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Gratitude


The Thanksgiving holiday has come and gone.  I started it in the kitchen fairly early in the day.  My first thought was, "How come everyone in the house is sleeping and I am chopping vegetables?"  Quickly, my second thought became, "I am so fortunate that I can chop vegetables."  

This season has brought a host of tragedy with it.  In California, there are many who have recently lost family members and  homes in the wildfires and there are many families that lost loved ones in the recent Thousand Oaks shooting.  I am blessed that I have a kitchen and  that my home  will be filled with family and friends this season.

After contemplating my many, many blessings, I decided that my upcoming Christmas season will be filled with giving and not getting.  When I look back over the years, we certainly gave to charities but I never made it a focus  in our home.  I didn't get my kids involved in it like I wish I had.  If I had to do it over, I would find a handful of charities that meant something personal to my family.  I would research them with my kids and have them decide how we wanted to be involved.  Would we  donate money or actually donate our time and talents (or do all three)?    I think kids learn by doing and seeing.

This year, I have personally seen what some non-profits do for people.  I have been the beneficiary of resources from institutions like the Davis Phinney Foundation and the Parkinson and Movement Disorder Alliance.  I have attended their conferences and ordered their materials (at no cost to me).  I am praying that in the future, I reap the benefits of a cure found by the Michael J. Fox Foundation (please let it be soon!)  They could not do what they do without the generosity of others.  Recently, I  learned about the Parkinson's Wellness Fund (PWF).  Parkinson's is an expensive disease to treat.  Fortunately, I can afford many of the available treatments although I know many that cannot.  The PWF helps provide out of pocket expenses to those who can't afford it.  Even better, the PWF has agreed that any donations designated for Orange County, will be spent in Orange County. This is personal to me.  It will be nice to see those funds being used locally.

I hope the upcoming season brings you all health and happiness.  Please consider being a giver and not a getter this season.  Find something that causes your heart to melt and get involved in it.  And don't forget the littles in your family.  You may start a tradition that has benefits for years to come.

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