Winter Givings

I am sitting here enjoying my supper of home grown purple potoatoes, organic broccoli and asparagus and home raised roast goose and thinking. I am finding it easier to give without concern as to where the giving is going. I used to care more, but I have come to realize that those who are incapabale of growing potatoes are also the ones going to the food bank. It is not that they do not have the land, for one only needs some buckets to grow root crops. Nor is it for lack of money for seeds, because potatoes will grow from peelings. It is that they ...well, I just don't know. But I do know they often have children, kids who innocently had to be part of that family and have no real food. My own brother was that way. There was no food in the fridge or cupboards ever, but there was always booze and cigarettes. His drinking eventually did him in at the ripe age of 52. How sad. I should have helped more than I did, but I was angry with the parents, my brother and his wife, for doing what they were doing. Their daughter, my neice, passed away very young from a mismanaged life too. So very tragic. 

I did not have much money as a younger person, being a single parent to three. We gave what we could, but never money. People were nice to us too and we were the recipients of several Christmas hampers, mostly from the church we then attended. I felt it was necessary to give the kids the grounded religious education so they could make a proper choice in their lives later. At that time, I also needed the family of the church. 

But now, I am able to give more freely. It still bothers me that people have a huge sense of expectation. They feel they deserve to get. I never did feel that way. I was grateful and humble upon recieving anything at all. One time, when we were struggling very hard, one kind couple included ice cream for the kids and coffee - a container of coffee. I cried. Mostly people were concerned with the children, but those givers were concerned about me! That was a humbling experience. 

So this year, I have come up with a new scheme. I do not have cash to give, but I do have resources, mainly trees! There are many many spruce trees growing on my land. Why not sell them as Christmas trees, cut your own, bring hot chocolate and sing while chopping the tree down? Make it a memorable family experience! I would charge 20 dollars a lineal foot, and all the money can be donated to the food bank. There. 

And that is what I hope will happen. I have a few people interested and even a few is better than none. They get to have a great time and a live tree, fresh from the farm. I get to see the joy on their faces and to sing and laugh a little with them. What a great reward! And those who are not able to get their lives together for which ever reason, will have a little brighter holiday. What do you think? I wish you were here too.