The Perfect Gift

Once upon a time (Oct. 2012) an award-winning author, Kathi Macias, published Unexpected Christmas Hero, a book about a homeless war vet who becomes a hero for a fatherless family.  The book’s cover features Willard Parker, an actual homeless man who has a story of his own. Some years back, Mr. Parker lost contact with his family and now he very much wants to see them again. Click here to read more about Mr. Parker’s story, see his picture and possibly grant a Christmas wish by helping unite Mr. Parker with his family.  If you have information regarding the whereabouts of Parker family members, please contact Kathi Macias at ezyrtr@ca.rr.com.   

A family reunion is a wonderful gift.  With the holidays approaching, we’ll all be looking for great gifts. Here’s what some people call the perfect gift:

                                        http://youtu.be/--JmKOR8-i0

Perhaps the best gifts are the ones we give rather than receive. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs says that our primary concerns focus on obtaining food, shelter and safety before moving up the ladder to satisfy our need for love, friendship, self-esteem and creativity. Having survived Hurricane Sandy, did you feel yourself living out Maslow’s hierarchy of needs pyramid this week? Considering all that’s happened over the last two weeks, in your opinion, what is the perfect gift?  

We Can See You!

While driving the other day, I stopped at the light and glanced over. My mouth dropped open. Besides fiddling with a phone, the driver in the next lane had a monster-sized wad of paper stuck in his nose. We’re not talking about several ordinary tissues. This paper looked like those scratchy, institutional paper towels that threaten to rub your skin raw and it was sculpted into a perfect circle. I assume the driver had a nosebleed, but I’m still wondering how that huge ball remained suspended from one small nostril.

This is far from the most unusual thing you’ll see as you drive around town. I’ve spotted people applying make-up, shaving, combing their hair and, yes, flossing. I think I saw someone brushing their teeth, too. Are people forgetting that cars don’t have shutters and blinds? If confronted, I have a suspicion that they’d yell, “Just look away!” Here’s a message for people who groom and drive: We can see you and frankly—no thanks!

There is another group of people who often feel invisible—it’s the homeless. They’re easy to see lying on the sidewalks of major cities, but due to our sagging economy, an increasing number of people are moving from homes, to shelters and on to the streets ofsmall towns, like ours. Listen to a few of their stories:

You’ve heard that many people are one paycheck or one catastrophic situation away from homelessness. Today’s homeowners can easily become tomorrow’s homeless.  Charitable organizations in our communities provide various resources to ease the burden of homelessness, but they can’t do it  alone. They’re waiting for your contributions. Let the homeless know that we see them and we care. How will you help the homeless this week?                  

        

Giving up the Blame Game

Several years ago, I think there was a story about a wealthy man who promised a class of impoverished students free college tuition if they graduated from high school.  You're probably thinking that this deal was “money in the bank” for those students—problems solved.   Not really.  A majority of the scholarships went unused.  I was shocked by this outcome, but it shows that money doesn’t fix everything.  Apparently, the students faced some obstacles that were just too large to conquer. 

This situation reminded me of a book I read.  It’s a riveting memoir about a dysfunctional couple whose children grew up to lead relatively normal lives.  Check out the book video featuring the author and a piece of her story:

I often wonder why some kids make it through difficult circumstances and others flounder.  Despite growing up in extreme poverty, Ms. Walls (from the book video) had one critical element going for her—encouragement.  Although her father lived a risky and eccentric lifestyle, she often heard him say something like, “I knew you could do it, Mountain Goat!”  They shared a unique father-daughter relationship and the various family members seemed to love one another. 

While we may live in the world’s greatest country, I believe we can do a better job of preparing our young people for the future.  In your opinion, what’s the most important trait, quality or skill we need to instill in the next generation?