Aina Giving

And every day I hear the news of things that are happening in the international community that tear my heart out and make me want to jump on a plane to help wherever I can. And every day that I've visited or lived in countries overseas, I've realized what a bum rap Americans get with the international community. We are a nation of givers. Over 95% of American families give financial contributions to charities; last year we gave over 335 BILLION dollars. And that, my friends, is just dollars. That doesn't add up all of the countless hours that we ALL dedicate to helping others, in whatever capacity that may be. But throughout the world, we're seen as a bunch of misers, out only for ourselves. I believe that the reason for this disconnect is simply because people don't know us, and one of the reasons that people don't know us is because it's hard to travel internationally. You live in France, you can be in a different country within a matter of hours. In the US, if we want to volunteer in another country, it's a COMMITMENT. And it's one that many of us don't have the luxury to take. There's a chance for change here. During WWI and WWII, local communities banded together and changed their lifestyle, sewed bedding, and sent much-needed supplies to troops overseas. Not only was this needed to win the war, but this drew all Americans closer together, and drew the world closer to Americans. Whatever your gift is, use it for the greater good. Whatever talent you've been blessed with, give it to people overseas. If you love to build furniture, build easy-to-assemble chairs, beds, and tables, and we'll send it to the people that need it. If you love to sew or quilt, make bedding for families overseas. If you love to blog, get on your computer and talk about what we need to do. If you love to drink coffee with friends, go drink your coffee with friends and come up with a plan of action that you can all take together to connect with and help the world. We are all in this together, and the sooner we figure out a way to send some of our love and goodwill to other countries, the sooner we see communities and nations being built stronger - ours included.