In Search of 'The Perfect Gift'

The holidays are upon us.

Christmas. Hanukah. Kwanzaa. And several others. Television is filled with non-stop ads for "the perfect gift." My mailboxes (both physical and e-mail) are overrun with appeals from a variety of charities -- some of which I have never donated to -- for funds. Some appeals come in multiples.

My almost-14-year-old dog died a week ago after being diagnosed with lymphoma and losing the ability to use her legs.

As we all know, this year has been one for the record books, and not for anything good that happened. More than 285,000 Americans have died of Covid-19, and the experts are predicting a huge surge by the end of the year. Thousands more have survived with potentially permanent damage to their lungs, hearts and brains. My cousin and her entire family are recovering from the virus, but she remains quite ill.

I am not able to travel, something I love to do. And last week, my area got some 4 inches of snow. Much of it has melted. I don't like winter, and I especially don't like snow. In October, we got more than 7 inches of snow. And in a normal year, we get little snow, if any.

So I tried to think of something -- anything -- positive to both lift my spirits and to improve the world in which I live. All I can come up with is to donate money to the charities that mean the most to me. I don't need, or want, anything as a gift. I have all I need, and more.

So I made an online donation to the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, which rescues, treats and cares for orphan elephants in Kenya. I donated again to Meals on Wheels to provide nutritious meals to homebound senior citizens in my area. I donated again to Road Runner Food Bank, which has been hit very hard due to the huge increase in people needing food assistance. I will donate to the hospice in northern Illinois that cared for my father at the end of his life. I donated to the Memphis Area Golden Retriever Rescue from which I adopted one of my golden retrievers. I donated to the Elephant Crisis Fund in Kenya with the proceeds from sales of my photo calendars. And chances are good that a couple of additional charities will get a year-end donation as well. I also have signed up to donate blood later this week.

My dog's treatment and assessment cost thousands of dollars. Property taxes are due this week. Car and property insurance are due this week. And the final payment on a hoped-for trip to Tanzania next year is due -- this week. 

But I can't take the money with me when I die, so why not spend some of it now to make this sad, sorry world a better place? Why not use my blessings to help provide food for hungry people ... to help provide compassionate care for the dying ... to help African elephants whose populations are being decimated by greedy humans?

To me, sharing my blessings and donating to causes I support -- those things are 'the perfect gift.'