Every holiday season we spend a lot of time thinking of what gifts to buy for our spouses, kids, extended family, and friends. Every year I seem to get more and more tired of that exercise realizing that I don't need and I don't want more stuff. This year I announced that I do not want any presents, and that if anyone wants to make me happy they can donate their money and/or time to the charity of their choice.
I had written a very long post on the subject and then trashed it realizing that there are people who are much more eloquent than I am so I will let them speak.
One of my favorite columnists is New York Times columnist Nikolas Kristof who writes a lot about empowering women around the world. Check his and his wife's webpage. He also has a FaceBook page. Many of his articles moved me to tears but none made as big an impression as this one about human sex trafficking. Girls are young as 6 are sold to brothels... just read his column because I cannot bring myself to write about it.
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| Empowerment pin - jewlery from Somaly Mam Foundation Store |
Fortuantely there are amazing people out there like Somaly Mam who risks her life saving those girls and providing them with shelters. Nikolas writes about her in this column.
I do not need to say more, well maybe except that I lied about not wanting gifts. I will get a gift for myself, I will donate to Somaly Mam Foundation and find out if there are other ways I can get involved.
Please, consider this season buying gifts from sources that help those less fortunate stand on their feet. We all have so much but if we need to get more, maybe we can empower those who have little by the choices we make this holiday season.
