As we hover in the 11 days between Noe’s birthday and the year anniversary of our being “matched” with her, I’ve been gushing with gratitude (literally . . . I thanked the garden before pulling out the last of the eggplant last weekend). It seems the fuller I become with love for her, the more I feel I have to give. Which has gotten me pondering the interplay between gratitude and giving.
What is it, exactly, that moves us to give?
For Christopher and me, it’s feeling some type of connection to the cause. I mentioned in an earlier post that, before my Aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer two months ago, I had not felt a personal tie to those campaigns. Now, you betcha I do.
I’ve come to see it as a miracle that there are organizations out there supporting just about everything under the sun, drawing the people who are passionate about each one. And over the years I’ve learned not to feel guilty about saying no to some of them, because the more committed I become the causes I personally care about, the more sure I am that there are others out there doing the same for causes that matter to them.
That said, I wanted to introduce you to what Christopher and I refer to as our “extended family” . . . the people and organizations that mean so much to us . . . and tell you our stories behind them:
- Rene Antonio (Common Hope) — Seven years ago (on a road trip
from San Francisco to Costa Rica and back . . . a whole other story), Christopher and I signed up to be “Godparents” to a boy, Rene Antonio and his family (pictured above with us) in Antigua, Guatemala. Our $35/month (now $60) provided Rene with school supplies (which cost 1/3 of the average Guatemalan income, meaning that many Guatemalan children can’t afford to attend school), tutoring, health care for the whole family, skills training for Rene’s mom, and even a way to trade work hours on the Common Hope campus for things like an oven and a house.
We’ve met Rene and his family three times now, and have delighted in watching him grow from a little boy to a handsome young man. The last time we visited, the day before we met Noe for the first time last February, it just so happened it was the day they and a team of volunteers were constructing their new home. Rene’s mom and Grandmother had worked long hours at Common Hope, on top of other jobs, to “earn” this house and learn how to build it themselves. They proudly showed off their handiwork on the cement floors, and we all laughed (and cried) joyfully together as we toasted with slices of sandia (watermelon). Since then, I’ve been privileged to “buy” a house for another family just like Rene’s.
- Mayra — A few years back, I began sending a bit here and there to
an organization called The Chicken Ladies. It was basically a scholarship fund for the children of the women in a Guatemalan village who had started a business raising chickens to sell eggs to support their families. A few years went by and we’d see a paragraph update in the Slow Food newsletter about how the kids were getting along, until one time, two years ago, I saw the sentence, “the first of the scholarship children have graduated high school.” That’s great, I thought. But now what? They’d worked so hard to achieve what they had, would they be able to go on to college if they wanted to? The answer, when I asked Marilee (the amazing woman who started the fund), was no. The funds stopped at high school.
So she and I devised a plan where Christopher and I would provide our own “scholarship” to send a child to college. Marilee asked around the village, and in the end, we were able to send the daughter of the village leader to school. And Mayra is thriving. It’s hard, she’s just
gotten married, she just had a baby, yet still she perseveres in her studies. She is such an inspiration to me. We hope to add others to our “college scholarship fund” in the future. - Imacculee (WorldVision) — A couple of years ago my friend Deb went to Rwanda to volunteer at an orphanage. The experience changed her life. But she came back haunted by the memory not of the emaciated children inside the orphanage, but of those outside the fence who had even less hope. She sent out a call to her friends to “adopt” one of those children who were falling through the cracks. So we did, and her name is Imacculee. We support her, we write to her, we pray for her, and Noe gives her a kiss every night.
- Sylhane (Women for Women) — I just came across this organization a couple of months ago and the more I dug, the more impressed I became. Its mission is to help women in war-torn countries rebuild their lives by supporting them in “concentric circles,” so to speak.
First, offering counseling and medical help to heal themselves physically and emotionally. Then providing skills training so that they can earn a living for themselves and their families. Next is further education on rights and leadership training, in hopes that the women will take on a larger role in healing their communities and countries. But it’s not just sending a check each month. Women for Women urges the sponsoring sisters to write and encourage the ones they’re sponsoring, to let them know that there’s someone out there pulling for them. My own “sister,” Sylhane from Kosovo, is working hard to gain new skills in hopes of being able to earn a living in a country whose economy is in shreds.
These people extend our world, as we do theirs. Christopher and I want to raise Noe to know that she has connections out there beyond just our neighborhood, our country, and even her native country. If you have any question as to the impact people like Rene and Mayra have had on our lives, just look at these photos here for one of the results. Talk about life changing!
- Share Our Strength — Maybe it’s because I’m passionate about feeding people. Maybe it’s because for the people I’ve introduced you to above, having enough food to survive is a real concern. But I’ve always had a soft spot for Share Our Strength. They’re an organization committed to finding ways for each and every person in America . . . and the world . . . to someday have enough to eat. I’ve long been impressed with their innovative approach and willingness to try new things, and I’m thrilled to be working with them on A Generous Pour.
- Environment California / Natural Resources Defense Council — What can I say, the environment is important to me, and I’m just so grateful for the people behind organizations like these who are out on the front lines protecting it.
So what causes are you passionate about? I’m curious to hear. It’s this kind of thing that makes up the unique tapestry of humanity. I look above at the photos and stories of my own “extended family” and they’re a portrait that’s unique to my heart.
What does yours look like?
Cheers,
Lia
12 Comments
I love the ravamped site Lia! It looks great.
What a thoughtful post to honor Thanksgiving. Your personal stories and interactions with people around the world are so touching. It sure makes me wish we could do so much more than what we are doing right now.
That being said, the cause near and dear to our hearts is Heifer International. I love, love, love that our donation helps to buy livestock or honeybees, or some other means to provide a family everything they need. Whether they simply need the milk from the goat for themselves, or if they turn it into cheese to sell and make a tiny income, either way, it helps a family in a way that was never possible before.
Best wishes to your family for a wonderful Thanksgiving.
I agree - a very concrete way to honor the holiday of Thanksgiving.
I’m a nurse, so I stay involved locally with patients and families and am working to become my congregation’s Faith Community Nurse (used to be called Parish Nurse). My husband, kids and I also cut firewood for local folks (and my in-laws), deliver and stack it. I am a member of Good Samaritan Medical Ministry and have been to Vietnam twice (2006 & 2007) for 2 1/2 weeks each time. We take a fully implemented medical clinic into rural villages from the far north part of Vietnam to southern Vietnam. I took my daughter this year and she is doing her Senior Project on the trip. The website is http://www.gsmedicalministry.org . . .. You can see this year’s mission trip video by clicking on “missions” and then “mission movies” and choose “2007″. My daughter (dark hair then but naturally auburn but that is another story) is holding a child on her hip and I’m at the end with a bouquet of roses, crying because my daughter remembered my birthday.
Giving back can be simple things. And larger things. It all is a gift we should not overlook.
steph
Erika . . . That is WONDERFUL that you support Heifer International. We pitched in with a bunch of our friends a few years back and bought a cow for a family through Heifer International as our Christmas “gift” to each other. Knowing that a family would have milk and, like you said, perhaps even an income from that cow was extraordinarily rewarding. Happy Thanksgiving, Erika . . . I’m looking forward to hearing how the meal goes!
Stephanie . . . Wow, you are so right. Giving can be simple things or big things, but they’re all rewarding. It’s neat to see how you find ways to contribute all along the spectrum.
I’m so glad you both shared — thank you! And happy Thanksgiving!
Hi Lia,
Great new site and great post on Thanksgiving! For Christmas every year, I give my husband a present from the Heifer catalog and he gives me something from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). In addition, we donate monthly to a few foundations that need help locally, nationally or internationally. It is very rewarding to help through these organizations, especially when life is too busy and it is easy to forget how hard life is for other people.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family (close or extended).
Isabelle
Isabelle . . . Great to hear from you. What a great Christmas gift tradition!
I’m thiking I’d like to do a round up post of all the organizations people are involved with, so others can check them out if they want to. So keep ‘em coming, folks, and I’ll gather them all together in a couple weeks.
Cheers!
There are many things I am passionate about. My seven year old son is Type One Diabetic & has Celiac Disease. So I am very passionate about AutoImmune Diseases. (He is an awesome 1st grader who is doing really well). I am also passionate about feeding people so I love Seed Savers Exchange, Slow Food and Heifer International. And almost everyday I picture what our lives would look like without medical care/insurance and I thank goodness we do not need Doctors Without Borders- a fantastic organization.
Hello new look Lia,
I hope you don’t mind but I’ve tagged you on a meme….to provide three characteristics of good writing (I’ll duck now and get out of here (GRIN)). Seriously, as a journalist, novelist and blogger I thought you could give some excellent insight.
I have always been just check writer when it comes to giving. I support Americares.org because of the medical services they provide and their high rating at charitynavigator.org (99.2% of donations collected go to program expenses) but your blog got me thinking about the power of actually getting personally involved. Scary and inconvenient come to mind but so do fulfilling and connected. I will be doing some thinking this Thanksgiving, darn you and your blog!
KT . . . What inspiring stories for why you’re involved with each of the things you are. All fantastic organizations! (We also support DWB . . . I’ve been so impressed at how they’re always first on the scene to help, and we’ve met many of them on our travels through third world countries. Fantastic organization, fantastic people.)
Jo . . . I’m so flattered! Perfect timing too . . . I have my friend Catherine here, from Iowa (Iowa Writers Workshop), who’s been helping me with I Land Home for the last few years. So I’ll get her thoughts too.
Bill . . . GREAT to see you here! I’m so glad this post nudged the part of you to delve more personally into your giving. Somehow I have a feeling that little shift of paradigm will have a big impact both on you and those you choose to give to.
Lia - I can’t post on your most recent blog entry (having the flu)so I’m posting where I can . . and your email address hasn’t accepted any email from me (I’m probably spam
. . . ). I hope you and your husband are better this morning and that Noe didn’t get sick. My 6 year old had a cold, fever for almost a week and has a nagging cough - so far the rest of us are ok. steph
This is such a beautiful post for Thanksgiving (it’s taking me a few days to catch up on everyone, since I’m battling a nasty infection like you are).
Obviously, I’m passionate about educating people about celiac (how odd that someone above me said the same thing!) and finding a way to find our own stories.
It seems that every bit of work I do has to do with food these days, whether writing or giving. You know, without it, we cannot create anything else.
Steph . . . So sorry we’re having troubles with the comments on the last post! Although I’m glad to report we finally recovered. Hope you guys were able to stay healthy! And so sorry that you’re having trouble e-mailing me. I think you may have caught it right in between the migration. Try me at lia (at) liahuber (dot) com. If that doesn’t work, shoot me.
Shauna . . . Thanks for coming by! I hope you, too, are feeling better by now. I’ve been a big fan of your blog reading of your successes on other people’s blogs (Shauna is at glutenfreegirl.com and just released her first book of the same name [without the .com]). It is so wonderful to see you weaving stories of food and love that at the same time serve the greater purpose of educating people about celiac. So much to be thankful for!