this post is sponsored by the fabulous people at smartypants gummy vitamins. all the thoughts and opinions are my own.
the last couple of weeks have been a struggle for me. there are big issues...big legislations...big problems...big things happening in the united states. my facebook feed is full of people sharing their opinions on everything from state rights to gun control, from gay rights to racism. articles i have read are full of comments with people spending hours and hours fighting with one another, trying to change each other's minds. people are hurtful. offensive things are said. people are so focused on their rights, their feelings, their ideas that, to read the vast majority of what is written, there seems to be a general lack of concern for others, especially if others think differently than we might.
i find it all very discouraging. i keep looking for people who are kind and loving. every once in a while i'll find a post by someone who is sharing their thoughts in a loving and respectful way and it honestly brings tears to my eyes in its compassion, in its love, in its kindness. i know our nation's issues are important. i know that people feel passionately. i know that there are problems that need to be fixed. i know all of it. i, however, see a tremendous amount of energy being poured into fighting over issues behind the mask of our computer screens and i see little good coming of it. i'm not advocating silencing your voice. we are a privileged people because we have the right to share our thoughts and viewpoints. i am saying, however, that we may be able to take a piece of our passion and our energy and redirect it into something tangible for someone else.
there are so many easy ways you can help others. we at thethirdboob are huge fans of vitamin angels. this non-profit organization gets vitamins to children in need around the world. they just announced this month that they have reached their 1,000,000 child with vitamins donated by smartypants gummy vitamins. having seen malnourished kids in south america, kids whose hair is falling out because of vitamin deficiencies, with skin diseases from unsanitary living conditions, half the size they should be because of lack of nutrition, i am extremely passionate about children getting the nutrients they need to not just survive but to thrive. through corporate donations as well as individual gifts, vitamin angels is reaching those kids and giving them a better chance at life. it truly is an amazing company.
there are some easy ways you can get involved in their program. the easiest way to be a part of this solution is to purchase smartypants gummy vitamins here in the united states. for each bottle of smartypants vitamins you purchase, the company donates another bottle to vitamin angels to distribute to needy children around the world. imagine if we all did something as small as purchase a bottle of vitamins. the impact we could make globally is staggering to envision.
my husband and i lived in south amercia for six years. while there, we were surrounded by people who were desperately poor. every day we were encountered by those who were hungry, people who were living in shacks, children who were malnourished.
cartagena, colombia is full of 1/2 million displaced people who live in shabby, dirt-floored houses without running water, without food, without basic life necessities. we watched people everyday fight for survival and it was heartbreaking.
the truth is, there are people everywhere in need. there are hungry people in our own backyard. there are people fighting for survival here and across the globe. there is so much need and so many who need us. imagine the good we could do if we redirected a piece of our passion, an ounce of our energy from our fights over issues to answering a need in someone else in a tangible, real-life way.
you can also give directly to vitamin angels through online giving. take a moment and also follow vitamin angels and smartypants vitamins on facebook twitter and instagram. every time i see pictures of the children these organization are helping, my perspective is changed. i am more grateful. i'm more passionate about helping others. i'm so happy to be involved.
vitamin angels is not, however, the only way you can get involved with those in need. there is so much need in our own backyard and around the world. beyond the hungry, there are countless hurting people you meet everyday. find someone to love. find something to give. find something of your own you don't need and donate it to bless someone else. bring someone a meal. volunteer at a food pantry. do something tangible.
in spite of our disagreements, in spite of our differences and no matter what our stances are on issues, we truly are so blessed in so many thousands of ways. those blessings come with an accountability to look beyond ourselves and to do something for others. be passionate about what you believe in. be a voice for your cause, but do it with kindness. we do not have to agree on one single thing for us to be kind to one another. let's do that. let's show kindness. let's care for those in need. we will all be much better for it.
follow vitamin angels on:
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vitaminangels?fref=ts
instagram: https://instagram.com/vitaminangels
twitter: https://twitter.com/vitaminangels
follow smartypants vitamins on:
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SmartyPants.Vitamins?fref=ts
instagram: https://instagram.com/smartyhealth
twitter: https://twitter.com/SmartyHealth
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