Let me be 100 percent honest with you OBVs. I’m trying really hard to
balance my spiritual life with my natural desire to collect pretty
things. Gilt.com is one of my favorite shopping sites (thank you for my
new DVF wallet) and as soon as I can track down that H&M cobalt gown
from their conscious collection in the Seattle area, that will be all
that she wrote. While I spend time focusing on my next look for the next
season, millions of children in America will go to bed hungry tonight
before this post even makes its way around the internet. Even more
children will die from cancer and other diseases due to our environment
and lack of access to quality healthcare. Families will be evicted from
their homes and one more individual will lose their job that was already
barely making the rent.
With all of my love, compassion and free the world banter, I can’t
help but feel guilty as I take a spin around my bedroom and
re-consider all of the clutter that makes up my life. I have everything
that I need. So what is this desire to want more? My life isn’t perfect.
I’m no longer in my gorgeous Harlem apartment living above it all,
shopping trips to 34th street nor evening rendezvous with my girls on a
nightly basis. Between student loans, working on my independent projects
and simply surviving through this “recession” I don’t have it to
foolishly spend on “stuff”.
I’m sure that we are all guilty of putting ourselves and our needs
before that of others. But to whom much is given much is required, so
where do my personal values fit in to play? When I survey my life I
realize that I have not given much. I give my voice, my words and my
encouragement for all to witness via social networks and my random
encounters with friends and family. But is that really enough?
Absolutely not!
My goal is to step up my giving in 2012. Whether it’s through my
time, my skills, or sharing a portion of what I have to help lift
someone else up. It’s hard out there folks and sometimes all we need is
the compassion and love of one another.
Let’s start each day by asking the simple question: “What do I plan to give today?”
Sherrell
Dorsey is an eco-glamour expert, writer, speaker, social entrepreneur
and creator of the blog OrganicBeautyVixen.com – “A Brown Girl’s
Guide to Eco-Glam Living”. Sherrell believes that going green with
your beauty routine doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your fierce and
fabulous style. Connect with her on twitter and facebook for all things beauty, green, eco-friendly, organic, sustainable and of course… Eco-glam.
life is about balance. you can tip too far either way. As long as we take time to re-evaluate our choices consistently, this is what is most important. Great reminder!!
Hi! I help a child in South America with better medical care and it also allows her to participate in a program to learn more aout the Lord. I am a 20 year old junior in college with a 3 year old. The Lord has blessed me so much in providing me with a private school education. As well as providing for us financially. I feel that it is only right for me to give back to others!
Inspiring post, thank you for this! It's so true, and can be so hard to think past ourselves sometimes. I donate monthly to ASPCA and I know how to knit.. Once I have more free time I definitely want to knit and donate projects to charity. Thanks for the reminder 🙂
In eloquent words you just captured a daily battle I have. Thank you for a reminder to be giving on a daily basis.
"What do a plan to give today?"
I plan to give my former boss a piece of my mind for lying to the labor department and refusing to pay me and……oh wait that's not what this is about.
Thank you all for your wonderful comments. It's so true that we constantly need a reminder. We can easily get caught up in the world of me and forget about others. We have to be the catalyst in stopping others' catastrophes before they begin. Not after they've lost everything.
@firstladyvee as an adopted child I congratulate you on your move to adopt this year. There are so many amazing young children who need a home. You are so right about the big sisters programs or any other mentoring program. We have to become lights in other people's lives.
I needed to read this because I need to give back more to the community. We forget easily that we could have been or could be in one of these situations so easily.
Thank you Sherrell and FirstLadyVee. Sometimes we forget that what we are going through could be so much worse. We have to remember to count our blessing and even more so, to be a blessing to others. God Bless
So so so on point with what I needed to hear right now. Something is missing and I couldnt put my finger on it but, I havent been serving my church, community, or anyone but myself and family for past few months! Getting it together now.
I currently tithe to my church and give my time to teaching Youth Bible Study. I plan to adopt a child in the near future.
This is a right-on-time post for me. I just left my daughters' award ceremony where both my girls were given the Principal's Honor Roll Award (pops my collar), but I digress.
One of the ladies that works at the school was telling me about the children who were receiving awards. These children have been going through it! Three of them are homeless and live in their car but still received Perfect Attendance Awards. What??!! And one was given up by her mother and lives with her aunt. One little girl made the A Honor Roll after having cancer this year and missing half the school year.
There are children out there who need help. We need to step up our game and volunteer at the Boys and Girls Club, be Big Sisters or Big Brothers, serve food at the local homeless shelter, adopt a family for Christmas, etc. I'm ready.