Saturday, January 9, 2010

An Upside to the Downside

Silver Linings
December 21, 2009 just north of Jenner, CA
Winter has definitely arrived in northern California, very little rain so far but endless cold and foggy days: perfect weather for working outside. My husband has been pruning the apple, pear and plum trees and I just finished cleaning out and rearranging my storage shed (a girl never has enough storage space). Found some good things to donate to our local Hospice store.
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Last week I called the volunteer coordinator of one of our local non-profits, the Children's Village (mentioned in my December 29th blog) to let them know we'd like to volunteer some of our time. We chatted about our interests and found there are numerous areas where we can get involved: from building garden beds, to teaching house parents how to cook nutritious meals, to mentoring kids in transition, and helping in the office. We are arranging for a tour in the next few weeks.
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The most interesting part of the conversation was the fact that even in this awful economy many local businesses and individuals are stepping up to donate materials, money and time to local non-profits. The reasons are no doubt different for everyone: paying it forward for some, finding there is more to life than working and consuming for others. What matters is that it's happening and elders, children and folks experiencing hard times are being taken care of through the generosity of friends, neighbors and businesses. There is much to be said for thinking locally as well as globally. Call a local non-profit and see how you might help, a little time and energy can go a long way.

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