Topic of the Week

Giving & Receiving

“Abundance is spun from the wheel of giving and receiving.”

Years ago, when I lived alone and struggled to make ends meet, I made a decision to challenge my fear of becoming homeless and destitute. I stood in my kitchen, closed my eyes, and said a prayer that went something like this:

“Dear God, I refuse to believe in lack. Please help me to see the world as an abundant and loving place and know that I am willing to do whatever it takes to breathe life into this new belief.”

Then, an idea popped into my head. Since I was so worried about paying my bills (and too proud to even think of asking for help, which just made me feel more alone), I decided to challenge my fear by doing the opposite of what made sense. Instead of holding on tight to the little money I had, I made a decision to give some away. I pulled out my checkbook and wrote a check for $5 dollars to my favorite charity at the time – The Boston Food Bank.

In my mind, I saw this action as a defiant act -a kind of “screw you” to my fear and a way of giving far more power to the belief in the availability of prosperity for everyone. That one little action years ago, started a movement in my mind and since then, each time I ever feel afraid of being able to care for myself, I open my hand and give something away.

Two weeks ago I received an email from a community member who shared information about an online company that has really touched me (thanks RA!). It’s called “ModestNeeds.org” and it’s an organization that does two things:

1. Offers you a way to receive help.

2. Offers you a way to give help.

You can read their mission statement here.

When I checked out the site, I was deeply touched by the vulnerable letters from good people who have fallen upon bad times. Michael and I immediately signed up to give support to some of the people we read about. For example, because we love animals, we helped one family on a fixed income, pay off some of their vet bills for a dog they recently lost. They wanted to be able to grieve in peace and felt they couldn’t until this debt was put to rest first. Or, we helped a disabled, single mom pay down her electric bill.

If you need help, I strongly encourage you to visit the site. You’ll find a link to the guidelines for applying at the top of the page here. Or, if you want to commit your own defiant act against your fear, I invite you to share some of what you do have with those less fortunate than you.

Also, please read on to our “Take Action Challenge” section below, and learn how you can share your favorite online charity with us all.

Take Action Challenge

There’s no quicker way to experience the power of abundance than to give to those who are struggling more than you. If you’d like to share your favorite online charity with us, simply hit reply to this newsletter, and we’ll compile a page with a list of links. Please only include:

1. The name of the organization

2. The link to their website

3. One line about why you love this charity

We’ll do our best to get the page up over the next week.

Thanks so much!