Dear LGP.

I recently wrote a message about one way that people can give to charity without getting loads of letters asking for more donations in return  (►►►) and, when one of my friends read my message, she came to the conclusion that I had not said all there is to say on the subject.

There are so many ways that one can help people and it is so easy to think that giving money is the answer to every problem.  I think that the government, those printed and televised appeals for financial donations and so many news stories give us the impression that all we have to do is provide the money and every problem will be solved, but I think all people find themselves in need of help from time to time no matter how rich or poor they are. 

If you can get to the end of a day when you have helped a person who’s bag of groceries ripped as they tried to get on the bus, where you offered some of your time to volunteer with a local organisation or when you just took the time to stop and talk to someone for a while, just knowing that you did something like that will leave you with a good feeling.

One of the saddest aspects of giving a little help is that it is sometimes the case that the people who need it most don’t even know that they do.  It is so easy to put a brave face on for the people you meet when something devastating is happening in your personal life.  You don’t have to be poor to be lonely and perhaps offering a bit of companionship to a person you know who is not quite as perky as usual, or someone you don’t know so well who looks a bit downhearted, can make so much difference to their day, and yours.  

Perhaps what we each need to do when we see someone who we think might need a bit of help is to ask them if there is anything we can do, which might open up the conversation.  It might also be worth remembering that each of us need to make a point of not trying your best to hide those little things that you might need a bit of help with.  

I found some online lists of things you can do to make someone else’s day a little more positive, and a few videos of the kind of things people have done for each other and I have to say that many of the acts featured might well bring a tear to your eye.  

KR, Penge
 

KR shares those videos…

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… and a few slightly lower key ideas…  

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