How Can I Help?

How can I help? 

That’s the question that came to mind early Sunday morning. What can I, an elderly retired woman, do to make a difference in this screwed up world?

I think finding the answer, or at least an answer, to that question would go a long way toward helping me figure out my purpose in this world.

There are so many areas where help is desperately needed. I donate to our local food bank, and to Meals on Wheels, and to food drives a couple of times a year. I fund an annual scholarship so a deserving yet impoverished female student in Kenya can attend high school, and hopefully find a career that will lift her and her family out of poverty. I have adopted 15 throw-away dogs during my life, as well as a lovely Russian girl from an orphanage in Russia.

But these things, while they make me feel good, seem insufficient in light of the pressing needs of the world.

I know that I don't have the financial resources or the fame to tackle huge issues. I'm not a brilliant scientist seeking the cure to an illness. I don't have billions, or even millions, of dollars to give away in pursuit of an altruistic goal. I'm not a famous celebrity who can put out the call to donate to a certain cause.

I used to volunteer with a couple of local non-profits, but I stopped several years ago when I began to feel unappreciated and taken advantage of. Since then, I haven't found a charity that really calls to me.

So what can I do?

Are you facing this dilemma? How do you deal with these feelings?