One of my colleagues brought in a gigantic, freshly cut tree for the office lobby yesterday. It smells wonderful.
It made me very sad.
For the first time since my father died in 1991, I won't be spending Christmas with my mom. She's 82 years old.
But this year has not been kind. I'm frankly broke; between the games my banks have been playing with interest rates (despite the fact that I've never been so much as a day late on a single payment -- ever) and the growing stack of medical charges that weren't covered by my health insurance, I've found myself so deeply in debt that I'm starting to take stock of what I might be able to sell. I've been hunting for a more economical place to live for several months, even though I have no clue how I'll be able to come up with the deposit, never mind the time and expense involved with actually moving.
My halls won't be decked this year. Can't afford the extra load on my DWP bill for lights, and Christmas trees just get more and more expensive.
So I'm asking my friends to please, please - instead of a gift for me - donate a toy to a toy drive or a can of green beans to a food bank. Clean out your linen closet and donate the old sheets and blankets to a homeless shelter. Take your old towels to an animal shelter. If you have old coats or sweaters, why don't you put them in the trunk of your car and if you see a homeless person, why don't you stop and give them something warm and clean to wear? Take the tiny bottles of shampoo and the tiny bars of soap you've collected from hotels and give them to a battered women's shelter. Go to the 99-cent store and buy a pile of toothbrushes and bring them along for the ride.
Because no matter how hard I may have it, at least I have a good job. I have a roof over my head and I eat every day. Not being able to see my mom for Christmas is really hard ... (every Christmas I leave her house and I'm afraid it's the last time I'll see her) ... but there are so many people that have it so much worse. And I figure that God, or the Celestial Design Committee, or Mother Nature or whoever — they put billions of people here on Earth not so we can fight it out amongst ourselves, but so we can help each other.
So lets do that. Help each other. Don't help me, I'll figure everything out. Find someone who really needs it and give them a merry Christmas.
It made me very sad.
For the first time since my father died in 1991, I won't be spending Christmas with my mom. She's 82 years old.
But this year has not been kind. I'm frankly broke; between the games my banks have been playing with interest rates (despite the fact that I've never been so much as a day late on a single payment -- ever) and the growing stack of medical charges that weren't covered by my health insurance, I've found myself so deeply in debt that I'm starting to take stock of what I might be able to sell. I've been hunting for a more economical place to live for several months, even though I have no clue how I'll be able to come up with the deposit, never mind the time and expense involved with actually moving.
My halls won't be decked this year. Can't afford the extra load on my DWP bill for lights, and Christmas trees just get more and more expensive.
So I'm asking my friends to please, please - instead of a gift for me - donate a toy to a toy drive or a can of green beans to a food bank. Clean out your linen closet and donate the old sheets and blankets to a homeless shelter. Take your old towels to an animal shelter. If you have old coats or sweaters, why don't you put them in the trunk of your car and if you see a homeless person, why don't you stop and give them something warm and clean to wear? Take the tiny bottles of shampoo and the tiny bars of soap you've collected from hotels and give them to a battered women's shelter. Go to the 99-cent store and buy a pile of toothbrushes and bring them along for the ride.
Because no matter how hard I may have it, at least I have a good job. I have a roof over my head and I eat every day. Not being able to see my mom for Christmas is really hard ... (every Christmas I leave her house and I'm afraid it's the last time I'll see her) ... but there are so many people that have it so much worse. And I figure that God, or the Celestial Design Committee, or Mother Nature or whoever — they put billions of people here on Earth not so we can fight it out amongst ourselves, but so we can help each other.
So lets do that. Help each other. Don't help me, I'll figure everything out. Find someone who really needs it and give them a merry Christmas.
Comment
- Comment by mr bad example on December 9, 2009 at 11:02pm
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i went through something similar for the last 2 years, low pay temp jobs, just getting by. i left an almost decent, high stress job, got married, wife left after 3 weeks. my last temp job was opening mail for a company that processes payments for several large companies and the Salvation Army. it paid $9 @ hour. that place was beginning to flounder due to the economy, people going bankrupt, people skipping payments, and my hours were being cut due to loss of mail volume (the pay by mail industry is shrinking 5% a year as it is).
3 months ago, one company i temped at 2 years ago called me and offered a direct position. as the temp position ended with that company, the manager asked me if a position were to open in the future if i would be interested in working there, i said yes. i trudged on with other temp jobs for the next 2 years, with the hope that i would get that call.
from that day forward, i am thankful for the manager, the company and my new job. after reading your blog, i went to my closet and got out my christmas tree, which has been in the closet the last 5-6 years. it's not a big one.
every time i go past a Salvation Army kettle, i put a dollar in it, remembering the gifts many neighbors would send in that i would process, now that i can afford that dollar.
i never cared for that new year's song, i prefer this one...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdCVlmmnOzA
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What they are selling is what I make. it makes no sense to go to them when I can do custom colors for the same price. They won't be able to do that. Plus, we are always free shipping.
I can see the pics though now! Awesome concept using the tow holes leaving room for a tow bar to tow something esle.
Good place to order from~5 pages of Horns~Free Shipping~this is where I get my horns & other Stuff...
it might take a little more, i get three 33 gallon bags of crushed aluminum cans into my smart for recycling days
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