The Warm Fuzzies

I got addicted to the warm fuzzies a long time ago. I was in junior high and my parents dropped my sister and I off at Target with $20 each to do our Christmas shopping. When we left the store, I gave the Salvation Army man $5. I remember being instantly pleased and excited. I couldn’t wait for my parents to pick me up so I could tell them what I had done.

Their response wasn’t what I expected. In fact, they informed me that I was probably paying the man with the bell his salary. But it didn’t matter what they said. It was too late and I was already hooked.

I’ve been thinking for a while now what I could write about Thanksgiving. I didn’t want some essay about how thankful I am for my family or why we should be thankful each day of the year. And today, it finally hit me.

As I was exiting the freeway to do a little shopping I saw something that caught my eye at the end of the off ramp. It wasn’t a handicapped veteran or a twitching, skinny drug-user. She was well nourished. Her two children sat on the gravel with a blanket covering their faces. She held a cardboard sign and even still I don’t know what it said. But it didn’t matter, I knew she needed help. Perhaps she was just kicked out of her home or her husband just lost his job. Here she was, the week before Thanksgiving, realizing she was not going to be able to make ends meet. And her children sat and watched as their mother begged. The situation appeared pretty desperate.

I gave her money. I write this not to toot my own horn or to place myself on a pedestal. I say this to prove one point. I made a difference in her life. I impacted her. All because I have realized that this woman and her children are my friends and my neighbors. These people are in my country and my responsibility.

I’ve heard the arguments. What if these people use the money for alcohol or perhaps don’t even really need the money? However, say that this money will never go towards what you intended it to. I would like to think that when you give your resources, others will see you. You will remind them of the importance of changing lives and perhaps encourage them to invest themselves in others.

I always hear how horrible people think our world is. And with natural disaster, school shootings, terrorism and what seems like never ending poverty, I see it. I can understand why so often this world seems like such a tough place to live. I can understand why a mother may be struggling to put a Thanksgiving dinner on the table for her children. But I will no longer sit and listen to what a horrible world this is and not attempt to change it. Because I have realized it does not have to be like this. If you are complaining about the way things are, what have you done to change them?

Giving a woman cash will not end poverty. But it will remind her that people love her. Perhaps with the help of others, she will be able to have a Thanksgiving dinner now. Her life will be changed, maybe forever.

I don’t get warm fuzzies anymore. And I’m glad, because I wouldn’t want to be doing something like this just because it makes me feel good. I don’t know about anyone else, but I am ready for things to start changing in this world. And if you think that you can’t make a difference, you probably never will. But I hope everyone can understand that the smallest donation of yourself can make a huge difference in the world.

With the holiday season in full gear, remember your friends and neighbors. Realize that you can change this world. If you feel overwhelmed, just start small. Start with one person. If you don’t, who will?

I’m glad I saw that woman.

This Thanksgiving, I am thankful for people standing at the end of freeway off ramps.