Charity does NOT begin at home!

Charity DOES NOT begin at home.

My definition of charity is sparing a couple of quid to help people less fortunate than ourselves or indeed to support others that have shared a life changing experience such as losing a loved one. To help keep the world a happier, healthier place to live, to prolong life, to battle against the many things on this planet that are created to destruct and destroy. To assist human beings that volunteer their lives to save others and to protect natures life forms from pain, suffering and cruelty. This is not exhaustive.....

There are three types of human beings on this planet of ours: those that give, those that give and take and those that just take! It is for the latter that brings me to write this rant.

You takers out there that coin a phrase "charity begins at home", and I've met so many over the years, ask yourself this:

Do you know anyone that has died or suffered from heart disease, has been stuck down by the dreaded "C"word, been disabled through accident, injury or disease, blinded, mute, mentally or physically handicapped, had a stroke, been born premature or with a defect, killed or maimed fighting for our country, has been in a car accident and been rescued by helicopter, has been abused as a child or mistreated in any way, has an addiction they want to kick but can't. This is not exhaustive........

(As I lay here in bed typing this, the postman drops a few letters through the box. A couple of usual bills, a bit of junk mail and a letter from one of my chosen charities "Action for Kids" . It's about a kid called Steven, I say kid he is now a grown man at 24 and has been in a wheelchair all his life, born premature weighing only one and a half pounds and with a rare condition called Torsion Dystonia. He is profoundly deaf and almost paralysed from the chest down (check) and has an old NHS wheel chair. He needs a new wheelchair adapted with a chin operated joy stick so he can communicate...jeez, we take so much for granted in this life.....I'm touched, I don't know him but I want to help him....I want to run for this young man, I want to run for Steven, I want to help fund his new wheel chair. Why,.....because I care...don't ever tell me charity begins at home!! )

So, if you takers have answered yes to any of the above, and still won't put a pound in the old ladies collection tin outside the supermarket who has just lost her husband through heart disease, or the newly married couple who have had their world ripped apart by an ICD in Afghanistan or the widowed husband who's wife died young through cancer; Then I fear for you parsimonious soul and only hope that if you are ever in need of any help from these amazing charities that you are not shoved to the bottom of the waiting list due to lack of funding. If you do, don't come knocking at my door....I'm not at home!!!

Rant over, for now!