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Sometimes it Feels Like too Much
I met an unusual young man last week. I went to his house to evaluate whether we could provide an accessible computer system for him. His home is clean, his family is financially poor, and the rental house they live in needs a lot of work. The young man doesn’t have a good education. To make matters worse, he was shot while riding in a car and is now a quadriplegic. As we talked about his goals he told me that he wants to sell used cars. He likes doing this and has experience at it. One of his neighbors taught him the strategy he uses for selecting cars, however this neighbor was killed in a separate shooting a few months ago. As we talked and goofed around, I found it very easy to like this young man and his family. They have had a hard life, but they are good people.
Breakfast at D's
I live in a small town of 4,000 people. I like it. Last weekend Diane and I went to a local diner attached to an old motel. It is the kind of place where guys in their 70’s and 80’s sit, play dominos, and harass each other for several hours each morning. The breakfast is good and as we waited for ours, I overheard a man at a table by himself complain to the waitress about the $6.50 cost of the breakfast buffet. He said that he couldn’t afford that – it was all the money he had for the whole day.
We all need help sometimes
As a wife and primary caregiver to my late husband George, I am all too aware of the physical, emotional and mental stressors involved. I was all too guilty of having the "I CAN DO IT MYSELF" attitude.
Learning to be Strong
I’ve been watching Larry Bell’s Be Extraordinary video. In it he makes the comment “I’ve learned that I am stronger than I want to be”. That statement has been haunting me.
COMMUNITY
There is an old African proverb, to the effect, “it takes a village to raise a child.” Children are considered a blessing from God for the whole community. The same idea comes through in Ecclesiastes 4:10 "For if they fall, one will lift up the other…".
Givers and Takers
We have had a crazy winter! In Arkansas we rarely get snow and temperatures well below freezing, but this year is different. I’ve had five trips canceled since January 1st because of winter weather. The process of rescheduling and canceling has been frustrating, but it also brings out the best in some people.
Connections
Remember the popular parlor game back in the ‘90’s, Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon? The premise was any actor can be linked through his or her films to the actor Kevin Bacon within six steps. The game is founded on the “six degrees of separation” concept by Hungarian writer Frigyes Karinthy. As a side note, Kevin Bacon created a non-profit organization www.sixdegrees.org to encourage charitable giving.
An Extraordinary Hope
Diane and I started InvoTek 22 years ago because it seemed like there was a need for engineers to help people with disabilities. From the beginning, our goal has been to get technology to the people that need it. For the first several years, our challenge was to find funding for developing new devices. We spent years – literally – learning how to get proposals funded and how to compete for grants. As we experienced some success, we tried everything we could think of to get the technology developed through grants to the people we wanted to help. We went to tradeshows, worked through distributors, and partnered with other companies. After years of trying, it became clear that funding was our main obstacle. The technologies that people needed to be more independent do not have consistent funding streams and insurance usually will not pay for them.
The Giving Paradox
I had the opportunity to meet an extraordinary family last week. Wesley Wilson is a young man in his mid-twenties who broke his neck in a freak diving accident when he was 17. He and his mom live together in a modest, well-kept home in southern Arkansas. Wesley is one of our newest Be Extraordinary clients.
Why We Give
What makes us give our time, money, or goods to a particular charity? Is it a sense of gratitude? Obligation? Expectation of something in return? Guilt? I once made a pledge to an organization just to get the pushy solicitor off the phone. Needless to say, that was a one-time contribution.
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