"We, who have so much, must do more to help those in need. And most of all, we
must live simply, so that others may simply live."- Ed Begley, Jr. -
With Thanksgiving only a week away, combined with a month-long discussion on poverty, I feel my heart singing bittersweet melodies. While I feel so abundantly blessed, I can't help but to be reminded of the hundreds of people in our very own community who do not know how they will pay their bills, do not know where their next meal will come from and can see nothing but darkness ahead. It is during the holidays that I, as well as the rest of our nation, seem to feel guilty about neglacting the poor, the brokenheartened, the imprisoned, the needy. In the midst of food drives, soup kitchens, coat drives and gift-giving, I stop to think how unfare it is that so many people in our own backyard must suffer year after year, only to feel a glimpse of relief one month out of the year. Now don't get me wrong, I understand that there are hundreds of reasons why people are living in poverty, and anything we as humanity can do is a blessing! We need to continue our enthusiasm for food drives, and coat drives, and unexpected gifts all year round! It just continually blows my mind that we, as America, can be one of the richest countries alive (even in an economic crisis) and sill have "third-world cities" living in our midst. I suppose that is why Ed Begley Jr's quote resognates so true within my soul. That we must live simply, so others might simply live. As I begin this holiday season, I hope to remind myself of this over and over again. What does it mean for we, as Americans, to live simply so that those people who are brokenhearted, poor, hungery, homeless, forgotten... might simply live?
1 comment:
I agree that during the holiday times I thought more about those in poverty and thier needs. Working at the Union Mission has really opened my eyes to the needs in our surrounding community. Though thier are greta needs in our community my heart was blessed to see how many willing volunteers we have in the community as well. At the Union Mission a hot meal was served on Thanksgiving and the Mission had over the amount of willing volunteers wanting to help. This blessed my heart and showed that with poverty comes hope through others in the community! This inspired me more because I now see that thier is something that can be done for all the poverty!
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