Give.

Secret Millionaire - If you haven’t watched this show - you need too!! It’s fantastic. It brings a refreshing and inspiring perspective to your Sunday evenings. I admire people who are givers. Givers don’t expect anything in return. They are humbled by giving. They understand that other peoples troubles aren’t self inflicted.

There are a lot of people who need attention, most of those people are what I like to call takers. They take, take, take. If they don’t get materialistic things, well then, they want the media attention. It would kill these people to share a thing. They can’t believe there are such stores as second hand stores, and they cannot accept the idea that others live in poverty by fate and not always by choice. Takers have high expectations for the world, yet don’t respect themselves enough to walk away from the lifestyle that has defined there very selfishness. There are every day takers, Hollywood takers, and then there are political takers.

While I don’t believe public healthcare is the answer, I don’t understand why we continue to allow people to die because they don’t have insurance. Autry was in ICU for 9 days - 7 of which he was an uninsured 13 month old baby, intubated and unresponsive, administered between 19-23 drugs per day. Not once was I brave enough to mention that our medical insurance was to expire, and that we would not have any coverage for the majority of his stay. Today I owe nearly 170k in medical bills. Not by choice, by fate. That week, was the most humbling week of my life. I am sure that if I live to be 100 I will still be in massive amounts of debt, but I do not worry about my financial future any longer. I have been to the bottom, I know what its like to not know what will happen next. I know that it’s a struggle that we did not ask for. I wish that people wouldn’t have to worry so much about their health and healthcare. Maybe they could worry more about getting medical clearance for jobs, physicals, vaccinations. I was talking to a friend who was looking for a job. She told me that she didn’t have the money to get to her physical let alone pay someone to tell her that she was “all clear.” Luckily she was able to get to a county health clinic. But it really has me wondering if people really cannot get jobs because they don’t have medical coverage which allows for them to get appropriate treatment before starting…

When you realize that it doesn’t matter what kind of car you drive, where you purchased your prom dress, or where you graduate from college - you will discover the “True. You.” If materials define who you are, you will someday be introduced to a rude awakening. You don’t get to take that expensive gown, those designer shades, or designer tote with you when its time to leave the earth. Some people get rich quick, and its those people who bug me the most. I want to shake them and say “do you not remember what it was like to be grateful, thankful, or humbled by the small things.” don’t ever be too foolish to realize that everything you have can be taken away. I remember a sermon that we need to learn that we must hold everything loosely, because when we grip it tightly, it hurts when the Father pries our fingers loose and takes it from us!
Recently I was watching this Repo show on tv and these “dancers” were so ticked off at the repo man because he had to take away her brand new corvette. She was so upset that she beat him up, and later went to his office and slapped him across the face when she couldn’t use her “good looks and southern charm” to get her car back.

Do we hold on tight to things that we shouldn’t? Do we cherish our new vehicles more than we cherish our friendships? Does staying out late at a high school party mean more to you than keeping your families trust? Do you let your attitude destroy long standing relationships?

We have a friend whose parents literally lost everything in a house fire last week. I began to think about life in a slightly different way. If my house burnt to the ground. If my pictures, clothing, money, food, decorations, appliances, toys, and keepsakes were all gone too … where would I stand. Will I have lost everything? Or will I still have relationships that not even the widest wild fire could take away? Friends, Friendships, Life long relationships are not built around pick up trucks and name brand attire. Your true friends will be standing there next to you assuring you that what is really important is that you are all ok.