A Secret for a Great Life

Life Balance, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

2018-06-03_0733A Secret for A Great Life

The other day I was on one of my long walks enjoying the lake area I am so blessed to live by and saw a father cutting grass on a riding lawn mower, which by itself may not be so note worthy, I admit.  However, helping him and maybe getting in his way a bit were two of his children; both kids where about 6 to 9 years old and each were also driving a small vehicle; one a small look-a-like riding lawnmower – kids version and the other a kids small ATV.  The dad riding his mower had just come to the end of his cut with both kids following close behind and as he turned around they emerged right in his path and there the three of them sat looking , laughing and enjoying an intimate family situation. 

I like seeing these types of things as they remind me of when my own son who used to walk next to me at about that age and push his own child version of a lawn mower as I walked and mowed our own lawn. Those types of intimate moments were great to share with someone special and great teaching moments although they never felt like I was a teacher.

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Can You Be A Philanthropist?

Philanthropy, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Can You Be A Philanthropist?

Many of us may think of philanthropy as something done by billionaires like John D Rockefeller, Henry Ford, Andrew Carnegie, Warren Buffet or Bill Gates who may have initially, set up foundations to outlast themselves.  That certainly is philanthropy working on a large scale and very helpful.   But in reality, philanthropy is practiced every day by thousands of people.  People giving their excess to a needy situation that will help right now and is very satisfying to them and their recipient today.

Some of the very large foundations being created or in existence today have a new business model, one where the foundation may not outlast its founder; one that more closely follows an individual’s day-to-day model. They want to be in control of how their excess gets re-distributed, not leave it to someone to do it later. The Lord blessed them with excess and with that comes a certain level of stewardship and responsibility to help those in need (Note:  not those with less, but those in need) (Read, “An Unconventional Billionaire is Revolutionizing Philanthropy by Closing His Foundation)  Many people like to give and many more people would like to have a say in where that gift gets placed or maybe even how it is used, right away.  Understanding where the donation went, who it helped and what impact on the needy did it have is a large key to attracting donations.

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