I get itchy with these types of questions, not because I am ungrateful or I am ungiving, but because I feel uncomfortable with feeling on the spot. I feel as if it is suddenly my turn with the candle and it’s time for me to list all that ways I have given to others, all my charitable achievements in the last year, and then light the candle of the person next to me.
That’s when the itching begins. My old self-consciousness seems to take over and I just want to keep such things to myself. I’m perfectly content letting everyone think I’m the neighborhood curmudgeon while I make dinner for other people, thank you very much. My heart is almost too full for generosity — I have found myself in so many pickles due to quietly paying for other people’s bills that I haven’t been able to pay my own this year — but I also believe that these things don’t matter. What matters most is that I have been given much and because of this, I feel I must give much more.
Therefore, I will hijack this writing prompt for my own selfish purposes.
I taught an incredible young lady many years ago, Makinsie, who completed her first Ironman in 2014 at only 21 years old. Instead of stopping at one Ironman and, in fact, her one goal of one Ironman, Makinsie has decided to do it once more. This time, she will be completing the Ironman 2015 in Arizona. I am so proud of this amazing woman who not only is continuing in her goals but is now doing it to help over 20 children who suffers from cleft lip and palate. Makinsie’s Ironman 2015 is her way of paying it forward and she signed up to raise money for an organization called Smile Train. Makinsie says, “I have learned that kids with cleft palate and cleft lip are seen as outcasts, in many countries, these kids cannot make friends, cannot live as normal people would, and cannot get a job which means isolation, starvation, and poverty. I want to help make a difference in the world.”
This is where my hijacked post comes in. One 45 minute surgery will fix a cleft palate and cost $250. In perspective, this 45 minute surgery has the ability to prevent one from being abandoned or even killed. Here is what I would love to see happen within the Reverb community and the hijacking of this post:
I’d like to challenge everyone to a friendly game of holiday tag I call “Give One, Plus One”.
The holiday season is a time to give and express gratitude. We have many opportunities to donate to countless well-deserving charities. In no way should one charity be overlooked while another one reaps the bounty of generosity. All we need to do is to give to one and then one more. Meaning, please continue to donate to your favorite charity but will you please add Makinsie’s Ironman fund to your list — even if it is only $5? If you do so, I will happily donate to the charity of your choice as well.
Want extra warm fuzzy points? Share the link for Makinsie‘s great cause with Smile Train Athletics and play a round of Give One, Plus One. It’s the holidays and “Tag! You’re it!”
Published by ShadowTeamsNYC and represented by Lisa Hagen Books
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