Thanks to Linda at A Slower Pace for pointing me in the direction of this article in an Oregan newspaper. The basic story is that a Portland physician, who received a small legacy from her mother, decided to give away $100 every day for the month of October. She made some groundrules for herself, such as: it was to be to a stranger; someone she interacted with and in person, hand to hand. A brave memorial, and far more than a mere gesture. She is writing about it at her blog each day, and many of the stories have moved me to tears.
It has made me think about giving in general. So often nowadays we are moved by a particular story in the news, or by a picture of an abandoned pet or child…… and then moved to make a contribution. The trouble is that we are not sure if the gift is doing the maximum good. That’s why I tend to support a mixture of national and local charities. However, something caught my eye in the news this week; it was mentioned in a newspaper article about the death of Linda Norgrove. Her family are hoping to set up a charity specifically devoted to improving the lives of women in Afghanistan. (The Linda Norgrove Foundation) In the early days, before the latest war I was brokenhearted to learn of young women committing suicide in that country because education was denied them. If this new charity gets off the ground – and I hope it does – then that will be a way of feeling less helpless.
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