With the present state of our economy, the natural response for all is to make cutbacks. Understandable.  A family may cut back eating out as frequently or opt for closer-to-home vacations. But for some, cutbacks aren’t enough and they are left with little to nothing to provide even food for their families.

Recently, a Los Angeles news story came out about Food Bank donations being down, but the demand up. In these economic times, the amount of families in need only increases.

Last week, I contacted our local Food Bank to talk about their needs thinking we could volunteer our time. However, I discovered that is covered in the summer months by the volunteering youth groups. Cash wasn’t even the greatest need. They needed donations!

As we talked further, I was surprised to hear that pet products were one of the big areas of need right now. Why? Families that have little to feed themselves are left with no choice but to give away their pet because they can’t afford the necessary food to feed them. That touched my heart because we are huge animal lovers — especially my daughter. The thought of children having to give away their beloved animal because of this economy was awful.

So my daughter and I hopped in the car, headed to the store, loaded up on donations, and took them to the Food Bank warehouse. It was the greatest feeling knowing how many families we’d be helping and how many children would be thrilled to keep their pets.

Nearly every community has a Food Bank and I would venture to guess that all of them are in need this summer. I challenge everyone to call their local Food Bank and ask about their needs. Then take your children for a shopping trip for donations!

It’s just one way we can help those in need and teach our children the importance of giving to others.

Our pool has been a lifesaver on these hot days and provides much fun for our family. However, this summer wind provides much work for me with the pool as I feel like I’m forever skimming all the leaves and debris.

The most disheartening thing is when I finish skimming and am ready to kick back and relax, another gust of wind kicks up. In an instant the beautiful clear water is once again littered.

Such has been the past few days for me.

As I was out skimming for the fourth time yesterday, I thought about how my debris-magnet pool is much like life sometimes. Just when we catch up, there is a mound of things yet to do. Just when we get back from the grocery store, we think of four more things we forgot to get. Just when we get the house cleaned, the wet dog traipses across the floors. Just when our child masters a difficult situation, we’re faced with a few more. Just when we find a discipline tactic that works, our child enters a new phase with a whole new set of challenges.

There are days when I just want to sit down and let all the debris fall and wait to pick it up once it’s all done blowing. But the trouble is … we don’t know when it will stop and wind is inevitable. One thing is for sure — too much debris in a pool clogs filters (among other things) and letting it pile up creates more problems!

Being a parent isn’t much different. Circumstances and demands will always litter our path and threaten our kick back and relax idealistic dreams. That’s because our kids are constantly growing and developing which means we have to keep on our toes to keep up. Skimming. Skimming. Skimming. To give up only creates additional problems.

It’s in the challenges that speak volumes of what we’re made of and our tenacious desire to be the best parent we can be. So we need to keep on keeping on.

Right now, my pool has many floaties (and not the kind made for enjoyment). But no worries, I’m heading back out to skim once again …

“Wow, she’s opinionated,” my four-week-old daughter’s pediatrician exclaimed after seeing her display her inherent personality. I smiled, but silently wondered how her opinions would play out when she got older. It didn’t take long to see. Months later, it was clear no toy in front of her would entice her to crawl. She crawled when and where she wanted. She was a born leader. Fifteen years later, her opinions are further formulating and she still freely shares them.

When she was in elementary school, I wrote her special encouraging notes for her lunchbox every day. I didn’t ask myself how giving her encouraging notes would play out when she got older, but when I was discouraged with a long recovery from a car accident, I found out. She presented me with a page containing a couple of my notes I had given her over the years along with a few of her own now for me–just to encourage me in my day.

So often we go about our day not paying close attention to how what we say or do will play out over the long haul. What kind of an impact could it make if we did?