To Give or Not to Give, That is the Question

    Outside my office building right now is an attractive, friendly looking woman with a sign around her neck "Homeless. Please help.  I (Heart) Jesus."  She greets passers by in a pleasant voice, "Hi! do you support my right to ask for help?"
     Oh, the variety of conflicting feelings!
     She is not quite two blocks from the Employment Development Department and from the Personnel Board.  I wonder if she has gone inside there.  I didn't stop to ask or advise.  What if she doesn't know?  If so, I should have.  Maybe she has and checks back repeatedly.  Governmental wheels grind slowly.
     Maybe she looks for work every day.  It can be pretty tough.  And if you are homeless, how does an interested employer contact you? 
     Curious approach: Do you support my right to ask for help?"   For some reason I found it irritating.  Although, I suppose anyone has the right to ask for help. Of course, she wants financial support, not just theoretical.
      How much of the irritation was guilt?
      Guilty feelings.
      For being irritated which is not very Christian.  For teetering on judgmental, also not Christian.  And, of course, for not giving her any money.  On the way out, I had none.  I was on my way to deposit a check at the ATM.  Which, of course, meant that had I so chosen, I could have given her $20 on my way back.  Maybe I could afford to give one person $20, but I certainly cannot afford to give every beggar I see (or would you prefer petitioner?) $20.00!  I have to manage carefully to keep myself and household going.  ok, granted,  I am saving up to take myself and some of my children (who are also not frequent visitors to say the least!) to Disneyland next year. (Is it wrong to go to Disneyland, or the movies, or to buy ice cream when there are people going hungry?)
        So I am not impoverished. But if I gave to every beggar, I would be.  Soon I would be on the street myself.
      I console myself that I donate regularly to the charity I trust most to truly help people in need.  I donate to Fast Offering which specifically helps the hungry and those who might not be able to pay their utility bill or rent, etc.  In smaller amounts I donate to Humanitarian Aid, Perpetual Education, Temple Attendance and Missionary Funds.  I know that none of that money is wasted. 
      Sometimes we carry lunch bags in the car with a cracker/tuna package,plus maybe some raisins, perhaps a bottle of water, sometimes some hard candy.  Stuff like that. It varies.  Which we give to beggars on the street.  If they have a dog, we give them two.  I hear stories of rich people who make tons of money street begging.  But I know that real need exists, too.
      I am not a total grinch, but I am not much of a philanthropist. 
      How do you handle the charity question?  I do not find it an easy one.

Journey Through...

    Tonight we played a game I got for Christmas. "Journey Through Disneyland".  You need to travel through Disneyland, discovering and visiting Adventures, earning Fast Passes, and eventually leave before the park closes/the game is over.  Some things you can accomplish by yourself; some you can on your own, but it's often easier if you help each other; some things you must help each other to do.   Music is part of the game and certain music cues you to certain actions.  I am not ready for the full experience, so we only played with the music signalling time to start and time to be out.  You need to listen to and recognize the musical messages.   You only win if you all make it out on time. The better we work together the easier it is to get out but at the very end, you have to get out pretty much on your own.
     A lot like life.  Here we are with things to learn and trials to overcome.  Some we must do on our own, some we need to help each other.  We need to listen to and recognize the promptings of the Spirit.  As much as we can and should help each other, at the end it is up to each one of us to make it as individuals by accepting the atonement of Christ and following Him.  No one can just drag us through, it has to be our own choice.   The ultimate win will be to have a forever family return to Heavenly Father together and the better we work together the easier it is for each and all of us. 
       
      
    

THE CURE FOR EXHAUSTION

THE CURE FOR EXHAUSTION
Sometimes, exhausted
with toil and endeavour,
I wish I could sleep
for ever and ever;
but then this reflection
my longing allays:
I shall be doing it
one of these days.
-    Piet Hein

I keep thinking this.  And that I really wish I could properly observe napping day (today, March 9th, but no nap in sight).  But back on topic.  I don't think we will be sleeping forever. Or perhaps at all.  And that thought makes me tired, too.  Until I realize that our perfected bodies (WHAT will that be like? Maybe neither I nor anyone else will recognize me!) anyway, our perfected bodies will not get tired.  Oh, what a happy thought.  And as a lot of my emotional exhaustion is tied in to physical weariness and always feeling like I have too much too do or at least too little me to do it (big as I am), I don't think that (emotional exhaustion) will be a problem either.  Sounds like something to look forward to!!

For now, for exhaustion, I could try to get more and better sleep. ha ha.  And to think about happy things and things I am looking forward to. (bad grammar to end with a preposition, isn't it)  Positive attitude => positive energy.  And to try to give myself credit for what I do get done, try to look at my To Do list in bite-size pieces, and listen to music or something that makes me laugh - The Satellite Sisters.

Break is over, back to the salt mines.  So glad I don't really work in salt mines!!!  I <3 br="" california="" parks.="" state="">