I sat on my bed Christmas morning looking at the catalog sent to me by Heifer.org. It was a little pamphlet that was called, "Beyond Hunger" On the inside there were a few statistics. 852 million people around the world are chronically hungry. 3 billion people live in poverty. Hunger and poverty claim 25,000 lives every day. 1.2 billion people live on less than $1 a day. There was an article by Barbara Kingsolver who went on a field trip to see the results of Heifer.org. Heifer.org through our contributions distributes farm animals to the very poor and gives them education on care so they can provide food for themselves. Barbara Kingsolver was there for the yearly exchange where the people who have received animals give an animal from there received livestock to another waiting individual. They do this in a ceremony. The givers take the animal to the receiver. So Barbara went up to a lone woman waiting for an animal and asked her if she had ever owned an animal before. The woman said, " I have never owned anything, I am poor"

I have sent purchase money for a number of animals this past year and like thinking about the better lives the chickens, llama's and goats are providing . Making milk, hauling water and wood, making eggs, wool and meat, creating ferilizer for the garden and young to share with the community. My Christmas gift to myself, the joy of knowing I have made a difference in someones life.

I had dinner at my daughters and we sat and watched Shrek and Ice Age. Nice to be with family and enjoy a meal. How comfortable we are. I picked up a magazine from the side table and there was an article that said that $22 plus million had been spent on mascara in America. Somehow I feel we have our priorities all wrong. Not much tinsel in my life this season just thoughts.