It's Beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Here we are with the Christmas season upon us once again. This past year has been the most difficult year of my life. Hands down. 2012 will bring better times. I can feel it. When I tell people about this blog and my project for 2012 I get a very mixed reaction. Some think I'm crazy. "You could buy  ______ with that much money!" Insert anything imaginable from lots of chocolate to a horse, both being absolutely the LAST things I really need.

 Some make the argument that I should be saving this money for my children's college. Indeed a wise idea. However, I do already save money for my children's college and I believe teaching my children how to give may be advantageous over hoarding my money at this moment in my life. A different year may hold a different view, but this is my view this year.

 This is shamelessly stolen from a great article about 30 things to stop doing to yourself:

 "Stop being scared to make a mistake - Doing something and getting it wrong is at least ten times more productive than doing nothing.  Every success has a trail of failures behind it, and every failure is leading towards success.  You end up regretting the things you did NOT do far more than the things you did."   

This is how I feel about this project. I could wait until the single day when I feel I am ready enough or have enough money and I guarantee that day will never come. I don't think that giving can be a mistake.

Every year, I participate in the Holiday Helpers Christmas tree at my job. And every year, I end up spending too much money. It's fun and I love to imagine the people whom I will never meet opening their presents. I typically choose the strange ones, the ones left on the table when all the easy ones have already been selected. And after I've wrapped my present and put it back on the table, I never feel guilty about the over-indulgence like I would had I spent too much money on clothes for myself or that extra pair of shoes. And it is this feeling that I want to replicate in my year of giving.

So this Christmas I have paired back. There won't be mounds of toys for the kids and useless clutter for the adults. What there will be is time. The indulgence of sitting on the floor playing with my children with no better place to be!

I wish everyone a joyful, safe, and loving Christmas season.

Horseplay Equine Rescue and Sanctuary

"Show me your horse, and I will tell you who you are"--Unknown

Last week, I received an email plea from a close friend of mine. An avid animal lover with a compassionate heart, she knows of an equine rescue organization that is falling on hard times with winter approaching and 19 horses to feed and care for. I will always hold the deepest admiration for those who take on the thankless job of caring for unwanted horses.

The economic downturn coupled with the rising cost of fuel have had devastating impacts on the "backyard" horse community as well as the higher end breeding horse community.. There is a glut of unwanted horses on the market now that people just cannot afford to feed and care for. These horses, more often than not, end up in the hands of "kill buyers" and are sent to slaughter. Contrary to popular belief most horses sent to slaughter are healthy and sound. Pregnant mares, mares with foals, geldings, stallion, there is no discrimination. 

Caring for horses is not cheap and it is very labor intensive. Here in the Northeast, the climate is brutal, there is not a lot of pasture, and caring for horses throughout the cold dark winters is a labor of love to say the least. Add to that the cost and time involved in caring for horses that have health issues and need rehabilitation and the task becomes daunting.

The horse and human have had a special relationship for thousands of years. He is a creature with a big heart who is willing to sacrifice himself in the service of his keepers. He deserves to be treated with dignity and not disposed of as if he had no value. 

I have made a donation to Horseplay that will be matched 100% by my company.

Please check out Horseplay Equine Rescue and Sanctuary for more information.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. Happy Giving!

Update 12/01/2011 - here is a great source for information about Horse Slaughter http://www.avma.org/issues/animal_welfare/unwanted_horses_faq.asp