As I think about holiday shopping and the many “must-have” items on the lists of those I know and love, I’ve made an important and long-overdue decision. For several years, I’ve pondered: What would happen if I took all the money I intended to spend on those who already have so much and donated it to charitable organizations serving those who are in need?
Consider this. If those North Shore families who are fortunate enough to travel this holiday season would simply consider their vacations as family gifts and donate additional gift expenditures, and if those staying home would earmark a healthy percentage of their family gift budget to charity, imagine what a true gift our community alone might generate.
For victims of Hurricane Katrina, orphans in Africa or the homeless in the Chicago area, we could make a real difference and set a lifelong example for our own children.
And what about our children? While some in my generation might remember a simpler time and realize how far we’ve come, the next generation has come to expect and even feel entitled to the finer things in life.
I say, enough is enough. Riches come with responsibility. And it’s time we took this message to heart and demonstrated to our children that a better life is nothing without a better world in which to live it.
