Feed Jake

Now Broadway’s like a sewer. Bums and hookers everywhere.
Winos passed out on the sidewalk. Doesn’t anybody care?
Some say he’s worthless, just let him be.
I for one would have to disagree.
And so would their mamas.
-Pirates of the Mississippi

Today we drove to my oldest daughter's for Thanksgiving. A gorgeous, two and a half hour drive, most of which was along the river. Our Baby Girl came with us, and later in the day we were joined by my brother and his family, and my sister and her partner. It was a cozy day, with good food, and truly a lot to be thankful for. We all have jobs, we have good homes, things for the most part are running on an even keel for everyone. Life is good. And yet we know it isn't that way for everyone. And so what do we do about it?

My uncle used to ask his kids, every night at the dinner table, "What did you do today, to make the world a better place?" I never knew that until he died and every one of his kids talked about it at his funeral. But it made me realize how much my siblings and I were ingrained with a mentality about the importance of helping others, of becoming involved. And how have we done that?

So many people in my family have gone into helping professions, particularly teaching. In fact, in my uncle's family, he and my aunt were both teachers, as were three of their four children. My father was active in his church in so many ways and my mother was involved in community ed. I volunteered my time to La Leche League for 10 years and later to the Girl Scouts. My sister is part of the Big Sisters program. My brother has coached his kids sports teams. My youngest sister has been involved in various social activism groups. All of us have also donated financially to organizations that matter to us...The American Cancer Society, CARE, America's Child, Toys for Tots, The American Lung Association, La Leche League, Salvation Army, Vietnam Vets, and so many more.

Now I am watching my daughter become involved in organizations that help others and I'm glad to see that. It's important to give back what you can. To make the world a better place. Someone at work saw all the NFL memorabilia I had on the back of my office door and asked if I was a season ticket holder. I told her no. She wanted to know why not, especially since she knows I talk about football all the time with her son. I told her that as much as I love football, if I had that kind of money to spend on a regular basis, I would rather put it towards a charitable need. She didn't quite know what to say. But I believe that once you have a comfortable existence, the rest is just being selfish. And you should be trying to make the world a better place. You should care. If there were more people who cared, we'd have less people on the streets.

Feed Jake is an odd song, but it's sweet. You don't hear it very often on the radio any more.

Now if you get an ear pierced, some will call you gay.
But if you drive a pick-up, they'll say, "No you must be straight."
What we are, and what we ain't, what we can and what we can't.
Does it really matter?

Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
If I should die before I wake, feed Jake.
He's been a good dog, my best friend, right through it all.
If I die before I wake, feed Jake.