Independence Day at the Point

Catching up on some of my subscribed RSS feeds, I was enamored of a photo post by smilla4 on her Independence Day in Maine at Ardor Point— er, I mean Merepoint.

Charity Versus Deeds of Lovingkindness

Heard this phrase at a recent tevilah, the phrase gemilut chasadim (גְּמִילוּת חֲסָדִים), “deeds of lovingkindness.” This article on MyJewishLearning.com explains gemilut chasadim.

Gemilut chasadim are not just alms given to help the poor, but things we do to be charitable to everyone.

It’s the fifth day after Christmas, and you know what that means! Our thoughts turn to last-minute charitable donations (which we had every intention of making the previous year), New Year’s resolutions (which we have every intention of keeping the following year), and desperately searching for someone not too ugly to kiss tomorrow night when the clock strikes midnight.

Today, however, Jamie Ridler (indirectly) suggested an alternative to the New Year’s resolution, the New Year’s wish. She asks, “What do you wish for 2010?”

Now, at this juncture, I could make a crack about how we don’t keep our New Year’s resolutions anyway, so they might as well be “wishes.”

But that’s not where I’m going with this. See, a resolution is something I expect to do, presumably to better my situation. But a wish is something someone else needs to accomplish for me, or at least something that happens without my direct effort.

Yes, maybe Thanksgiving Comes First, but in this case, we actually do need to get started on the Christmas stuff early.

This year, as last, my church is participating in Operation Christmas Child, an annual charity drive conducted by Christian charity Samaritan’s Purse. Each year before Thanksgiving, Samaritan’s Purse collects wrapped shoeboxes, each packed with gifts, and distributes them to poor children around the world.

Last year, we sent out 61 boxes. This year, we already have—thanks to the efforts of a husband and wife team, who are spearheading the drive—numerous wrapped, empty shoeboxes, all ready and waiting for toys, school supplies, hygiene items, hard candy, clothes, jewelry, flashlights, and almost anything else we can get to put in them. We’re looking to fill 5 dozen boxes with gifts, all in time to be shipped out the week before Thanksgiving, because that’s how much time Samaritan’s Purse needs to get the presents to their young recipients by Christmas.