Generosity Of Another Sort

As I said in my last post, so far this year's Soldiers' Holiday Care Package fund has received monetary donations amounting $280. Some people have given pretty sizable amounts, the largest being $50.00. I have got to hand it to them that was generous. Others have given less, and I have got to hand it to them too because what they gave was also generous. StreamLight is again donating a dozen expensive flashlights, that is another form of wonderful generosity. Yet there has been a generous donation that goes beyond those I have just mentioned, not in amount money wise, but in how much of a sacrifice it was to make it.

One of the donations I received, from a source who wishes to remain anonymous, was in the amount of $10.00. It was a cash donation, and besides the cash I donated there was only one other cash donation (you know who you are). I think one of the reasons the person wants to remain anonymous is because of the amount of the gift, and another reason is because that person is humble and is proud at the same time (nothing wrong with being either or both). That person wrote me a note, saying in part: "I wish it could be more". From what I know, the person who sent me that $10.00 made a real sacrifice in order to send that much because that person truly could not afford to send that much money, heck probably could not afford to send anything. Yet the donation was made.

Now you may think - 'What is a measly $10.00 to any of us'. Well with knowing the little bit I do about the person who sent it, I can tell you it is not measly to that person or that person's family. When your income is very low, when you have no reasonable hope to expect your income to be going up any time soon, when you have to eke out a living because circumstances beyond your control put you in a tough spot, when your dignity and work ethic will not allow you to accept government handouts in the form of welfare, well then $10.00 to that person is probably like $50.00, maybe even like $100.00, to the rest of us.

The purpose of this blog-post is not to shame any of you into donating, it is not to try to get any of you who already donated to donate more. Nope those are not the purpose of this post. The purpose of this post is to let the person who donated that hard earned and much needed $10.00 (much needed by that person and that person's family) know that the donation is much appreciated. There is nothing for you to be ashamed about, no reason for you to wish it could have been more, no reason to think it less worthy of note than any other donation I have received toward this effort. As a matter of fact, it is certainly the most generous doantion I have received to date considering your circumstances and you should be proud of yourself.

You know who you are; and while others may guess, I will not tell because I know you would not want me to do so. Heck, I know you would not have wanted me to write this, but truth be told, I wrote it anyway because your generosity deserves at least annonymous recognition. Thank you to you and your family.

All the best,
Glenn B