Sixteen years ago

On April 23rd, 2008 I sat down at my computer first thing in the morning, and wrote a few sentences in a sort of welcome message to a brand-new blog. I didn't know if I would do it for long, but I wanted to sing the praises of some heroes and encourage people to do good things for their neighbors and the world.  

It was my intention to only write about others.  I didn't want to do a blog about my vacations or my family or about my favorite food.  As a daily reminder, I decided to call it "It's NOT about me."  I think I have been pretty good at sticking to that over these past sixteen years.  

Sixteen years!  That's the big surprise for me.  I had no idea I would be doing this for so long.  There is still a lot to say too, so I will continue.  I'd like to hear from you too.  Tell me about your heroes and and some encouraging stories.  After doing this for almost ten years, I began a second blog, that one about kindness.  I intend to continue that as well.

In OUR hands

This big old planet we live on, it is OUR responsibility. It's in OUR hands! On Earth Day one year I wrote here that "My goal is that EVERY day be Earth Day - that we care about our planet every single day of our lives." That is still my goal. What are YOU doing to help the earth?

Let me say a few things about this annual commemoration. Earth Day came about back in 1970 and has been on the calendar every year since. It's about planting trees, keeping our streets clean, divesting from fossil fuels, guarding against pollution, and so much more. At http://www.earthday.org/ you can learn about the history of this day and learn about numerous ways to help. Of course, the list is endless. Each one of us can think up more ways to keep our towns, our states, our country, and our planet safe and healthy. Like I said, it needs to be an everyday thing too, not just something we think about on Earth Day.

In 2024 there are so many things to be concerned with, but climate change and the health of our planet must be at the top of our list.  Some of the simplest things can make a huge difference, like not throwing litter out our car windows, watering the plants and trees in our great outdoors, and not wasting any of the precious resources of our world. Teaching our kids to respect the earth is important too. Each generation needs to do its part. 

I love to look at the beauty around us.  I love seeing the flowers and the trees and the mountains and the lakes.  Oh my!  What a beautiful world!  What a wonderful planet!  This fragile earth will only stay wonderful if we all do our part. Truly, it's in OUR hands.

Please donate

The cashier at the corner store has a jar on the counter collecting for a local charity. The restaurant where you eat breakfast every day has a similar container. On top of that, folks (like me) are always asking for you to buy chocolate bars for a school project or to sponsor them in a fundraising walk-a-thon. Please DONATE! There is just no escaping it!

Sometimes it may seem like a pain in the butt, but money raised really makes a difference. Some projects and programs are funded solely by contributions. It actually feels good to know that you are being of help too.

Is it always possible to give? For most of us, the answer is no. Money does not grow on trees, and most of us have a limit to how much we can spend. (Of course, as we have talked about here in the past, there are other ways of giving too, like our time and our talent, but that's another matter).

If you really want to have funds to help others, there are a number of things you can do. The coins you get back as change from purchases; you might always set aside to donate. That afternoon cappuccino can be skipped occasionally, and the money put to another use. You might do little fundraisers of your own, with your plan to give the proceeds to your favorite causes. Perhaps a bake sale or rummage sale. Got a bigger tax refund than you expected? Think about donating that unexpected money.

There are many ways to make a difference in this world, and donating is certainly one of them.

It's about US

Okay so this blog is NOT about me. Well who is it about then?

Good question.

I guess the easiest way to answer is to say it is about YOU.

No I don't mean you, the one person reading these words at the moment. I mean ALL of YOU. Every single person in the world, including me. (Yeah you got me - in that sense it IS about me. New name? Maybe I should call this it's not ONLY about me).

Anyway, the important thing is this is about making a difference in the world of ours, and that is something we all can do! We all have roles to play - every single one of us!  I need to do more.  You need to do more.  We ALL need to do more.

So, it's about US!