I recently submitted a piece to Bonbon Break in answer to a call for writing about “Giving.” I considered the season and the very commercialized circus it has become, with holiday displays showing up even before school starts and the frantic, not-always-pleasant exchanges brought on by the pursuit of happiness in the form of excess. This year, more than most, I am focusing on the simple and looking forward to a peaceful, joyful Christmas. With this in mind, I put this simple piece together. I was very happy to get the news that the editor liked it, and just this morning, it was published in Bonbon Break’s “Family Room.”
This month’s posts are sponsored by Water Aid, an organization dedicated to helping poor communities gain access to safe water and sanitation. Here in the US, we take many things for granted, among those is having fresh water, with minimal walking or effort required to use it. Many other places in the world are not so fortunate and this lack of clean, safe water contributes to the sickness and death of millions of people each year (most of these are children). This is the first time I have heard of Water Aid, which has been working to provide safe water, sanitation and hygiene since 1981. I like that their approach is akin to “teaching a man to fish,” working with communities using various technologies, specific to their needs. You can learn more about them at www.wateraid.org.
Please click on over to Bonbon Break and take a look. While you are there, you might want to check out the rest of the site. There are some great holiday recipes and ideas for making the holiday season special.