Things I try to keep in mind...

While shopping for holidays, I try to keep things like this in mind...


From CRS.org :

The season of Advent is upon us, and as we prepare to celebrate the birth of our Savior, I ask you to read two incredible stories relayed by Catholic Relief Services staff that I must share with you.

First is from Father David Garcia, who often travels around the United States talking to Catholic grade-school children about our responsibility to those in need overseas. He told us of one fifth-grader who asked his parents not to give him any gifts last Christmas and donate that money to combat malaria instead. This boy had learned how malaria, which can easily be prevented, kills thousands of children each year in developing countries. His simple sacrifice helped save lives.

Father Garcia says, "That fifth-grader is smarter than most of us. He certainly is more compassionate and puts his faith into action more than most people. He is one bright sign of hope in an often darkened world. He lives out a spirit of thanks."

Read about one of CRS' malaria programs in Angola, where the disease is the country's number one killer, and how the distribution of nets and medicines is making a difference.

The second story comes from John Rivera of our communications department, who just returned from Haiti—one of the poorest nations on earth. There he met a little girl who proudly carried a High School Musical backpack, and John mentioned that his own daughter was a huge fan. The next thing John knew, the girl had emptied out her books and came rushing back to give the backpack to him to take home to his daughter.

Imagine, this little girl was willing to part with what was surely one of her few worldly possessions to give it to someone she would never meet. I am reminded of our generous donors, who reach out to help families overseas whom they will never know.

And the backpack? John, thinking quickly, gently declined the gift, explaining that his daughter already had a bookbag. Could he photograph the girl holding it to show his daughter instead? The girl agreed.

Children's hearts and instincts are so pure, and they often remind us that the act of giving can help us feel God's love working through us. As you embark on your holiday shopping, I hope you will be inspired by these children to give meaningful gifts from our Gift Catalog for those you love, and help bring joy to the world.

Wishing you a peaceful Advent,

Ken Hackett

President
Catholic Relief Services

Are You a Cultural Creative?

Here's a great website I found - Cultural Creatives.org


You are likely to be a Cultural Creative if you...

1. ...love Nature and are deeply concerned about its destruction

2. ...are strongly aware of the problems of the whole planet (global warming, destruction of rainforests, overpopulation, lack of ecological sustainability, exploitation of people in poorer countries) and want to see more action on them, such as limiting economic growth

3. ...would pay more taxes or pay more for consumer goods if you could know the money would go to clean up the environment and to stop global warming

4. ...place a great deal of importance on developing and maintaining your relationships

5. ...place a lot of value on helping other people and bringing out their unique gifts

6. ...do volunteering for one or more good causes

7. ...care intensely about both psychological and spiritual development

8. ...see spirituality or religion as important in your life, but are concerned about the role of the Religious Right in politics

9. ...want more equality for women at work, and more women leaders in business and politics

10. ...are concerned about violence and abuse of women and children around the world

11. ...want our politics and government spending to put more emphasis on children's education and well-being, on rebuilding our neighborhoods and communities, and on creating an ecologically sustainable future

12. ...are unhappy with both the Left and the Right in politics, and want a to find a new way that is not in the mushy middle

13. ...tend to be somewhat optimistic about our future, and distrust the cynical and pessimistic view that is given by the media

14. ...want to be involved in creating a new and better way of life in our country

15. ...are concerned about what the big corporations are doing in the name of making more profits: downsizing, creating environmental problems, and exploiting poorer countries

16. ...have your finances and spending under control, and are not concerned about overspending

17. ...dislike all the emphasis in modern culture on success and "making it," on getting and spending, on wealth and luxury goods

18. ...like people and places that are exotic and foreign, and like experiencing and learning about other ways of life.


If you agreed with 10 or more, you probably are a Cultural Creative. I think I checked off 16 or 17, so am I an extreme?!!! Probably.

I really like the FAQ section of the website,especially identifying with this:

"A new industry is appearing: Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability, and it's $230 Billion in the U.S. this year, and $540 Billion worldwide. And the Cultural Creatives are their entire market.

4. If they're so important how come I haven't seen them before?

a) Actually you have seen them: They're the huge populations who support all the new social movements from the Sixties right up to the present day: Civil rights, peace, environment, women's, jobs and social justice, gay lib, alternative health care, new spiritualities, new psychotherapies, etc.

c) The Cultural Creatives have been invisible to public view:
How can 50 million people be invisible?

1) The national media don't cover the things they care about, or distort them. So, if you form all your impressions from the mass media, you'll never guess that they're there, because the media are really intolerant of world views other than their own.
2) The Cultural Creatives don't talk about what they value in public or at work. In part this is because they draw their conclusions that their values aren't shared by very many people, and they don't want to be embarrassed, put down, or harm their career prospects.
3) Most Cultural Creatives got to where they are in life almost alone. You probably didn't arrive at the values you've got now with your whole high school graduating class."

AND this

" 6. Why have the social and consciousness movements made such a difference?
Or, I don't see how all those movements from the Sixties could make such a difference today - that stuff is forty years old, it's history.
Or, Why do you relate the Cultural Creatives to all those movements?

The reason why this makes such a difference is that all these movements have been doing something new in history. They have been trying to change our minds about what is important and how the world works.

There's a lot more to the movements than just the people on the ramparts, or just the obvious meditators on their cushions, there's also a huge culturally circle around those active people who are reframing how we see the world every day. You have to see what a whole movement is: there's the most active people at the center, but around them like a target, there's a huge population of less involved people who give the money, read the literature, keep track of what's happening, and really believe in it. There may be a few thousand activists, and hundreds of thousands giving money, but tens of millions who are changing their minds and their lives.

We have evidence that a typical CC cares intensely about, and is often involved in, half a dozen of these new social and consciousness movements, while the rest of the country care about none, or maybe one or two. When you're involved in several movements who do reframing, it changes your whole world view. That's where the Cultural Creatives came from. And that's where a lot of our new direction is coming from.

What's more, there's an enormous overlap of all the movements, and the Cultural Creatives are right at the center of all of it. They are the common constituency of all the movements.

It's exactly the opposite of what many pundits have claimed: it really isn't true that if you're dealing with your own personal growth you've dropped out of social life. Or if you're an activist, you don't have time for an inner life. In reality, the more people are involved in ecology issues the more they are involved in spirituality and personal growth on the one hand, and social justice issues on the other hand."

The Charlie Schulz Philosophy

The following is the philosophy of Charles Schulz, the creator of the 'Peanuts' comic strip.

You don't have to actually answer the questions. Just ponder on them.
Just read this straight through, and you'll get the point.

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America pageant.
4 Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series wi nners.


How did you do?

The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday.
These are no second-rate achievers.
They are the best in their fields.
But the applause dies..
Awards tarnish..
Achievements are forgotten.
Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:
1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.


Easier?
The lesson:
The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money...or the most awards.
They simply are the ones who care the most

Pass this on to those people who have either made a difference in your life,
or whom you keep close in your heart, like I did.
'Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It’s already tomorrow in Australia !'

''Be Yourself. Everyone Else Is Taken!"

Kiva - Rosario

I just made two loans through KIVA. The best part is that the money came from previous loans that had been repaid. This is a great program.

Kiva - Rosario: "Rosario is 62 years old and is separated from her husband; she has 10 children of which only one lives in her home. Despite her advanced age, she works with great skill a machete and cuts the shrubs of her small farms of coffee and banana crops. Subsequently, she works very carefully, as she fertilizes each coffee plant by herself; this is her favorite crop because it allows her to get a good amount of money in harvest time.

To pick the fruit she calls on her children to help her collect the seeds, because she can’t do it all alone. Rosario likes to work in her small farms, since thanks to all of her effort and work her crops give her good results. With the profit she was able to look after her children’s wellbeing and are now men who work.

This is her second loan with MFP (Kiva’s field partner) and pledges to pay her quotas punctually since she would like to keep counting on this assistance. The money she needs will be used to buy chemical fertilizers for her coffee crops."

Kiva - Teodosio

Another KIVA loan. I like to find people in Peru, after seeing first hand the poverty.

Kiva - Teodosio:

"Teodosio, 64, is a hard-working man. He lives with his life partner, the mother of their four children, in his own house.

In spite of his advanced age, he works his coffee, banana, and bean fields with much agility and energy. Working at this activity is enjoyable for him. He uses his coarse hands to clear the bushes and weeds in order to keep his fields clean.

The crop that he likes the best is coffee. It is very profitable for him, especially from May to July. In this season he works with his wife, who helps him gather the coffee beans. They do this so that they can take one load of the largest quantity possible to the suppliers in the area.

He does not get as much income from beans and bananas as he does from coffee. But, they are very useful for covering the daily expenses the rest of the months. They cover the food and the childrens’ education.

This is his first loan with MFP. He is very motivated by the savings that he will be able to have. He promises to make his payments punctually. He will use the money that he is now asking for to by chemical fertilizers for his diverse crops."

Homeschooling - Still on the Fringe?

Homeschooling - Still on the Fringe?

Here's a blog from my favorite homeschooling author.

New Blog!!!

Check out my new blog - Under the Tuscan Sun!