There is a ton of creative content to be found almost everywhere
we turn. Some good, some bad, some
thought provoking, some mind numbing. I
don't have any delusions that my Andersen
Years stories are at the pinnacle of literary achievement. I hope in the end a reader or two will
consider my tales better than average "created for the internet"
content and enjoyable reading material.
I admire people who have the discipline to go through a more
formal publishing process. I am not one
of those people. I have a creative jones
that I sometimes need to scratch and this blog is one of my outlets. The Andersen people reach is wide enough that
I hope I create some smiles, laughs, a few tears and rekindle some pleasant memories. These stories are snapshots of human behavior
and interaction. As such, I hope they
will have some appeal to a reader or two outside the Andersen family as well.
It is also a hope of mine to start a trend of authors (authors
better than me) giving away content in exchange for contributions to benefit
communities. If you like what you read
here -- or if you don't like it and want me to stop - - or if you are afraid
the next story may be about you and you want to buy some silence -- I would ask
that you consider a donation every now and then to a worthwhile cause.
Some suggestions:
My parents married very young and we scraped by as a family for a
number of years. To this day one of my
biggest fears is to be homeless. It is
an irrational fear for me now, but it is a very real fear for many. I think the growing gap between the haves and
the have nots is the greatest cultural issue we face today. It is easy to dismiss homelessness as the
fate of the lazy, criminal, or addicted.
In reality, a frightening number of people we know likely are just a
minor setback away from some level of financial despair. Compassion doesn't judge -- it lends a
hand. The Denver Rescue Mission has for
many decades been lending a hand to those who have no place to call home. Please consider supporting programs for the
homeless in your community.
I recently worked on several consulting engagements with a
gentleman who introduced me to an organization called Project Sanctuary. Project Sanctuary provides proactive
counseling retreats to veterans and their families. I have seen firsthand the healing, learning,
and growing that occur on these retreats.
The need is great.
When I was in grade school we learned a song with these lyrics:
Freedom isn't
free
Freedom isn't
free
You got to pay
the price
You got to
sacrifice
For your
liberty
We may disagree with politicians and their decisions. But brave men and women are making the
sacrifice that we take for granted.
Consider supporting Project Sanctuary or another veterans' cause as
appreciation for those who pay the price.
The creature on this planet that seems to understand me best is a
black lab named Xena. Many of us are
fortunate to have wonderful pets throughout our lives that make us smile, bring
play into our days, and are never too self absorbed to just be there when we
need them. Please consider supporting an
animal shelter near you that works daily to create more people/pet bonds.
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