Interview with My Sister on How She Practices Giving
“Even if you don’t have much to give financially, there are so many other things you can do to help others.”
This was an interview with a lovely member of our Sweet Words community, following my recent newsletter: “Should the show go on?”, starting a conversation on how as a world citizens, we can “do the most good for the greatest number with the resources we have”.
My younger sister, Liliko, who is a mom of two young boys and lives in France, replied, and her response moved me to tears. I knew a little bit about her journey through giving, but I did not know the extent and depth of it until I read her reply.
I’m proud of her and asked her to share her experience so we could all learn and be inspired by what she does.
P.S. If you have a newsletter, you should get your family to sign up for it!
What kind of things do you do to make the world a better place?
I try to do whatever I can when and where I can. I am not very much into giving out money because I can't be sure where it goes and how it is used. And also, there is not much that I can give anyway!
However, I'm lucky enough to be in good health, so I donate blood regularly; I have my organ donor card and recently started the egg donation process. It is a long process, with many medical exams, both physical and psychological, but it is not difficult; it just takes time and patience. It is wonderful to know that you can help someone build a family.
I also wanted to start bone marrow donation, but unfortunately, I realized I'm too old to do so according to French regulations.
I also let my hair grow for one year and a half to donate it to a charity that makes wigs for women with cancer. Here again, nothing complicated, just time and patience :-)
And whenever I can, I try to help people around me. It's not even something special; I think it's just basic human decency: help a single mother neighbor by walking her child to or back from school when she can't, running errands for elderly neighbors during the pandemic...Recently, our school cafeteria was closed for a week which was a complication for everyone.
So I volunteered to take them all for lunch for one day to give other parents more time to work. And then, another mum volunteered for the next day and so on.
Instead of each having our kids for five days and juggling with work, we all took turns to have all the kids but just one time each. The kids were delighted!
Kindness is a virtuous circle; all it takes is to take the first step and lead the way.
Last Christmas, I collected Christmas boxes for a charity: you put a warm piece of clothing, a book/game, candies, etc., in a box, and you wrap it like a present. I sent a message to our local neighborhood Whatsapp group to volunteer to collect all the boxes and bring them to the charity. The charity will distribute all the boxes for Christmas to people in need.
So there's a lot you can do without much.
““Kindness is a virtuous circle; all it takes is to take the first step and lead the way.””
What do you think motivated you or inspired you to get involved in these actions? Why is this important to you?
I always thought there was nothing I could do for all the things I would see on the news every day.
I can't change the world; it's just too much, it's overwhelming, and I'm just a regular nobody. But one day, I just was fed up with all the sad news and this feeling of anger and powerlessness.
I read a quote on Instagram that said:
““The everyday acts of kindness add up. Changing the world isn’t always a viral hashtag or people with the biggest platforms shouting. It’s you, and me, and everyone else, living in their values every day. Every drop adds to the wave”. ”
I decided to make a conscious effort to be a better person and help wherever I could.
It's important because the only thing that separates me from someone else in a more difficult situation is luck. I am lucky I was born white, privileged, and in France. And luck is not a good enough reason to live a privileged life when others don't.
It's important because I want to live a meaningful life and want my children to become good people, so I have to set an example for them.
What would be one piece of advice/tip/insight you’d like to give to someone who wants to get involved but doesn't know where to start and feel stuck?
Start small, start local. You don't have to do something incredible; there are plenty of people who need help within your community. Look for local Facebook pages where people from your community/city might post that they need something.
Start with your friend, your neighbors, other school parents...
What are some of your projects for the future?
I saw a woman on Instagram who created the "Valentine's Day Widow Outreach" in the USA (@prettythings.charlotte): she assembles bouquets to deliver to widow/widowers on Valentine's Day. I would like to do the same where I live next year.
“The everyday acts of kindness add up. Changing the world isn’t always a viral hashtag or people with the biggest platforms shouting. It’s you, and me, and everyone else, living in their values every day. Every drop adds to the wave. ”
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