Whew! It's all ready to go! I finally got it all together for when the goodwill truck gets here tomorrow. What a relief it is! It feels go to give, believing that what you are giving will be used to help others who may be in a troubled spot in their lives.
What doesn't feel good is when your giving is rejected. Last year, just after Hurricane Katrina, we were getting ready to move then too, and when I called a goodwill service they said "Thanks, but no thanks." So many had already given that they just couldn't handle any more. So all those things I wanted to give got left by the dumpster in frustrated exasperation. Not having a car, I wasn't able to go drop my stuff off anywhere. Not that anyone would take it anyway. I felt bad - I had 6 packages of diapers. When my baby girl was born, she was a bit bigger than I anticipated and tried to prepare for. I bought diapers for weeks prior to her birth, I know how newborns are. And she didn't fit any of the size 1's I got. She didn't fit the size 2's either. So all those diapers ended up in the garbage, and I got to read in the paper how hospitals in New Orleans were in need of supplies for their sick children. I just saw the other night too, how certain people affiliated with a group that shall remain nameless took a bunch of stuff down to New Orleans after the hurricane, but because the intended recipients didn't like the group the givers were affiliated with, they rejected the donations. It makes you wonder though, exactly how much do you really need if you're able to reject things just because you don't like the givers' personal viewpoints. Isn't the proverb "Beggars can't be choosers"? It strikes me that if you can be that choosy, then perhaps your need may not be as great as you've led others to believe. I'm not accusing anybody here, just wondering out loud.
For me anyway, goodwill is coming tomorrow, and I can get rid of all this stuff, things the kids have outgrown, although goodwill tells me they won't take any toys. So I'll have to find an alternative to that but otherwise I'll gain the room for the boxes that I need to finish packing for our impending move. And I'll gain the belief that maybe I've helped someone else in their time of need.
1 comment:
Ah, the choosy beggar! What a great bunch. My comrade at work was telling me today about hearing a panhandler at the train station once get into his preferred spot, and proclaim "Time to get paid!" That's horrific.
I think I agree ... maybe your need isn't as great as you claim if you have the ability to turn away what is offered.
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