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Honored Contributor
Posts: 18,752
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

@Trinity11 wrote:

@Noel7 wrote:

@Annabellethecat66 wrote:

OK I read most of these posts.  Back in the very early 60's I lived with my divorced sister and her 4 children.  There were times when we didn't have a place to live and the children had to go to different places to live.  My sister and I stayed together with one or two of the children.  

 

Eventually, she'd get them all back...for awhile.  She worked 2 jobs every day 7 days a week.  I went to school and babysat, that was my job.  For a period of time I also took care of my senile grandmother, she was with us.  Again and again we moved, couldn't afford rent for a one and 2 bedroom apartment.

 

Back then there was no government handout at all.  There were times when we didn't have any food.  Ever try dividing up between 6 people a box of Chef Boy Ar D (sp) spaghetti?  Not easy!

 

We survived but my sister ended up letting a well off family adopt her youngest daughter.  You think that was easy.  Honey!  You don't know Jack!  When the daughter got married, she hid in the church to watch the girl get married.  She didn't want to embarrass her.  Talk to me about all of this stuff....go ahead.

 

But you know what?  We survived through sheer will.  My sister remarried and had another child (he committed suicide at the age of 20, but that's another story).  You guys talk about difficult lives...I'm sure there are always people who've gone through a lot.  

 

Life is not about a (insert the word that starts with a p ) ing contest.  Life is hard, more hard than other times.

 

My sister and my entire family was there when I got married.  We celebrated!  I managed to skip an entire grade in high school because I had to quit 2 months before I finished my 8th grade class to take care of my senile grandmother, but I did it.

 

A person can do anything in life he or she WANTS to do.  I totally believe that.  But it takes a sound mind and a will like most people never have or if they do they don't want to work for it.

 

I ended up with an amazing man who had a difficult life.  Because we had a difficult life (both of us) when our family needed help....we were there.  

 

I'm still helping family members who without all of our help would be homeless (my little sister is one of them).

 

None of this could be accomplished without the help of GOD.  But I truly believe and KNOW that GOD helps those who help themseves (and others).

 

Life is not just about throwing money at people or bragging about what you do (I'm sure many here do many things to help others).  Life is about doing what you can (it isn't always money, it's sometimes about making a phone call to see if someone is OK, it's about saying, "I made a little extra and can't eat it, know you like it....will you PLEASE take it for me".   It's about listening to an elderly friend talk about their late husband or lost daughter or son, just listening.

 

My late husband was unbelievably busy traveling, yet when the Cancer Society lady called, he'd change air travel to drive a cancer patient to chemo if they didn't have a way to get there.  No one but us knew he did this as he didn't talk about it.

 

We'd be eating dinner with the family and he'd get a call from someone (a guy friend) who needed help, he'd get up and maybe not be back til late that night.  That's what friends do and that's what family do.

 

Some people don't have families or too proud to ask (mostly no family support).  It is up to others to just help, don't ask and don't talk about it, just do it.

 

I get teased because when someone approaches me asking for money, I give it.  I hear, "You're a sucker".  OK, maybe I am and I don't care what they do with it.  I feel like GOD has been good to me and if I can help someone what he or she does with the few dollars is their business.

 

Phew!  Now I'll so sit down, turn off the computer and think back to those days.  They are way behind me but it sticks with you when you go through so much.

 

Just remember the saying, 'There but for the grace of GOD go I".  It could happen, you never know.

 

I have a friend whose church manages a thermal unit in the summer and winter.  I used to make scarves for them one after another all year long, I give money but boy do these people love these colorful scarves.  Ha!

 

Anyway, do what you can.  You'll be surprised how good you'll feel.  I recently posted here that I've said before I feel guilty at the little I've done because it makes me feel so good.  My friend teases me (in a nice way), but you know I sleep well at night (except sometimes those memories can't be pushed away).


 

@Annabellethecat66

 

I'm pretty sure many people here already do help others.  It comes up every once in awhile, people here can be very generous, toward complete strangers and for animals.


Yes, @Noel7, thank you for addressing that. I think there are many on this forum who are generous with their time and finances to help out someone less fortunate. Many have no interest in sharing on this forum specifics regarding their generosity.

 

What I don't understand is why anyone thinks that just because their own life went a certain way that everyone should pull themselves up by the bootstraps and they too will have the same results. There are many people who slip through the cracks through no fault of their own.

Sigh......


Hi @Trinity11

 

Just recently we saw so many people here desperate to find ways to help those who lost everything in the floods, and ways to help save the lost dogs, cats and other animals.  So many shared information about charities that are credible.  It was wonderful.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 25,929
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When my first husband died suddenly I was put into a very bad place financially.I owed the hospital $83,000, I owed my parents $2000 because they paid for his funeral. At first I was not able , emotionally , to go back to work, but even when I did , my income was about 20% what his had been. I had no car, had to sell my house quickly so I ended up selling it for what I owed on it.If it weren't for my wonderful family I would have been in really dire straits. My grandparents let me move into their house and they moved into another little 1 bedroom apartment they owned. I had no car but I was next door to my brother so I could do things like going to the grocery store with them.Being a nurse I had to work 3 shifts so my brother & SIL would watch my kids when I worked off shifts - despite that they had 12 kids of their own. Sometimes it really does take a villiage - and , sadly, not everyone gets the support they need from family or social services.

Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,409
Registered: ‎09-09-2014

OMG! That is absolutely terrible, that poor woman! All she was doing was a  good deed & she gets that for it? What kind of a freak would do something that awful, that really makes me sad & angry!

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Posts: 12,702
Registered: ‎08-22-2013

@CelticCrafter wrote:

I have a family member that is involved with an organization that helps the homeless, hungry, those in shelters and those that just need a little bit of help.

 

They will take practically anything someone is willing to donate.

 

My husband is a couponer and sometimes with double coupons, loyalty cards and sales there are a lot of personal care items that are almost free.

 

He will put it in a box and when it's full, drop it off to her.

 

Did it recently and another family member felt it was okay to go through it and take what they wanted because it was being given away anyway.  Really?  This person has more money than they know what to do with.

 

Something that was being done with a good heart turned into a you know what show.

 

 

 

 


I don't doubt that there are many who have plenty who do not think twice about helping the poor, but they sure can help themselves.

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Posts: 10,820
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

I rarely think twice about giving, or helping someone...even some questional blokes.  Lol.  What goes around, comes around.  Working close with homeless and mentally ill for years a while back, I learned not to judge so harshly.  So many reasons and circumstances people have.  I will not go into it here, because I have for years..and some  people are just negative,or very, very sceptical.  Many just turn the other way.  They have their reasons too I am sure