“Giving is a joy if we do it in the right spirit. It all depends on whether we think of it as ‘What can I spare? – or as ‘What can I share?”                                                               Esther York Burkholder Sometimes you just can’t predict who is going to be generous. For 30+ years Father Gregory Boyle has worked with gang members in Los Angeles at Homeboy Industries, the   [Read More …]

“There’s no limit to what you can accomplish if you don’t care who gets the credit.”     Bernard Baruch, American Financier           Finding ways to save money to give away can be fun, if you take that attitude. If you put off giving until you have a big surplus in your checking account at the end of the month or until you think you can afford it, you may never give anything   [Read More …]

Never walk away from someone who deserves help; your hand is God’s hand for that person.”   Proverbs 3:27 – The Message When disaster strikes, who responds? The volcano named Fuego (fire) is visible from much of the area in and around San Lucas Toliman, Guatemala where my husband and I have worked for many years, but it is too far away to pose a danger to the town itself. A large majority of   [Read More …]

“Some of our people took extra jobs, others went without legitimate expenditures, and many arranged for loans which could be paid back over a one-or two-year period.”                                                                       Elizabeth O’Connor, Call to Commitment Some people can point to events they experienced that changed their lives forever. That happened to my husband and I when   [Read More …]

Somehow we’ve lost our way and our sense of values. I say this because there is absolutely nothing in the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution of the United States of America that declares the 4th of July, our Independence Day, shall be henceforth and forever more a holiday for shopping.  Yet we are inundated with ads that would have you believe otherwise. The one that said,   [Read More …]

For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.                                           1 Timothy 6:7 (KJV) Did you ever see a Brinks truck following a hearse to the cemetery? Or to put it another way, what does that say about the way you’ve invested your time and your money? If all you did was worry about making more and more and more, you’ve missed   [Read More …]

Jesus said to him, “ ‘ You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ “This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” Matthew 37-39  On remittance day the line at the bank stretches half way down the block. When a mother’s cell phone rings she hands it to her little girl   [Read More …]

 “ You won’t become poorer, you’ll become richer by giving” Fr. Henri Nouwen Twenty years ago I didn’t know that philanthropy meant “Loving humankind.” I just thought it meant giving a lot of money away. Today my husband and I have just returned from our 29th trip to Guatemala which keeps drawing us back. Why? Because it was there we found ways that we can make a big difference in the lives of   [Read More …]

The world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller. From The Message, Proverbs 11:24 When we were newlyweds I told my husband that he had better be good to me or I’d run home to his mother. Why? Because his mother was one of the kindest and most loving individuals I have ever encountered.   Mary Elizabeth was the epitome of generosity with her   [Read More …]