It's not to late to give it up!

Feeling pressured as the days of Lent begin to wind down? Try one of the following:

Give up complaining. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . focus on gratitude.

Give up cynicism. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . become an optimist.

Give up harsh judgments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . think kindly thoughts.

Give up worry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . trust in the Lord.

Give up discouragement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . become more hopeful.

Give up bitterness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . turn to forgiveness.

Give up resentment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . cultivate some humility.

Give up negativism. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . be more positive.

Give up anger. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . be more patient.

Give up pettiness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . become mature.

Give up gloom. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . learn to smile.

Give up jealousy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . adopt a generous attitude.

Give up gossiping. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . control your tongue.

Give up tension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . find more humor.

Give up giving up. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . be persistent in prayer!

From the April Parish Newsletter from International Catholic Stewardship Council

Strike will the proverbial iron is hot!

If you are as frustrated as I am about the apparent lack of concern by our politicians around the issue of poverty, have I got good news for you!

Make Poverty History has a great web page with all kinds of suggestions for action. Everyone knows that things will change when there is political will - let's make these members of parliament to be know what's important and challenge them to change the climate in Ottawa.

Tis non-partisan, third party campaign aims to show candidates that many voters care about poverty and want to know what candidates and parties will do to make poverty history.

While these dedicated women and men are out and about searching for your vote to retain their seat or get a new one, why not ask them the hard questions?

If you believe that an anti proverty strategy is needed, what will you ask these candidates to promise?

Baby Steps

Starting again! For me, Lent, and life in general, is always about starting over. Whether it's my running or my prayer life; my great intentions to keep my office tidy or my promise to give up something for a penance, there seems to be a pattern of messing up.


While I was running this morning, I made up my mind to do something different this time. Instead of aiming to run for an hour every day, I will take smaller steps, every other day and run for only 30 minutes, at least for now. Instead of giving up too many big things all at once, I will start bit by bit. Denying oneself an obvious pleasure whether its that glass of wine or dessert on a one time basis, is more likely to be possible. Giving it all up for the whole of Lent is fraught with danger, at least for me.


So it's baby steps for me, making wise choices one at a time. While my inclination is to go for the big prize all at once, my fallen nature has other ideas. It's been said that the road to hell is paved with good intentions - I can see how that could be. I am going to take steps, albeit little ones, to avoid that destination!


Stewardship is about recognizing all the good things we're given. Perhaps my baby steps will make my journey to living gratitude and giving back more realistic and attainable.

The Conservatives asked me about priorities for the coming year!

I refused to complete the it as soon as I saw there is NOTHING to address the critical issue of poverty and homelessness in our country.  We are one of the richest countries in the world and yet still have the worst rates of poverty, especially child poverty.

The fact that this government will not even consider the recommendations from the Committee studying poverty in Canada is outrageous. I told them Diane Finley is turning Canadians off the Harper government. I had been a recent convert to the conservatives, but between the lack of care of the poor and homeless and the recent statements that the government does not have to protect the human rights of people who are prostituted, I will not support them any longer. The whole issue around prostitution and trafficking can be reduced to a very simple thing: poverty.

All human beings are to be extended basic human rights, freedoms and safety. This is not happening in Canada and if the law makers in Ontario and the federal government do not see what’s happening we are in very deep trouble. People are drawn, forced and kept in prostitution because of poverty and lack of basic needs.  This government pretends to care about life and family. The evidence says otherwise.

Write a letter!

Writing to the government is a bit like spitting in the wind - you never know what you'll get! The alternative of course is to NOT write then you will know for sure that nothing will happen.....

And so I wrote:

Hon. Diane Finley
Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development
Finley.D@parl.gc.ca

Dear Ms. Finley,

I am writing in regard to the excellent report from the Parliamentary Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities on the federal role in poverty reduction strategies.

This report recommends that the federal government immediately commit to a federal action plan to reduce poverty in Canada and I urge you to respond positively and quickly.

A few key components for the federal government to initiate a plan to reduce poverty include:

• Raising the Canada Child Tax Benefit and supplement to $5000 within 5 years;
• A long-term national housing and homelessness strategy;
• Measures to help the most vulnerable – a refundable Disability Tax Credit, easing EI qualifications, increasing adult literacy, increasing and indexing GIS for seniors, implementing an early learning and child care strategy; and
• Major help for Aboriginal People for housing, education and social services, including elimination of the two per cent cap on federal funding.

Urgent action is needed because poverty continues to worsen. It is unacceptable that Canada has such a high rate of poverty especially when it comes to marginalized women and children, the most vulnerable members of our society.

While many provincial governments have poverty reduction plans in place, they cannot achieve their poverty reduction targets without the federal government playing its role in the areas of its jurisdiction.

I am also sending a copy of this letter to my Member of Parliament asking that he/she support its recommendations.

Sincerely

To date there has been no reply, so we wait for the wind..... at least I wrote!

Poverty

What does poverty really look like?How can any one of us not care that children are still living in poverty all across this country? And it’s not just kids, but seniors, the disabled, Aboriginal women and so many others who are already marginalized and abused. It is inexcusable that a country like ours continues to let this happen.

It is shameful too that we in BC are like Alberta, Saskatchewan and PEI without a strong anti poverty strategy. In the current leadership race, do you hear anti poverty as a platform? Barely! My e-mails on the topic have not been answered either.

We are all responsible for alleviating poverty at every level and must hold our elected representatives accountable as well as ourselves. We each have a part to play, if we care enough.

One thing you can do is join the Dignity for All Campaign. I did, along with thousands of other concerned Canadians, groups, corporations, unions and more. Take a look at what they've done and who they are partnered with. We need to make some serious noise so the politicians will hear. We all know when there is political will around an issue, it comes alive. Why don't the wives, husbands, fathers and mothers in our governments feel the pressure to help the poor?

I just read through a wonderful report called FEDERAL POVERTY REDUCTION PLAN: Working in Partnership Towards Reducing Poverty in Canada which is the result of an extensive three-year study on the federal role in addressing poverty by the Parliamentary Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development (HUMA).

It is truly a significant breakthrough in support of the work of anti-poverty groups and something surely the government cannot ignore.

Next time?
I’ll draft a letter to Diane Finley in support of the many worthy recommendations
Will you write?

New Year's Resolutions!

What will you do differently this year?!

While many people shy away from making resolutions, others embrace the idea of new beginnings and fresh start with the concept. I for one believe in making resolutions. It helps me focus and remember things I had forgotten about. A recent publication from the International Catholic Stewardship Council parish stewardship newsletter lists some ideas for those of us who wish to start. Here are a few - add your own spin to them as I did and see where it goes!

Practice Gratitude – express thankfulness to the Lord every day. Seeing the good in your life will allow you to keep your heart compassionate and loving.
Encounter the Lord each day – find time to be with the Lord, whether an hour or only a few minutes. Have a conversation with Him.
Be present to others – the gift of your presence to others in your life is more valuable than you realize.
Resist overwork – be mindful that life requires balance.
Nurture friendships – friends are gifts from God who give us a greater appreciation of God’s love for us.
Consider living more simply – we cannot find fulfilment in possession.
Get healthy – be a good stewards of your body.
Don’t give up – be kind to yourself, take it slow and keep trying.
Turn to the Lord – if God is the centre of your new year’s resolutions, you will have a good chance for success.

Where to start, that's the question?