A New Year a Month In Already...

The holidays were ok. Thanks for all the good wishes. Mom was a little depressed this year. Times are tough (as it is for many) and she was missing her family that have passed. Kitties and peoples.
Turned out fairly cold too. We don't have heat and mom didn't have a real winter coat (in south Texas a winter coat is a sweatshirt and a knit cap) and we were truely touched when a Catster pal sent her a coat! How do you thank someone for such a sweet gesture?
Sometimes it's hard to accept help.
We'd all rather be the one writing the checks and helping and not the one in need.

We were told that we do have family. Maybe not blood family (like THAT ever assured concern and love) but family none the less.

They say that cyber friendships are outpacing "real" ones (and it makes me think of The Matrix when they say that) but, honestly, friends are wherever you find them.
How many of us have blood family and real life "friends" who don't give a rat's hiney when the chips are down?

Yup, things are still tough and I don't see any indication in my reality of the recession/depression ending. The upswing (that they tell us is happening) hasn't trickled down to us yet. Analysts say it may take years (we tend to believe the guys who say that) for the average Joe to feel it. They also say that for those who have lost thier jobs and had to take a much lesser job in return may be especially hard hit. Very hard to crawl back up.
But we are very lucky as we do have a roof over our heads. Kitties are eating discount brand food but we're eating. Moms eating hotdogs and beans. But she's eating. Don't qualify for public assistance but that's ok. Had a few dollars left and gave it to the Red Cross fund for Haiti at the supermarket checkout. God knows they need help. Gotta paw it forward.

That's probably one of the very most important lessons we learned from our online friends: We are all brothers on this planet and those that need help are to be helped by those who can. Some can give thousands. Some a dollar. Some their time. Purrrsonally, my family is taking on water. But we're bailing too. We're still afloat. I hope our few dollars will help someone. I know if everyone sent what they can, it sure would.
Thousands.
A dollar.
A coat.
Volunteering at an animal shelter.
Sending water to Haiti.
Visiting a nursing home.
Adopting a child.
Financing a playground.
Building a school.
Raking your elderly neighbor's leaves.
It all matters. So paw it forward.
Even if you just have a bag of potatoes...divvy up those taters, my friends =)


~Christopher