quote du jour ~lozoff

Tikkun is a Hebrew word that is often translated as “world repair.” To me, tikkun is not just about external service; it starts in our most basic, almost instinctual view of being involved with life as a helper. …

This spirit of tikkun is the essence of compassionate service—not how much good we do, but rather waking and sleeping, eating and breathing, working and playing, with an unforced, underlying attitude of goodwill; no time off. When we leave from our volunteer stint at the orphanage or the soup kitchen or the AIDS hospice and stop off at the grocery store on the way home, we must understand that noticing the cashier as a human being is as significant as whatever noble cause we just volunteered for. It is nothing short of barbaric to deal with as many human beings as most of us deal with every day and have as little real human contact as many of us do.

~Bo Lozoff; It’s A Meaningful Life, It Just Takes Practice

 

 

the gift of a gift

Forgive me while I take a moment to brag a little about a family member—and promote a good cause at the same time.

My brother, Mark Atkinson, is a talented photographer who has contributed his gifts consistently over the last twenty or so years to help bring visibility to worthy causes like Operation Smile, Mercy and Sharing, Doctors Without Borders,  and Smile Train.  All of these international organizations provide those in need with medical care that we here in the United States often take for granted. Most recently, Mark traveled to India to take photographs on behalf of a charity called Help Me See. He tells a little about the trip on his Facebook page:

“Just back from a shoot in Chitrakoot, India. Spent several days at the SADGURU NETRA CHIKITSALAYA Hospital, where 1000 plus show up daily for various eye disease treatment. In most cases, partial or full sight can be restored with 15 minute/$300 surgeries. Help Me See, a New York based charity supports the hospital with donations and equipment.”

I think it’s pretty great that he gives of his talents to help people have a better life, a life that wouldn’t be possible without the work of these charities. To see more of Mark’s photos of India (and Haiti and China) go to http://www.markatkinson.com/editorial.php; just click on the thumbnails at the bottom of the page.  Also, if you’d like to help give the gift of sight, an anonymous donor is currently matching all donations to Help Me See.