image by pingu1963

As I have rolled the concept of Enough around in my head I have come to realize that it isn’t just material things my family has enough of. My family has a pretty solid base of love and stability and for that reason alone we are lucky. We have strong family ties, a roof over our heads, a nurturing environment for learning and growing and all of our physical needs met. That is an abundance that so many people in so many places simply do not have. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. I think a lot of the over-consumption that has gone on in recent years is a result of human’s need to create beauty. From the smallest children to the elderly there is a strong desire to create beauty and function for us and for others. What if we channeled that need for beauty, functionality and creation into making this world a better place to be?

It’s a lovely idea and a good one, but when you get down to brass tacks it can be difficult to know where to begin. That’s a huge challenge, making the world a better place. What is better? What does that look like? What makes a real difference and what is a band –aid or a crutch? How do we meet others who are working towards the same goals? If there are no organizations filling a need we perceive, how do we go about starting one? What are the potential pitfalls involved in such an exercise and how can they be mitigated? This is what I am struggling with. I don’t really know where to begin.

Practical Minnesotan that I am, I am starting out with what is right in front of me. I am not personally going to be able to save the world, but by starting out and trying to make a difference in my own community I am at least doing something. My church has been the easiest place for me to begin because it contains a lot of really positive, service oriented people. I’ve talked in other articles about the children’s mentoring organization I have signed up with and the chapter of the Community of the Cross of Nails that others and I would like to start at our church.

In addition to those volunteer opportunities, a friend and I are putting on a Christmas tea on the last of the Twelve Days of Christmas as a fundraiser for the children’s mentoring organization. The tea will be held on the Sunday after Epiphany and for the entertainment we have lined up a couple of elderly women who are history buffs to tell us stories about the old days in our town and in our church. The idea is that in the spirit of the gifts of the wise men (that is what Epiphany remembers) we are receiving the gifts of history and wisdom from our elders and giving the gift of hope and encouragement to the youngest generation.

I also think that moving beyond enough is about more than just volunteer work. It’s about seeing the needs we meet in everyday life. It’s calling a friend who’s having a tough time, or smiling at a lonely older person who’s waiting for the bus. It’s treating all people, no exceptions, with dignity.  It’s having real and respectful conversations with people, especially those I disagree with. Those are things I can do right now from right where I am on my journey.