Everybody's Feeling It

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The recession, that is. Everyone I know has been impacted in some way or another. All around us friends and family members are losing their jobs and struggling to make ends meet. This week in our local paper there was an article that said that the LA Regional Food Bank has seen a 41% increase in households seeking assistance from last year. "Many of these are families who consider themselves solidly middle class, but factors have changed and they are now having to seek food assistance for the first time... We've got people coming here from all over, middle class people, asking us not to tell anybody they were here....Even people with advanced college degrees are seeking help." Read full article here.

Isn't it so sad that we feel like we must keep our needs a secret? We have been taught that it is shameful to ask for help, to admit that we are having a rough time. Yet if we all admitted our true needs to each other, and we all could pitch in to help one another with what we DO have, what a powerful church we would be. Recently some friends of ours were brave enough to share their burden, and some of us were able to pitch in and help. None of us are rich; we are all struggling, but we do what we can to help one another, because we are "family." We just have to be willing to share our needs (and our haves) with each other. We have to be willing to be real.

This Thanksgiving and Christmas will be different for many people this year because of the economy, but it is also interesting that it is during times like this that we actually become MORE thankful for what we do have.

So, instead of rushing to all the great Christmas sales this year (and there are some good ones) and getting ourselves deeper into debt, I'm trying to be thankful for all that I already have, and realize there is really nothing more I "need". I'm trying to think of creative gifts to give and I'm going to post a separate blog on pocketwise about that today or tomorrow.

Today is also my 100th post! Corrina just posted her 101st post, which I thought was interesting too!! I feel "rewarded" in a way because this week I won a free I-Pod Nano through a blogging contest sponsored by A-1 Appliances. It was the first contest that I won through blogging, and I'm SO excited!! I do not have an I-Pod (although my hubby does) but have wanted one for some time. I chose the color red :) Have a great and thankful week!!

P.S. Watch this if you get a chance...