The Wisdom Tooth

Once again, November and the start of the holiday season has snuck up on us! Thanksgiving is always the perfect time of the year to take a few moments out of our hectic schedules and reflect with gratitude on what we have in our lives. It's true that this is a challenging time for many of us, with the widespread economic downturn and continued uncertainty. Still, this is a special month to appreciate everything we do have and the loved ones around us. Regardless of what is in our lives, there is always room to help and share our abundance with others.

No matter what we have, all of us have a wealth of resources we are able to share with others. This falls into many categories; more than I can name here. Some may have extra time to volunteer, or to help someone in need. Some may have clothes, canned goods, or furniture they will no longer use. Some may have extra finances to donate to non-profit organizations. And still others are educated and trained in certain areas, or have abilities or talents they can share with others less fortunate. So all of us have a way to share the gratitude we have.

An example of how the whole community can come together to help each other is the Lokahi Adopt-A-Family Program. Through many people's kindness, it became possible for thousands of individuals and families to experience a memorable Christmas. The families "adopted" and those helped through Lokahi became the recipients of the true spirit of aloha. Mariellen Jones, Trini Kaopuiki, Tannya Joaquin and the staffs of the Lokahi Project and KHON-TV2 do a fantastic job each year with this special program. The Lokahi Adopt-a-Family links a family in need of help with a generous giver who donates a holiday dinner, Christmas gifts and other needed household items. The program also seeks monetary and material donations as well as Christmas gifts for teens, children, seniors and others in need.

Now the Lokahi Project operates not only during the holidays, but it also helps our needy community year-round. They have a summer Back-to-School Drive for essential school supplies that families can't afford. Earlier in the year they established an Emergency Assistance Fund for those hardest hit by the economy, such as the Aloha Airlines former employees. This fund helped those families with severe financial challenges, such as major surgery and illness.

Once again this year my office plans to adopt a family for the holidays and we hope that you, too, can participate in whatever way your heart and resources allows. Call them at (808) 591-4298 to find out how you can help, or visit their website at www.lokahigivingproject.com.

And if you don't think your effects make a difference, I hope the following story will convince you otherwise.

While walking along a beach, a man came across thousands of starfish the tide had thrown onto the sand. Unable to return to the ocean during low tide, the starfish were dying. Ahead of him, he saw a young boy picking up the starfish one by one and throwing them back into the water.

After watching the seemingly futile effort, the man said, "There must be thousands of starfish on this beach! It's impossible to get to all of them. You can't possibly save enough to make a difference."

The boy smiled as he continued to pick up another starfish and toss it back into the ocean. He replied, "It made a difference to that one."

So whether it's donating your household items, applying your professional abilities to a nonprofit beneficiary, or spending time helping a charitable fundraiser, what you do in the name of gratitude matters.

Each of us, with the talents we have developed, with the resources we have, is able to make a monumental difference, one kind act at a time. Together, we will make great strides in helping each other, one starfish at a time, and make our community a better place to be. Let's all celebrate gratitude by sharing our abundance with others.