mitten started yesterday at charity knittingIt took me long enough.
Me and my delayed reactions. I am always good in an emergency, do what I need to do to get someone who cut himself badly, bandaged up and off to the ER. Or drive my husband, a few years ago, who had a bicycle accident on the way home from work and broke two ribs. I started crying when I knew he was being taken care of by the doctors and nurses. I am sure now, that after 9/11, I was in shock, just like so many of you, and the real panic hit a day or so later.
Last week's earthquake in Haiti really didn't hit home until yesterday. I hate myself for having such delayed reactions, I wish I could spring into action right away. Yes I sat by the TV and radio every day and got updates on the situation. Yes I bought a donated pattern on ravelry, where lots and lots of designers have generously freed up their patterns and are donating some or all of the profits to a charity.
But somehow something kept nagging at me and I kept feeling bad for "only" having bought a pattern. Alison was already talking about it last week, and I kept thinking, nope, can't afford that. Just can't. I work largely from home, and my income is seasonally affected. (It's funny how bills add up even when there's NOT a sheep and wool festival to sell my yarn at.)
I am glad to be making mittens, because you can bet your last skein of Cascade 220 that there are just as many people hurting quietly that the world knows next to nothing about as there are in Haiti right now. Knitting the hurt away has always been one of my first responses (ah! I get it now! I DO have an immediate reaction! It's called running to needles and yarn! Duh. After 9/11, my dear husband simply surrounded me with bins of yarn from the attic. Yes I was laid up due to pretty major surgery, too, and boy those needles and skeins sure helped me through.)
Anyway. Haiti is still hurting, and because no matter how much I tried to justify not donating a certain amount by knitting for the local needy, I finally went to the Doctors Without Borders website last night, as dinner was in the oven. Dinner that would leave my whole family stuffed, with leftovers to spare. There on the donation page, it says: $7.50 / month will provide two meals to a child for a whole month. 25 cents a day.
HOW CAN I PRETEND NOT TO BE ABLE TO AFFORD TWENTYFIVE CENTS A DAY?
A quarter that I casually tossed into my purse, a quarter that has been sitting in a cup holder in my car.
I believe in quietly helping people, and not shouting about it. But this needs to be shouted about. Not because I am saying, Look at Me, I committed to donating $10/month! But to say: you can do it too.
I know you most defininitely can.
Good for you - remember to come over to the Mogblog and enter the competition. Open to anyone who has donated:)
ReplyDeleteBack before we were doing better financially,and while my own kids were small, i used to save every last penny...every penny i could find under the cushions, in the street,wherever and roll it into a stash so that i could sponsor a child thru Christian Children's Fund (now known as ChildFund) At that time it was about committing to a quarter a day...and you know what? I ALWAYS had enough money at the end of the month to cover the cost of that sponsorship. That was well over 25 years ago and i have sponsored many children since then, and i can tell you for sure, that bit of change you are donating every month REALLY helps...Good for you Karin!
ReplyDeleteGo Karin!
ReplyDeleteNot only that, they won't spend money trying to get you to donate more. They will send a once a quarter (I think it is) snailmail paper update, and I wish they'd stick to email entirely, but still.
The thing they don't say in the news about Haiti is that their culture is a very generous one: anybody who has, shares with his neighbors. My son once took a supply of food to a needy Haitian family in Florida and was bemused, greatly cheered, and slightly annoyed that they had friends on the phone to come pick some up before he'd even left.
We donate through hubby's work. Every paycheck, a certain amount is donated. Works because it's all automated, & the organizations get the cash year round, instead of just during a crisis.
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