"If you don't think every day is a good day, just try missing one." ~ Cavett Robert

It is Tuesday, December 10, 2019, and I bid each one a hearty hello as I send out today's episode from my workstation to your receiving device. I have written several times about the saturation of fundraising for needy causes that continues to grow each day. It shows just how many financial needs that are out there, but, it also makes it very difficult to try and decide which ones to support. Not because the need is not great, but, because there are so many great needs. At the same time, there is also a proliferation of fundraising utilities with new ones coming on all the time. These are the entities that collect the funds on behalf of those in need and then distribute them accordingly. I read an article recently on how the fees collected make this a very lucrative business. Here's a new rub. They have fundraising mechanisms that charge no fees. They promote how 100% of every penny given goes to the individual need. That sounds great to me. The other day, after talking with the wife, we decided to make a donation to a particular needy family. It was through one of these that charge zero fees. I thought to myself, this is great. When I went through the process and designated the funds a pop-up appeared. It showed their calculation of what donation I should consider to help keep their program going. They charge no fees, but, they lean on folks for donations. I went ahead and gave the gift and I paid the $6.00 recommended donation. However, I didn't like it. It just didn't sit well with me. Sure, I could have opted not to give the recommended 'donation', but, to me, stating the fees up-front instead of saying you have none is probably a more forthright way to handle this business.

It reminds me a little of a record I used to listen to as a kid growing up. It was a recording of comedian Dave Gardner who did mostly southern styled stories. He used to tell the one about the preacher on the radio emanating from a mega station in DelRio, Texas. The preacher would appeal for folks to contact him for their absolutely free prayer cloth. The preacher proclaimed it wouldn't cost them one thin dime but to include $1.00 to cover the weight of the postal money order. That's what I thought of when I made that donation the other day. It's like the steady diet of revolutionary drugs being promoted via TV commercials. As a diabetic, I am sensitive to all these breakthrough claims being made. However, the claims promising great results are made for 30 seconds and then we see and hear for 60 seconds the potential detrimental impacts of taking the breakthrough drug. It reminds me of the time I thought I was having heart trouble. It turned out to be inflammation in the lining around my heart. Here's what the doctor told me, "Your heart is fine. However, the kind of pain you are having, well, the thought alone could kill you." See what I mean?

I'm not necessarily having a slow news day. It's more like a general widespread drought. One reason I have struggled some has to do with the fact I've not been able of late to get a head start on the next day's edition. Just too busy to take the time to do it. This means I get here at my workstation and there it is, the blank electronic page. My normal approach is to spend my time mostly editing the current edition. For the last several days, I've more or less hit the ground running, or, perhaps better put, hit the ground stumbling. I can hear the weather changing outside the window. The wind is howling. Yesterday we hit 82. They tell us the high for today will be in the mid-'50s. I'm all for that type of change, but, early this morning, Mr. Bentley and I were out roaming around and I will tell you now, a short sleeve shirt may not have been the best choice for the wind chill conditions. But, I've always heard we live and learn, the only mistake is a lesson unlearned, you have to live and learn so you can learn to live, if you're not living on the edge you are taking up too much space, if you walk through life knowing there is much to learn, you will..... And, on and on it goes. Have a great rest of the day and may God bless us all.  Amen. ....More later.