Sorry that I haven't posted in a while; I've been obsessing about many things, like starting my new law practice (more about that later) and my upcoming Hebrew National Picnic with a Purpose, also sponsored by The Motherhood. I feel a little pressure about the Picnic, because I'm one of the last of eight bloggers hosting one, and the previous picnics have been, I don't know, maybe a little awesome. Pool parties. Bounce houses. Merriment and frolic.
Whereas I'm going sort of deliberately old-school with my picnic. Simple menu, a local park with a pavilion and playscape. It reminds me a little of the church picnics we had at Fort Niagara when I was growing up. A long table lined with hot dogs, macaroni salad, baked beans, and the like, kids running around and playing, adults sitting back and shooting the breeze in those aluminum lawn chairs with the nylon webbing. Remember those?
But I really, really like the one twist this picnic has: that we're getting together to have fun, but we also get to do a service project to help people in our community. Let me be frank: Detroit is suffering, badly, and it's still likely to get worse. And I'm a cheap so-and-so. When things are tight, you'd think I'd want to give less, not more.
Weirdly, though, in this time of high anxiety, giving more is the only thing that eases the knot in my chest a little. So we're doing this service project for the SAY Detroit Clinic for homeless children and their families. We're decorating a "treasure chest" for the clinic and filling it with little toys for the kids to get as a treat after their appointments. And we're making little gift bags for some of the moms who come to the clinic. Know what's in 'em? Toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo and kleenex. If you have that stuff in your house right now, then you're doing better than a lot of people. If you have a house to have that stuff in, you're doing better than a lot of people. I have all that stuff. Sometimes it's good to realize how good I have it.
So, to recap--we're going to frolic. We're going to pig out. We're going to do a small service for a truly great organization. It's going to be an awesome day. The only thing missing will be the aluminum lawn chairs.
I have waited until now to comment, to be sure I couldn't come. And I can't :-( But have an AWESOME time!
Posted by: Salome Ellen | May 29, 2009 at 07:15 PM
Hey there! Update this thing would you! Just kidding =) I do have a small gift for you here though http://journeyof1000stitches.blogspot.com/2009/07/so-blessed.html
Posted by: Brandie | July 07, 2009 at 01:56 AM