Friday, March 13, 2009

Sacred Life Sunday: Would you like to be a hero?


I want to do something different with Sacred Life Sunday. It's time to change my focus a bit. Honestly, I am tired of talking about myself. Like most of us, my life is just a series of days and one is not all that different from another. I'd like to spend more energy putting good things out into the world for people to participate in. Most of us want to feel like we can do things as well as think about them. The doing can be just as spiritual as the thinking. From now on, I will try to use SLS as an opportunity to find something good to pass along to you - whether it is a website, a book, a volunteer opportunity - something uplifting and wholesome.

I hope you find it to be of some use in your own life.

Those of us who are not wealthy often wonder how we can give to others in a meaningful way. Too often, charity is all about giving money. So what can those of us who don't have money give? I believe we have the same spiritual requirement. Sometimes we just have to be a bit more creative. The older I get, the more I realize that sometimes a smile and a good morning won't mean a thing to someone who's hungry. It's a good way for us to feel like we're doing something ~ but there are plenty of opportunities to make a real difference and have a significant impact on someone else's well-being.

One of the lessons I believe we will learn from this economic downturn is that we are here to help each other. If ever there was a cosmic smackdown, this is it. We're here to give and receive. We're here to be aware of others and do what we can to make each other's lives easier. This is an opportunity to move away from competition and empire-building and focus on cooperation and community-building.

Recently something came to my attention that I'd like to pass along because there are some wonderful things happening. It feels really nice like Kiva but doesn't require a financial outlay. It's good like Freecycle but it also provides a chance for people in need to ask directly for something they need.

It is called WishUponAHero. It is a site where people make requests, state their wishes and match up with those who might be able and willing to meet their needs. Granted.. this is material but sometimes a material item can make a big difference in someone's life.

I saw a news story about a woman whose refrigerator broke and she couldn't afford to replace it. Someone in her area saw her post, had an extra refrigerator around and gave it to her. It's helping her save money since she doesn't have to buy fresh food daily and she has kids so it makes a huge difference.

There are all sorts of requests there. Check it out. You might be able to be someone's hero. And perhaps, if you need a hero, you may find one.

Either way, it's all sacred.


~*

19 comments:

heartinsanfrancisco said...

What a great idea! I hadn't heard of this before, so thank you for posting about it.

You are right that those of us without much means often wonder how we can give meaningfully when most needs require money.

I also agree that the real New Age will be about cooperation, not competition, as we finally move away from the old models of relating that never worked for most people.

flutter said...

lovely!

surjit singh said...

Really a great message.Thanks for sharing.
God bless.

Rev. Linda M. Rhinehart Neas, M.Ed. said...

Dear Chani,

You are a lovely Light in the darkness of our times.

Thank you for sharing this information, as well as your soul-filled idea of how to help others (and ourselves, ultimately.) Charity is definitely not about money. It is more about seeing the sarcred within each being; a task that sometimes is easier than at other times.

May your efforts be blessed multifold.

Namaste, Linda

Anonymous said...

my husband and i were just saying that we want to find a way to give back to others because we do feel so blessed having each other and two healthy babies. This sounds great. Thanks for the link.

Woman in a Window said...

Nice, Chani. That's the real hands on kind of giving and receiving that might make a difference. Hope your weekend is full!

Olivia said...

I love this idea, Chani. I tried to go to "Wish Upon a Hero" and they said that the servers were overloaded, to try later. What a great thing...I will keep trying.

A wonderful way to make SLS special.

Blessings and love,

O

Anonymous said...

Cool site. And you know, helping people can be about time rather than money.

painted maypole said...

a WAY cooler version of freecycle!

Leann said...

What a wonderful idea Chani. I will check out the link!

Enjoy your Sunday.

Anonymous said...

Wish Upon a Hero is neat. Caught my eye as I'll need to give away my fridge shortly...nice to know there's a place where you can look to place such things rather than a random donation to Habitat Resale, etc....

Thanks for the tip!

Angela said...

That is so cool - thanks for sharing it. And I agree - we're going to find out in the coming weeks and months just how much we need each other. It will be a very rude awakening for many.

Girlplustwo said...

FINALLY catching up. i love that folks are coming together now, when it is needed, the heightened awareness matters.

LittlePea said...

That's a good idea! Sometimes the smallest of things to one person means the world to another.

LittlePea said...
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Billie Greenwood said...

Great new (to me) concept. Even better, I love the envelope of thoughtful writing with which you place it in this post. I look forward to future uplifts here on SLS.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
S said...

What a great idea for a site. Thanks for the link.

Janet said...

I love the concept of paying it forward. Thanks for the link to the site: I'm bookmarking it.