when have you seen need? (continued)

Let the countdown begin to the New year! Already there are commercials on TV and radio..."get your resolutions in order!" and to do that, well, you need to spend money! Want to lose weight? Change your hairstyle? Buy some new clothes! Get that new car you always wanted! The commercials I am also hearing now are: "got a gift you didn't want for Christmas? bring it in and exchange it for something better!"

Wow...all this stuff aimed at Me! Me! ME!!!! and why not? We deserve it, right? But...at what expense? When is enough ...enough? and...what have you done for someone who isn't as fortunate as you?

I just read online, about a house fire in Connecticut that claimed the life of three children. 1.7 million dollar house, gone. Everything in that house...gone. What was more important, the kids or the possessions or the house itself? I used to clean houses for a living and let me tell you, I have seen some pretty impressive houses! Yet I wouldn't want to live in any of them! I have a nice comfortable townhouse that I find very warm and inviting. For me, living with as little as I can makes sense. I don't worry about fires, what I have can be replaced easily. I don't worry about needing a housekeeper, I can do the cleaning myself. The fact that I live simply means I can focus on other things....I can be present for others as needed. And believe me, there is a lot of need out there! When we have clear minds and not worry so much about OUR stuff, we can concentrate and making that difference in the life of another. 

Look around you...see that man over there, the one huddled in the doorway? He needs a home. He needs food, clean clothes...but most of all, he needs to know that he is cared for...that he has worth, regardless if he lives on the street or in a home. He would give anything to have a soft bed to sleep in...and dry shoes for his blistered feet. It is just human dignity to have these things...and yet--because he is an alcoholic or maybe has mental health issues, he has been cast out of society...he is just an inconvenience that many turn a blind eye to. Soon he'll be gone, we shrug...only to be replaced by another.

Oh my--to not have to worry about that, right? Or maybe, just maybe...this too is a need that we should not wait for "someone else" to figure out. St Francis certainly didn't! He reached out to the poor, the beggars, the sick...and he cared for them. They were all his brothers and sisters. They are all OUR brothers and sisters as well. The true path to "peace on earth"...is good will towards all.