I like your idea of giving both locally and internationally. It has been said that it is easier to help a stranger than a friend. I think this is true because we know the bad side of those acquaintances who always need help.

I spent 2 years in the Philippines as a missionary and met the adoptive mother of one of those sponsored children. She was a very good caring person. She was paid a certain amount to help with the care of the formerly abandoned child. At one point the funding was cut off because the local organization was not meeting all of the requirements of the international organization. She was in a moral quandry. She of course decided to keep her adopted daughter, but what had formerly been a financial help was now a financial burden. I am not sure if they were able to get funding again later on. I hope so.

When it comes to helping children especially, I think we should all do something. Even if some of our money is wasted, it is important to put the cynic aside and do what we can. The Phillippines has one of the highest rates of child homelessness in the world. It is tragic to see children begging in the streets. If I could pay a small amount each day to put one them in a home and send them to school, I would do it, every time.

On my last trip to the Philippines I met the president for a charitable organization called American Helper http://americanhelper.com/ . I believe it to be a small organization which is doing a lot of good with street children. I agree that you have to be a cynic before throwing your money around. We need to be as smart about giving money away as we are about earning it. But I think if we are financially able, and if we can find an organization that is reputable, we should do our part. Then we can watch those commercials in peace.

In the long run I think that we need to create more jobs in poverty stricken areas. I am optimistic about improvement in the world economy. While I don't like loosing jobs locally, I also know that those jobs are needed wherever they land. Education is of course the other half of the coin. Without it, there will always be a world-wide epidemic of ignorance and poverty.

-Aaron

My wife Lynda and I live by the serenity prayer every day. Neither one of us belongs to any kind of organized religion. We are both spiritual and humanists. This prayer, is universal and has saved my life more than once.
It inspires us to get up every morning, put one foot in front of the other and get it done. It is a powerful prayer. It is one of the universal truths that make the world go around. Thanks for sharing this with everyone.

Dick

Thank you kindly for the comment.

Perhaps I could make this a series? The character in this short story is a small town boy (a definite parallel to myself in this aspect) who finds himself in a big city apartment building realizing he has made a mistake. Perhaps I could title the next story "The Plane". When he gets home he may realize he does not belong there either and dive deeper into the psyche of this lost soul. What do you think?

Hey there Jo!

So glad you are still reading! My apologies for not keeping it as up to date as I should. That is going to change though. You make me smile from the inside. This is not about me -- Although I am pulling this from past experience. Your comment does stand true though and will end up being the moral of future installments.

I sure hope everything is going well with you and your family.

Peas and carrots and a box of chocolates.

Peas and carrots

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and viewpoint.