The Ice Bucket Challenge

Here’s something I’ve been thinking about this week:

ALS.

And if you’ve been on twitter, facebook, instagram (and/or probably MySpace?), it’s something that you’ve probably thought about too.

Maybe it was just a passing moment where you wondered what it was and why on earth people were dumping ice buckets on their heads for it. Maybe you got nominated and you poured ice water on yourself and you laughed about how crazy and cold it was. Maybe you clicked on and watched all of the ice bucket fails because those are hialarious (thanks Jenny). Maybe you’re just plain sick of it being in your newsfeed and you hope you never seen another person get doused with water again.

Or maybe, just maybe, you saw it, did some research on what ALS actually is and educated yourself.

If you’re in that later bucket – I high five you.

If you went an extra step and you donated $5 – I applaud you.

Because at the end of the day, it’s not one bit about the ice, the water, the celebrities posting their videos, or even about you and me. No, it’s about $31.5 million (and counting) reasons that a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad disease might be cured and about hope for the 5,600 people a year that are diagnosed.

And you know what else it’s about?

Feeling compelled to donate.

Giving a little bit of your time, talents, resources to something that matters.

(I know, it just got deep.)

But really, I hope that’s the take away from this.

I hope you feel called to donate to something that matters.

And maybe, ALS doesn’t matter to you. Maybe you’re not personally affected by it.

Okay, great, fine. I get that. I totally support you.

But you know what? Something else in your life matters.

Are you giving to that?

And maybe you don’t have a spare penny to your name, maybe you’re streched so thin that giving $5 is exactly $5 too many.

I get that.

But I also know you have 24 hours in your day.

Could you give some of that?

And if you’ve got no spare money and no spare time, you just let me know and I’ll start praying for you, because in that case, you need a prayer warrior my friend, and I’m happy to be there for you.

But to you with a little bit extra each month? Spend some time learning about what ALS actually is (hint: it’s terrible), or research something else that matters to you and how you can support them. Sponsor a kid. Help cure a disease. Volunteer in your community. Give to your church.

Give from yourself, cheerfully and readily.

Thank you to those of you who nominated me. Know that this incredible challenge has made me take a deeper dive into what else I want to spend my spare pennies on. Sure, I’ve made a one time donation to ALS, but I’ve also started a monthly donation to the Alzheimer’s Association. It’s all about support, advocacy and research for a disease I passionately despise and I can really get on board with that. I should have been sharing my pennies with them for years. Shame on me for not.

So I suppose that also means I need to share my thanks with you facebook, for making people stop and notice. I applaud you for sucking us in and for making something viral for a cause.

Now to my lovely readers, I hope you feel challenged to give of yourself. And while you’re at it, wouldn’t it be wonderful if you encouraged others to do so too?

I’m super into that… whether or not that involves dumping a bucket of ice water onto your head. 🙂