Donations That Give 100-percent

I promised last December that I would publish a column in time for the Christmas season this year.  It involves donations you can make to help someone else who may not have the funds to provide gifts for their loved ones.  In the year since I made that commitment, I’ve learned of other channels you may use to donate, so I’ll present several of them.

I guess we’ve all seen the stories that circulate in emails about those huge salaries that directors of the large charitable organizations draw.  Whether or not they are truly that large, there certainly are a lot of expenses involved with charitable organizations that eat up our donations before they ever get to the intended recipients. If you care to see what percentage of donations get to those in need, charitynavigator.org is one of several online sites that rate them.

Here are some neat ways to provide for those in need and feel good about doing it on a personal, hometown level. 

Most department stores have a layaway plan that enables people to pay for Christmas gifts in increments.  However, people who have to purchase in that fashion are likely doing so because they aren’t able to afford payment in a lump sum. 

You can aid those people anonymously on a selective basis to pay off their layaway purchases.  And you won’t have to pay off the entire amount in order to donate.  In fact, you shouldn’t pay it off in full, as the account would then be closed and the purchaser might not ever receive the merchandise. You want to leave a small amount to be paid. Your donation could change a hopeful gift to a realized one.

Don’t just blindly pay on someone’s layaway account, but try to do some investigation (perhaps with the department manager) as to what is on layaway and to whom the gifts will go.  Maybe the manager will have some useful input as to the financial situation of some of the people who have gifts on layaway.  In one case cited in an article I read, the person in need was one of the store employees who had recently lost her husband and was providing for several kids.

Of course, there are other ways that you can donate so that some little boy or girl will get a gift.  The best ones I can think of are the United States Marines’ Toys for Tots program and the Angel Tree (Salvation Army) that is usually in the vestibule of Wal-Mart, Kmart or Target stores. And there is always the red kettle and bell ringer of the Salvation Army. Donate to these programs if you want to donate but cannot afford a large amount.

Another way to make your donation count is available at most grocery stores.  The local food banks that feed the homeless and needy have suffered from the economic woes we’ve experienced in recent years. When you check out with your food items, you can also donate in increments to the food banks. 

For as little as $5 you can provide a full meal to someone who might otherwise have slipped through the cracks and either isn’t eligible or has not applied for assistance. A lot of our disabled vets are in this category for one reason or another.

If you go to McDonalds and get change for your purchase, put it in the glass box in front of the cash register and it will go to the Ronald McDonald House, another worthy cause. The proceeds are used to give comfort and care to sick children and their families and provide temporary living quarters for those who do not reside in the area where hospital care is given.

Whatever the gift, if you are blessed with some spare cash and want to make a difference, I cannot think of a better way to do it than to use one of these vehicles to donate and get the biggest “bang for the buck.”

And remember that charity doesn’t have to be a Christmastime activity. As the song, The Secret of Christmas says, “It’s not the things you do at Christmas time, but the Christmas things you do all year through.”

A Thanksgiving Tale

We celebrated Thanksgiving on Thursday, and I have a lot to be thankful for—good friends, family and a lot of blessings.  One of the best of those is my wife of 50 years, Judy.  Yes, we celebrated our Golden Anniversary in June and, while we are no longer the lovebirds we once were, we have seen a lot of what I call marriage miracles. 

My health problems started in 1980, and have continued for over 32 years, but through all the trials and tribulations, the 911 calls and hospital stays, the ups and downs that go with this malady, my wife has been my constant companion, my nurse, my cajoler, and my inspiration.  Without her I would have been on the brown side of the grass years ago.

Judy and I were reminiscing on our long marriage the other day, and I asked if she thought she might remarry if I were to die before her.  She was adamant in her response that she wouldn’t think of it!  I said that I probably would remarry if only to have a housekeeper, a cook and a good tax deduction all rolled up into one.

Well, of course that sparked some nasty comments and dirty looks, but I thought I’d get off the hook by saying that it is highly unlikely that I’m going to outlive her anyway given my 30-some-odd-years of coronary disease. After all, her dad lived to age 95 and her mom is still alive well into her 90s.

Her answer to that was priceless to me… She said, “No, I doubt that I’ll outlive you. They just put new batteries in your pacemaker and you keep on going.  You’re my ‘Energizer Bunny’”.  Well, I can think of worse epithets and nothing says love like a nickname.

I’ve got to tell that one to my doctor the next time I visit him. I know he’ll get a kick out of it.

I trust that you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, ate lots of turkey, watched lots of football and had a good nap.  I also hope you took time to reflect on all your blessings too.

The O-pose

I know, I know, I’m supposed to stay away from politics and religion if I don’t want to alienate friends and relatives.  I just cannot help it though.  I am 100-percent opposed to this current and continuing federal government.  Please bear with me as I believe you’ll learn that this ends with a positive expression.

I spent the first week after the election trying to figure out some way to show my full opposition without getting thrown into one of the new FEMA camps that will soon dot the landscape, manned by the new DHS Youth Corps.

Then I had an epiphany!  The non-aggressive, defiant act that I had been seeking was right there in front of me, and it was taught by none other than Obama himself. 

I’m sure most of you have seen the picture that circulates of our president standing on a stage with three other people who are at attention with their hands over their hearts or saluting while the Star Spangled Banner is being played.  The Commander-in-Chief stands in a loose pose with his hands clutched down by his crotch.  

I have decided to designate this “salute” the “O-pose” in honor of the man who first initiated it.  (Oppose - O-pose, that makes sense)

From this day forward I intend to strike the O-pose on every occasion when either the National Anthem is being performed or the Pledge of Allegiance is being recited.  I will not join in the singing or recitation, but I will look down in silent protest.

I invite you to join me in this action if you are so inclined, and I cannot possibly see how it can be construed as a crime since we all know that imitation is the highest form of flattery.

I have a few other non-violent tricks up my sleeve too, that I might share in a future column.  For now, this is my contribution to the new society, and I leave you with this positive thought: I hope Obama succeeds in this term in what he was unable to accomplish in the last one.

(Advice to my grandnephew, Justin: Never debate with a fool. When he inevitably runs out of facts and logic, he will resort to name-calling or simply change the subject to distract you.

Proverbs 29:9: When a wise person debates with a fool, the fool rages and there is no peace and quiet.)

This column is temporarily dormant...

The blogger is in mourning for the death of a great country formerly known as the United States of America.  The period of mourning is indefinite, but may last up to four more years.

The only "wisdom" that can be shared today is the proverb:

"Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me!"

The Garden of Life

Has it ever struck you how a garden imitates life?

A garden requires constant care; weeding out the bad from the good; lots of kneeling and inspecting and nurturing; looking for disease and detrimental insects and getting rid of them; plenty of hoping for the right conditions of weather and heat and rain; sometimes even asking Mother Nature (God) for a good crop, whether flowers or vegetables. 

Well, on second thought, maybe you don’t understand that.  If you were born after 1970, I doubt that you’ve ever actually grown or tended a garden.  Gardens are probably thought to be passé and besides, most of us don’t have the big yards our parents and grandparents had to devote a whole section to a garden. Nor do you have the time it takes to do all those chores.

That’s a real shame!  We can learn so much from the simple pleasures of gardening.

A second cousin (I believe that is our relationship, but I’m kind of poorly schooled on genealogy) writes a column similar to mine, but somewhat different as well.  Her blog is more likely to have religious connotations and a lot about nature. She lives in Southern Arizona, so that gives her lots of material to write about and a lot of time to reflect and devote to Christian endeavors.

The column she wrote this past week was about gardening, and it inspired this column for me.  I’m going to link you to her column, Simply Life, because it is a lot more meaningful than mine.  It also is a precursor and an ad for a 30-day devotional book she has written titled, Gardens of the Heart that is available on Amazon. 

And that brings us full circle to the beginning premise of this column, how life is like a garden that needs persistent tending.  It doesn’t take much to fall by the wayside an so many of us do that, myself included.  Perhaps Laurinda’s little book will assist you to tend your garden.  I hope you’ll give it your attention.

Also, maybe next spring would be a good time to start your own garden, or to get your children to start one.  There is plenty of advice in Gardens of the Heart about both gardening and living, so it would be a great beginning for us even though I don’t have space for a garden in my postage stamp yard.  After all, what better way to make ends meet while gaining some personal perspective in these perilous times than to start your very own garden?

Oh, and while you’re waiting for spring to come around, it might be a good time to start that other garden, the one in your heart. It’s never too early for that.

Safe Driving Tips

My wife started a solo road trip this week.  On the second day out she encountered heavy rain and the van started to hydroplane and fishtail.  The cautious and good driver that she is, she pulled over at the nearest gas station and waited out the storm.  Fortunately, the rain let up quickly and she was back on her way without any further incidents.

We know that the tires on the van are getting worn, and will need replacement soon. That is not an inexpensive proposition anymore, because modern technology dictates that all tires be replaced for best results.  Even if we choose not to replace all of them, at least two should be replaced at a time.

The tire problem reminded me that it is getting to be the time of year for me to once again publish some safe driving tips that I’ve learned through the years.  These might very well save your life or the lives of your loved ones, so feel free to share them.

I have a Youtube video to share with you, but I want to caution you up front that it is very graphic.  If you don’t care to watch accidents that obviously resulted in fatalities--no gore is actually shown--then please skip the video and go right to the tips below.

One thing the video makes very clear is that YOU MUST SLOW DOWN whenever you drive in wet, snowy or icy conditions.  Posted speed limits are intended to be observed in optimal driving conditions, but most of the vehicles in the video were being driven way too fast for conditions. On hazardous roads always slow down at least 10-15 miles per hour, and even more if visibility is poor.

There are other ways you can drive safer in winter conditions too.  For one thing, you should not use cruise control or drive in the overdrive gear, the one usually marked with a circled D, when roads are not dry.  Downshifting to a lower gear will accomplish two good things.  First, the gear ratio will be 1:1, which means you have much more control of your wheels.  You will also have the engine to actually help you with speed control and braking, so you won’t have to use the foot brake as much.

Downshifting on steep downgrades will help in the same ways as on wet pavement.  I’ve been on long 6% downgrades where I didn’t ever have to apply any brakes to maintain my optimum speed.  I could hear and feel the engine hold the speed where I started at the top of the grade.  I could also feel the tighter control on curves in the road on the hill.

In some states it is mandatory that you turn headlights on whenever you are using your windshield wipers.  It is always a good idea to do that even where it isn’t the law, as it makes your vehicle more visible to other drivers both oncoming and following.  And don’t use parking lights, put the headlights on for maximum visibility.

Finally, if you get into foggy or blowing snow conditions use headlights on low beam only.  Using the high beams will be more likely to decrease forward visibility.  If your vehicle is equipped with running lights on the front bumper that can be turned on independent of headlights, use them instead and your forward vision will be greatly improved.  You still need to slow down however, and if visibility gets too low, pull off the road completely trying to avoid using the shoulder. Go into a gas station or other parking area or you might make yourself a target for other traffic on the road.

Be safe out there this fall and winter…

Still More Unintended Consequences

Back in April I wrote a column titled, Everybody Out of the Pool.  It detailed the new Americans With Disabilities Act regulations for public-access pools, Jacuzzis and hot tubs.  The new guidelines, which went into effect back in May of this year, mandate that these facilities have permanent pool lifts installed to give access to our disabled citizens. That includes hotel and Motel pools and spas.

The cost for installation of the chair lifts was estimated at $5,000 to $10,000 per unit, but some estimates went even higher than that.

Well, on my trip last week I actually saw my first examples of the new chair lift device. They were at a comfort Inn in Hillsville, Virginia.  The hotel has a pool and a hot tub, so two units were installed, one for each.  Notably, I didn’t see anyone using the chair lift.

I wish now that I had taken a picture of the chair lift, as it would have precluded my need to describe it to you. It is a metal stand about 5 feet high, bolted to the floor at the edge of the pool or tub, with a waterproof chair attached. The chair faces at a 90-degree angle to the body of water, but swivels to suspend the occupant over the water to be hydraulically lowered into it.  The process can be reversed for egress.

I must say that it is a nice apparatus, and I’d like to see it in operation someday, though I have my doubts as to how many people will actually use it—just my opinion, you know.

The reason I wrote this particular column was twofold:  I wanted to follow up on the earlier one to let you know that the new ADA law is being enforced, more slowly than was originally mandated, however.  I also wanted to tell you that I stayed at that same hotel about a year ago for $20.00 less than this stay.

I cannot prove that the increase in price was due solely to the added expense to the hotel owners of two $10,000 chair lifts, but I can speculate that it was a contributing factor. And in this anemic economy, with hotel chains begging for guests, the last thing we need is an increase in the cost of your stay.  

I have no gripe with disabled persons, and Lord knows there are a lot of disabled vets who have defended us overseas recently for whom I give daily thanks.  However, I just don’t think there will be a noticeable increase in the number of disabled people choosing to use the hotel pool & spa facilities now that they are equipped with these expensive aids.

Please prove me wrong so that I can justify paying the increased rates caused by the new law.