Hmm… so the Talkmaster, Neal Boortz hisownself, is publicly teasing me for being excited that I found a dollar under my pillow. Yep, just one. It was crumpled, probably a stowaway in my laundry that always ends up piled on my bed. But there’s just never a bad time to find money, is there? It’s always fun.
So Neal, who is one of my dearest friends, thinks it’s not much, huh? Kinda got me to wondering just what this little buck could do.
It’s not enough for a DQ treat. Won’t get me my favorite mango gelati at Rita’s. George is a little guy and, quite frankly, looking a little worse for wear. No telling how many times he has gone through the wash cycle or exchanged hands. And 100 pennies just don’t stretch very far these days. Heck, we fling ‘em around like they don’t matter at all. We would need way too many to make a difference.
So, I guess it’s pretty unlikely that this little dollar can solve world hunger. And yet…
… I DO know of a family that is hungry right now. Just yesterday, I received word that they’re struggling for groceries.
It’s not a new story, is it? Someone is down on their luck and can’t feed their kids. There’s no work to be found and the cupboard is bare.
At times, we’re not particularly sympathetic. That might be because we’ve never really been hungry or felt fear for our kids. It could also stem from our certainty that, for those willing to work, jobs – at least the menial ones – can be found. After all, we work for OUR food.
If someone is hungry enough, they’ll figure it out.
There’s plenty of truth to that. But there are complexities to the problem, aren’t there? For this family, their reality in Haiti means work really CAN’T be found. The hospital where Markenley’s aunt worked collapsed in last year’s earthquake and hasn’t been rebuilt. His uncle is a pastor who tries, despite his own fears that he might have to shut down, to keep a school of 47 students aloft.
His compassion for those kids doesn’t feed his belly – or those of the 12 family members trying to survive under his broken roof. He hasn’t been able to find other work.
I’ve been to where they live and walked away heartsick. You would, too.
So here’s what I’m wondering. If I toss this lowly dollar into a pot – and do my best to stir up some compassion from others who care – can we fill a larder of groceries today for Markenley and his family?
It’s a temporary fix, I concede. But it’s not bad for a dollar.
Will you match mine?
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