Just Imagine

Let me pre-empt what I have to say that my heart is indeed breaking for the people of Haiti. It is a true tragedy that we can only hope we never have to endure. I have been and will continue to pray for the people of Haiti and I will send what contributions I can to help.

I can't help but sit back and think, what if we all looked at and realized the true financial tragedy some people in America are facing right now as we are heading up our relief efforts for the people of Haiti.

What if our government entities, our non-profit networks and the individual people of America dug in to help fix the financial problems of America. What if we made contributions as whole-heartedly to our own homeless, hungry and hurting people right here like we are gearing up to do for Haiti? What if we put that much effort? Can you imagine? Instead of wiping out our food banks to send far away, we gave it to those who are near to us. You know, the ones we try real hard not to notice. The ones we see move out of their homes because they can no longer afford to live in them. The ones we don't bother to ask where they are moving to so that we can keep in touch with them. The ones we don't want to know the truth of what is happening to them.

What about the ones that are now in homeless shelters? You know, that place that we know exists, that we even make a financial contribution to, that place that we cannot stand to go to and get a first hand look at just how desperate and alone these people have become. Are we afraid we might see someone we knew at a better time in their life? Or are we more afraid that we ourselves might be just a couple of paychecks away from that same fate?

Remember how we refused help from other countries in our relief efforts of Hurricane Katrina? I hate to sound so selfish asking why we do so much for other countries, but so little for our own. But. Why do we do so much for others but not our own???

A New Year, New Beginnings

It is what it is. It's a new year. It's time for a fresh start. 2009 is in the books. It's done. It's over.

2009 brought about many changes in my life and in the lives of my kids. Some good. Some not so good. Some great times were had. Some sad times were shared. And some bad times, just best put in the past.

New Year. New Start. Clean slate.

And man is my slate clean. Anything and everything can and might and might not happen. Its quite possible I will have a career change this year. Well, I am hoping at least considering that I am presently unemployed. I am still studying and working toward my appraisal license, but well, business is slow and I am laid off. I am still going to school online through Ball State working on an Associates in Business Management.

Not a lot of jobs out there right now. And honestly, with things in my personal life right now, health and kids and such, I am taking my time looking. Looking for the right thing to pique my interest and utilize my abilities.

A tight budget is what we are living on, but it isn't killing us. In fact, this tight budget has enabled me to be more compassionate and giving to those who are less fortunate. It has opened my eyes and quite frankly made me ashamed of past behavior in times of better fortune. Its a lesson I hope to carry with me and perhaps it is the real Christmas I found in my heart this year. Because, well, the materialistic Christmas of the past went to heck in a handbasket this year. Raw emotion took over and true spirit and meaning were found.

And the new year came. I was numb to it. Honestly I tried to block in mind that it was New Year's Eve and then New Years Day. I pretty much ignored it and chose not to reflect. Not to make resolutions. Resolutions come and go. Living life day by day, well, you have no choice. But you just might change a few things here and there without making a big production of it. Changes that are necessary. No need to broadcast them. No need to put them into the written word. Just do them.

That's what I got. It is what it is.

New Year. Clean slate.