So, here goes my silly New Years Resolution list:
- I will pursue my goals, give thanks daily and give back at least weekly.
- I will learn to prioritize a "to do" list and forgive myself for not completing everything on the list.
- I will put myself first in the area of health.
- When life punches me in the face, I will punch back!
- I will not spend time with people who don't care if they hurt me.
- I will make a conscious effort to start letting go of my babies. (this is going to be the hardest)
One of the things that makes me the happiest is giving back. I use to work at Kash N Karry (now Sweetbays) as a cake decorator. It was a new store, so they had top executives stopping in frequently. We had to make sure the shelves were stocked full. Of course, after the executives left, the items were never bought. They went into the trash. My heart dropped. All that food, gone to waste. I drove my car around to the back of the store where I had discarded all the unfresh baked goods, and I put all of it into my trunk and drove off. It was all still edible, just not fresh fresh. There was a family that lived down the road whose kids had came to my door one day asking for some food. The teen girl told me that they didn't know where their mom was and that they were hungry. (coincidentally this is the family who lost the little girl, Sarah, who was strangled to death and left in a pond) I packed them up some bread and peanut butter among some other stuff I had that day. Anyways, they were the first ones that I thought of when I had all this food in my trunk. So, I gave them a big cake, and some bread. The kids were home alone; they appreciated it with big smiles. Then, I found a local charity right down the road that gives food to families and the elderly who can't afford it. I showed up with my trunk full of food. THEY HAD SMILES ON THEIR FACES FROM EAR TO EAR. And so did I. I told them about all this food that the store was throwing away. They couldn't believe it. So, I gave them the name and number of the store manager and before I knew it they were showing up weekly to pick up dented cans, slightly bruised and over ripened produce, AND the baked goods. I was so happy the food was not going to waste anymore. I hate waste. Eight years later, I still see them going in there to pick up their free food to give to people who need it.
So, I got to thinking. I have learned how to save money with all these coupons I'm clipping. I am going to set aside a box and put something in it weekly. And when the box is full, I am going to take it back to that charity, to give back. Nothing feels better than giving back. Why should I wait for Christmas to do it?
In every community there is work to be done. In every nation, there are wounds to heal. In every heart there is the power to do it.~MARRIANE WILLIAMSON
The strongest bond of human sympathy outside the family relation should be one uniting working people of all nations and tongues and kindreds.~ ABRAHAM LINCOLN
