Charity begins at home....

I just got off the phone with yet another charity organisation. This was for blind and deaf children. I would love to help everyone that calls. I would. How could you not WANT to help a poor child. Even a poor adult! But, you really do need to say enough sometimes. The tickets for this particular charity were $40 each. Not sure if they realise that Christmas is only 4 weeks away or not. I honestly feel that I do my bit. I do a Christmas Tree Wish Gift at Kmart/Target, sometimes both. I send some local special needs kiddies to the cinema so their parents can have a break and Hubby and I sponsor 2 children in Africa and have done for almost 10 years. I have kept every card, photo and letter that 'my other children' have sent to me, and it is a delight to see them grow up so big! I also give money every month to Mission Australia to help give the homeless kids something to work towards. I have had bad days with my kiddies, we all do, and I feel it is only by the grace of God that my child didn't feel the need to run away and live life roughly...so if I am in a fortunate enough position that I can help someone elses child who couldn't stay at home, for whatever reason...why wouldn't I? When I spoke to a young gentlemen from Mission Australia he asked me 'why do I do it', I really don't like to talk about it. Charity to me is a private thing. No big announcements about ohhhh look what we did, we even turned down a commercial from World Vision.....it is no ones business where you give, what you give or whether you give at all. Some people give charity through their time, and maybe someday I may do that too. I don't give for a song dance, I give because one day it could be me or my family..and I would take comfort in the knowledge that maybe someone out there is just quietly giving back to me. So sometimes I just feel I do my bit....so I can say no occasionally...but, oh I feel soooooo guilty when I do. But, Christmas is JUST 4 weeks away...eeeekkkkk!!