Just and Beneficent posts

As summer passes, so do most of the prairie blooms. Goldfinches have descended upon things in earnest, devouring seeds produced by plants that flowered over the past months. But things are not all bare, the asters push out blooms late into the fall, a last bounty for bees, butterflies, and other nectar feeders. And a lovely view for the rest of us.

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Made my 28th Kiva loan, here's why

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 11:43:00 -0700

I made my 28th loan through Kiva today. The loan is to help a single mother in Mexico obtain building materials to add a room to her house for her children.

When I heard about this loan through Kiva's Twitter feed, I popped over and made the loan right away. I had credit from the repayment of previous loans with Kiva and some money in my PayPal account from a check I deposited through the PayPal iPhone app (technology cool!) so the $25 loan, plus a little extra to help with Kiva's operating expenses, was all but paid for. But that's not why I made the loan.

A few years ago, I was out of work, depressed, and defaulting on my mortgage. My family was telling me I should walk away from my house and start my life over. My friends, though, understood better what that would mean and most importantly that it wasn't me alone that would have to face this. So my friend Carol helped push me into organizing a fund-raising campaign.

I honestly didn't expect that it would get anywhere. I thought we'd raise a few hundred dollars, maybe, but not the thousands I would need to save the home I shared with Ericka.

But then it started. People offered cool things to the online auction. Little bits of money started coming in. People from as far away as Scandinavia an Australia sent in money. There were people that offered large sums, but most of the contributions came in amounts of less than $50.

So I know first-hand what it's like to have far-flung strangers lend a hand. I've witnessed a tribe coming together to help one of its own. It's a powerful, hopeful force; one I'll never forget. I can only imagine what it feels like to those benefiting from the Kiva loans, but I hope that they are left as hopeful as I was.

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