional acts of kindness thing.

Gift

We recently signed up to sponsor a little boy from Zimbabwe, Africa through World Vision. His name is Gift. He is eight years old.

We hope, through our small gift, that we can help him and his family. The money will go toward food, clean water, medicine, and education.

Interested in finding out how you can help with the AIDS pandemic and extreme poverty by sponsoring a child? Go to www.worldvision.com.

Just One

"If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one." - Mother Teresa

So begins my mission - the "Just 1" Campaign: to help the needy, to mentor little children, to impact the global community - one person at a time.

This year, I commit to kindness.

Charity Work

I've been thinking about what it means to follow Christ. My thoughts lead me to philanthropy. He was, after all, a humanitarian - the greatest one that ever lived. He demonstrated altruism, public-mindedness, and mercy on a daily basis. His causes were social causes - feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and healing the sick. He was a champion for the orphans, the widows, and the impoverished.

If my quest is to walk in His footsteps (which it is), then I logically conclude that I should be more involved in charitable causes. That said, I am now on-the-lookout for volunteer opportunities - preferably work that I can do from home or with a baby in tow.