Giving Tuesday

Regardless of your religion, this time of year is wildly celebrated by many. It's a time of year that we wait for; it's Christmastime. The spookiness of Halloween has drifted by and the sleepy leftovers from Thanksgiving are dwindling away rapidly. Black Friday (or Thursday) and Cyber Monday have both made a dent in many of our wallets and for some, we're still planning on grabbing a few last minute gifts. If you're anything like me, you wished your paycheck was bigger this time of year so you could spend a bit more on your loved ones. Then it quickly dawned on me and I was embarrassed by my greed; I should have just been thankful that I had money to spend at all. A lot of people don't.

As much as we want to give to others during this magical time of the year I think as human beings we get wrapped up in wanting more. It's always with good intention, of course. We want to give our loved ones the best there is, some of us fight for the last deal, some of us stand in line for hours just to get the hot item, some of us say "I wish I had more money to spend."

There are many of us that are wishing for something materialistic this time of year, and that's a human response to a question when someone asks what we want. I'm not saying we shouldn't allow someone to gift give. Where's the fun in that, right? You're probably reading this from your computer or on a mobile device (since there's no other way to read this). That, my friend, is a luxury item and it's an item a lot of people don't have. An item that is a sign of wealth, of good living, and of luck by people in this world that cannot afford those items. So let's just remember that when we get mad at our "smart" phones for being stupid. We have a phone to use that allows us to connect just about anywhere in the world we want, and pretty rapidly with all things considered.

It's Giving Tuesday, my friends. I ask that you give to someone or something a bit outside the box today. There's an enormous variety of charitable causes that could use your support and many of them aren't asking for big bucks. You see, these folks have mastered how to make a dollar stretch. We should really take a page out of their books. Consider giving to one or some of these today. Perhaps you'll learn something new and find a new passion you didn't know was there. Below I've listed only a handful of organizations but of course, feel free to research and give to who you're passionate about. The point is, just give.

Don't think you've got much to give? Trust me, these people don't care about the dollar amount you share. If you truly cannot afford to part with money then perhaps you could volunteer your time. Follow your heart and give where you can. Don't forget to spread the good word.

We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give. - Winston Churchill

Retired Retrievers http://retiredretrievers.org/donate/
Wounded Warrior Project http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/
Locate a local food bank www.feedingamerica.org
Mental health clinic
MS Society http://www.nationalmssociety.org/index.aspx
Komen www.komen.org
Go Fund Me (two little boys that suddenly lost their mother) http://www.gofundme.com/5gtj8o
Locate a local Domestic Violence shelter
Down Syndrome http://www.globaldownsyndrome.org/
Autism www.autismspeaks.org
Go Fund Me (An amazing lady who is struggling with the cost of cancer) http://www.gofundme.com/wehearttracydart
Seattle Children's Hospital http://www.globaldownsyndrome.org/
Invisible Children www.invisiblechildren.com