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On a different track, go look at this picture I just took of Phat Phoebe Cat, is she not the CUTEST thing ever? Plus, PHAT. Buffy says I give the cat a complex about her self image, or something like that, because I always say "Come here you Phat Phluffy Cat!" But look at the picture. She's obviously fat. Or Phat. Anyway... So I was think earlier this morning about how I forgot to tell you what happened a couple weeks ago at church, because actually, I haven't really been writing that much about things that happen, only about death and sadness and crying and stuff, heh, but yeah, things actually still go on. Like work, still got to go to work, and school, still have to keep up with school, etc etc. Back to church... two weeks ago... The church does this thing every year called the Alternative Gift Fair, and what it is is, instead of buying gifts for your loved ones and friends, that they end up putting in a closet or returning or regifting, you donate money to any of these worthy causes which go to help people around the world. And they give you a card that explains what you did with the money, and hopefully if you have loving understanding family then they are thrilled that you donated instead of buying them a useless gift. And since I do have a loving family who likes to donate and help people, and since my mother's death is still fresh and no one in my mother's family has any need of ANYthing, I made a nice long list of people to buy donations for. So my donations went to the World Church Fund and also the Heifer Project. The first provides things like blankets, tools, and school supplies around the world to the most destitute - and many of their funds are going to Louisiana and Mississippi this year. The Heifer Project gives farm animals and tools and trees. So for my mother's sisters (or in their honor) I donated one school desk and one school kit each, for my grandparents I donated a flock of chicken and some fish. For Scott and all my friends in Aptos I donated farm tools and carpenter's tools, and many more chickens. And trees, I gave lots of trees. And for my kids, I gave a bee hive from Buffy and tools and blankets for Spike. And then I bought many more school desks and chickens and trees for other friends and family. And when they totaled it up it was quite a hefty bill, but I felt good about it, and I felt that the people who would be receiving these cards would also feel good that the money went where it mattered. So I wrote out this big fat check - which was more than I ever would have imagined writing a check for six months ago, to Give AWAY - and handed it over, and I turned around and there is Buffy and her friend, and Spike and his friend, that they had taken to church. "Mom," said Buffy, "I've been looking all over for you! What were you doing?" "Oh, I just spent all our Christmas money on the poor kids," I told her, chuckling to myself. "You what." "I just wrote a check to give food and blankets and tools to the poor people around the world, instead of giving presents." "You what. How much." I start cracking up at this point. "Oh just $XXX.XX" "HOW much?" "$XXX.XX" "You WHAT! MOM!" Her eyes about bugged OUT of her HEAD when she heard the number. Buffy's friend laughs and says "Oh Buffy, I'm sure she's just kidding, she didn't REALLY." Buffy turned to her friend and grabbed her by the shoulders. "You don't KNOW her!" she said, very intensely and verging on hysteria, "She's INSANE!" Now this, this had me rolling on the floor, I mean tears were streaming down my cheeks it was so hilarious. Spike and his friend just stood there, Spike calmly thinking "Yeah she did I know she did she spent all the Christmas money on the poor kids just when we finally get a break now she's given it all away goddamIT." Of course, obviously, we had much more money for presents. But after being poor for so long, and given the fact that we have more than enough for presents and actually enough to spoil the kids far beyond what they even deserve, how can I NOT give a good portion of it away to someone who needs it more than we do? So that's about the only thing that gets me through the Christmas Shopping, as we go to the World Market and I see all the wonderful things that I can buy for my mom, only NOT, and then I remember how happy she must be knowing that all those poor kids are going to get school desks and school kits. That would make her happy. And so I donated desks and chickens and bee hives and trees, and I spoiled the kids too, because that's what my mother and father would have wanted.
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