It's Gonna Be May

Thinking about Joey Fatone, Lance Bass. JC Chasez, Chris Kirkpatrick, Justin Timberlake this morning because of tomorrow.  Yup!  It's gonna be May!  (I have no idea who started that, but it's fun every year).

I want to say something else about these five guys who used to be the band nsync.  They bring a lot of happiness to the world.  Making a difference doesn't have to be about making the front page of the newspaper.  Making a difference isn't just those who make great scientific breakthroughs or who work hard for social justice.  Sometimes making a difference is about bring joy and happiness.  If you ever listened to an nsync song, you know there is a LOT of joy and happiness!

Since the band broke up, they have continued bringing that joy and happiness in their individual careers.  They also have done a lot of giving back and making a difference in their charity work.  Lance has been an especially outspoken presence for the LGBTQ community.

So beginning tomorrow it's gonna be May, this I promise you, and to April let's say bye, bye, bye!  

Rounding Up

You may have noticed lately that a number of retailers have been asking if you would like to round up your purchase to the nearest dollar, with that change going to their designated non-profit. I was in a restaurant recently and they did that, and today it happened in a store where I was picking up a few things. What a great idea!

Stores have long asked for donations to one charity or another, especially at certain times of the year, but this way, they are actually doing you a service too. So many folks paying with a debit card actually prefer for the numbers to be round and when you pay with cash, do you really want that seventeen cents? (What can you do with a dime, nickel, and two pennies anyway, except save it for the next transaction)?

 

Of course the customer can go even farther. Instead of rounding up to the nearest dollar, the customer might feel particularly generous and offer to round to the nearest five or ten, so a bill that is $13.79 could be rounded up to $15. We aren't talking about huge amounts here, but when this adds up, think of all the good it can do!

 

Now, I know that money doesn't grow on trees and there are some who really cannot afford even that extra nickel. That's okay. It doesn't make you a cheapskate. You really should make sure that you have taken care of yourself and your family above all else! I'm just saying this is a good idea and I'm glad so many places are making use of it. I think we might even be seeing an increase in generosity.

This precious earth

I can remember a public service announcement when I was young that showed people driving around littering the highways. Meanwhile a Native American is seen paddling ashore and walking through the trash. As more garbage is thrown at his feet, he turns his head in the direction of the camera and you see a tear coming down his cheek. Many of you will remember that tv spot too.  It was moving and it got the message across.  People caused pollution then and they still do today.

It isn’t just littering and polluting that I am talking about. There seems to be a lack of care about this planet of ours by many.  I do not have the right to desecrate the parks, streets, hills, streams, neighborhoods, and the land that others have called home. It is not just a hunk of land – there are memories that are precious to others, even if not to me. We all need to be stewards of this planet – of our neighborhoods and all the areas that connect them.

The words below are from a very wise man. They are part of Chief Seattle’s response to the Government’s offer to purchase the remaining Seattle Land. The chief began by saying they would ponder the proposition and let the government know. Then he went on to say “Every part of this soil is sacred in the estimation of my people. Every hillside, every valley, every plain and grove, has been hallowed by some sad or happy event in days long vanished. Even the rocks, which seem to be dumb and dead as they swelter in the sun along the silent shore, thrill with memories of stirring events connected with the lives of my people, and the very dust upon which you now stand responds more lovingly to their footsteps than yours, because it is rich with the blood of our ancestors, and our bare feet are conscious of the sympathetic touch. Our departed braves, fond mothers, glad, happy hearted maidens, and even the little children who lived here and rejoiced here for a brief season, will love these somber solitudes and at eventide they greet shadowy returning spirits.”

Yesterday was Earth Day, but it need not be confined to just a single day.  Let us daily all renew our care for this fragile planet we call home. If we start thinking of how precious this earth is to others, hopefully it will become more precious to each of us.

The leadership of Mrs Carter

“A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don't necessarily want to go, but ought to be.”  I don't know how many would say that Rosalynn Carter is a great leader, but she is a very wise observer and a wonderful person.

 

Ever notice that when you see photographs of former President Jimmy Carter in the media, Rosalynn Carter is right there by his side.  Some say Jimmy Carter is a better former President than he was a President.  Mrs Carter though has always inspired.  

Some of her work as First Lady that stands out is the welfare of senior citizens, her mental health advocacy, and her sponsorship of both a poetry festival and a jazz festival.  She has authored several books, makes public appearances speaking out for social justice, and is one of the most famous Habitat for Humanity volunteers.

 

There are so many quotes of Mrs Carter's that continue to inspire me and this morning I was particularly thinking of one thing she said about making a difference.  “Do what you can to show you care about other people, and you will make our world a better place.”

The beauty of the hyacinth

Look at this pretty pink hyacinth. I can just imagine the glorious fragrance! These bulbous flowering plants are native to the eastern Mediterranean (from south Turkey to northern Israel) and are signs of spring in Iran and Iraq. I can remember when I lived in snow country, seeing them poking up through the late winter snowstorms as they heralded the coming of Easter and springtime.

I often think of them at this time of year. How about you? Such a pretty plant is the hyacinth and just perfect for the feasts that converge this year - in a rare calendar alignment, folks are celebrating Passover, Easter, and Ramadan right now. The hyacinth is so beautiful for a celebration, and that smell is like none other.

Oh my! Imagine how much greater our world might be if we would only slow down and occasionally smell the flowers and enjoy the beauty of these wonderful parts of nature. Beauty is all around. Enjoy it! Share it!

Raising money for a cause

Raising money for a cause might make you feel good, and the recipient of those funds will most certainly appreciate your efforts but be aware that fundraising is not an easy task!  These days there are so many worthy causes, and many people limit their giving to organizations or causes that they give to regularly.

Remember when there were telethons raising money for various charities?  We don't see those big television fundraisers much anymore.  Walk-a-thons are still very big.  (Last year I took part in three different walk-a-thons, but because of COVID-19, they were all virtual).  Some people host events that raise money - sales or dinners or car washes, for example.  Some folks sell merchandise or put up collection containers.  Those loose change jars on store counters are quite good at raising money.

If one of the ways you want make difference in the world is by fundraising, know that it is hard work, but the end result is really worth it.  You could possibly finance some real change!

Stay

So many times I have written about this, but it is so very important too. It seems like every day I read about someone else taking their own life. The pandemic has certainly contributed to the feeling of despair and now the war in Ukraine is most definitely adding to that. Folks have all kind of problems too like money and health and job security. DON'T GIVE UP THOUGH!

There is always reason to stay. There is always reason to keep on living. If you need some help, ask. Reach out. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 is a good place to start.

Suicide is preventable. There is no guarantee that we will save everyone, but we have to at least try. All lives are precious, and nobody should feel that things are hopeless or that they are all alone. If you are in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741-741. Call that same number if you are concerned about a friend or anyone in your life. They can help.

The CDC also has an excellent website available at https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/ and your own personal physician or clergyperson can help too.

Again, Please make note of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255. Make a difference. Save a life. If you need help or know someone who does, call. Remember you don't have to be alone and someone is always listening.

Fifty-four years ago

Fifty-four years ago an assassin's bullet ended the life of one of America's best known leaders, The Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Junior. King had just turned 39, three months earlier.  In his short life he did more than one can imagine. Yes, he was a leader, but not an elected politician. He led people to God and to freedom and to economic justice and to equality.

Almost everyone, even those who weren't alive back then, can quote portions of speeches by Dr King. The list of his famous sermons and addresses stirs a certain spirit inside us all: "Rediscovering Lost Values," "The Death of Evil Upon the Seashore," "Paul's Letter to American Christians," "I Have a Dream," "The Casualties of the War in Vietnam," "Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution," "I've Been to the Mountaintop," and "We Shall Overcome."

Each year on his birthday, his death day, and during the holiday that was created to honor him, I try to learn more about this man of non-violence and great faith. One thing I do is look at how we have viewed him since his violent murder. The Presidential Medal of Freedom was posthumously awarded to him in 1977 by President Jimmy Carter. The citation read:  "Martin Luther King Jr. was the conscience of his generation. He gazed upon the great wall of segregation and saw that the power of love could bring it down. From the pain and exhaustion of his fight to fulfill the promises of our founding fathers for our humblest citizens, he wrung his eloquent statement of his dream for America. He made our nation stronger because he made it better. His dream sustains us yet."